Internet Ministry - Who is Your Church Website Designed to Reach?
Tony Steward of Life Church TV recently asked the question "Who is your church website for"? The question itself reads as if he has been reading our minds.
The question plays to the first step of our "Four Pillars of Success In Internet Ministry" which we believe is important for fruitful internet ministry.
That first step is acquisition of your ministry target.
In other words, creating a working definition of who you are trying to reach.
Unfortunately, few church and ministry websites are designed with the perspective of purpose as a overriding consideration.
Most church websites are designed for church folks to be comfortable and give little thought to the needs, wants, and desires of those who could be the primary consumers of the church's communications and offers.
The mindset that occurs in most discussions about church website creation revolve around "what do we believe and how can we tell the world?" and it continues with "how can we tell them about our departments so everyone can see what we have".
Surely this information should be available on a website, but it is not likely to be the first thing visitors want to know.
The result from this approach will be websites for church folks already at the church.
I submit that such a website will not really be productive and may become a web presence but never a web ministry.
When the principal of target acquisition is applied to a church's website, an entirely different discussion should occur.
Questions like "who do we want to visit our website and what do we want them to leave with?" or "What can we uniquely supply to our community that will improve the lives of our visitors?" should dominate this type of conversation.
Although there are many thoughts which ministers offer up as what should be considered the primary audiences for a church website, I believe each church and each community will be different and may have totally different objectives and targets.
Evangelistically oriented churches may find that seekers are the primary audiences for their ministry's website.
Alternatively, teaching ministries may find that those wanting to learn more about the bible or bible teachers from other ministries may be the primary audience.
In bedroom communities where soccer moms coordinate the religious activities of their families, these household managers may be the primary consumers of information from a church website.
Whoever becomes the primary objective, churches need A.
C.
T.
T.
to follow the "Four Pillars Of Internet Ministry Success".
The must, as we have discussed here, acquire the target.
They must communicate with those they have acquired.
Once they have established communication, they must allow themselves to be trusted by those they hope to reach.
This trust must generate a disire for an exchange or transaction.
Nonetheless, the point is well taken, churches should not allow their website to serve the staff but rather the website should minister to those you are called to serve.
The question plays to the first step of our "Four Pillars of Success In Internet Ministry" which we believe is important for fruitful internet ministry.
That first step is acquisition of your ministry target.
In other words, creating a working definition of who you are trying to reach.
Unfortunately, few church and ministry websites are designed with the perspective of purpose as a overriding consideration.
Most church websites are designed for church folks to be comfortable and give little thought to the needs, wants, and desires of those who could be the primary consumers of the church's communications and offers.
The mindset that occurs in most discussions about church website creation revolve around "what do we believe and how can we tell the world?" and it continues with "how can we tell them about our departments so everyone can see what we have".
Surely this information should be available on a website, but it is not likely to be the first thing visitors want to know.
The result from this approach will be websites for church folks already at the church.
I submit that such a website will not really be productive and may become a web presence but never a web ministry.
When the principal of target acquisition is applied to a church's website, an entirely different discussion should occur.
Questions like "who do we want to visit our website and what do we want them to leave with?" or "What can we uniquely supply to our community that will improve the lives of our visitors?" should dominate this type of conversation.
Although there are many thoughts which ministers offer up as what should be considered the primary audiences for a church website, I believe each church and each community will be different and may have totally different objectives and targets.
Evangelistically oriented churches may find that seekers are the primary audiences for their ministry's website.
Alternatively, teaching ministries may find that those wanting to learn more about the bible or bible teachers from other ministries may be the primary audience.
In bedroom communities where soccer moms coordinate the religious activities of their families, these household managers may be the primary consumers of information from a church website.
Whoever becomes the primary objective, churches need A.
C.
T.
T.
to follow the "Four Pillars Of Internet Ministry Success".
The must, as we have discussed here, acquire the target.
They must communicate with those they have acquired.
Once they have established communication, they must allow themselves to be trusted by those they hope to reach.
This trust must generate a disire for an exchange or transaction.
Nonetheless, the point is well taken, churches should not allow their website to serve the staff but rather the website should minister to those you are called to serve.
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