Should doing ministry online be part of your church’s overall strategy?
Let me first preface this by saying that I believe in real life, face to face community. I think it has been a vital part of church history and always will be. Community and conversations are happening every day on the web (some may be about your church without you even knowing) which is why I think online ministry needs to be on the agenda. Here are a few reasons why I think so:
1. The web has become an integral part of the way people communicate.
You are missing some HUGE opportunities to connect with people by not being where your people are. Many times church staffers discredit, downplay, or even belittle something web based just because they aren’t into it or don’t understand it. Nobody is saying you have to be completely “into it” but if millions of people find something in Facebook or Twitter than it’s probably worth a “looksy.” I’m just saying.
2. Conversations online have a longer shelf life.
By engaging in conversations online you contribute to something that can be viewed by hundreds of people for years. Taking a “Hallway” conversation or a “hot topic” to the web gives others the opportunity to join in and benefit from it. If I have an issue with my mac and I want a solution, it’s second nature for me to view the Apple forums or google the issue to see what conversations exist on the subject. More times than not I find what I am looking for very quickly. Calling Apple is unnecessary.
3. It keeps you honest
What?! Keeps you honest? The web provides a shroud of anonymity allowing people to fake identities and profiles so how does it make someone more honest? Real community is earned online. People sniff, call out or otherwise ignore anyone who seems like they are faking it or uninterested. Conversely, saying “hi” or “how’s everyone doing?” rarely cuts it and will usually never give you that sense that you are “in” either. You have to respect the conversations, chime in, engage, add value and then do it all over again. It’s an organic security mechanism designed to filter out the posers. People who aren’t honestly into it or who are bent on childishly disturbing it will most often be dissuaded and or blocked from participating. This helps people/organizations push connections not just agendas.
4. Feedback and Collaboration
For so long churches have taken the position of MERELY telling their audiences what programs are important, what’s hip, what’s relevant and what’s cool. ERRRRRRR. Wrong. This is the information/interconnection age and people have access to the best resources instantaneously. So if your programs are actually not that interesting your audience will get the info elsewhere. In the past, if someone wanted to go to a bible study on a Tuesday and their local church didn’t have one or it stunk, they were kind of out of luck. Now a days if they want more of something they’ll jump online and go to the top bible study sites hosted by some top theologian and get their fix. Ministry online allows churches to stop MERELY telling people stuff and start LISTENING. It also begins to show people that the message of “Being slow to speak and quick to listen” is something we (the church) actually value. I like how Phil Cooke put it “Yesterday it was about dumping the same message on the mass audience because they didn’t have much choice. Today, it’s about making a connection—the kind of connection that not only makes people hear what you have to say, but also makes them respond.”
5. Convenience
Essentially we say, “If you want to learn or dive into this or that study, join us on wed night at 8pm at the church!” Aside from church on Sundays, why can’t I learn at home, or during my break at the office, while I’m surfing the web or while I’m in the car? It’s the push vs pull media debate here. In reality, people tend to frequent or revisit organizations that understand the value of being able to gather information (pull) when convenient for the user. Give that mom who is putting her little ones down for bed a chance to listen to that wed night lesson by putting it online and she’ll most likely become a fan. I’m not saying preach a gospel of convenience I’m just saying that we should look into tools that can remove as many barriers as possible. Making it convenient goes a long way.
Final thought: Courtesy of Kem Meyer “If an organization isn’t ready to set up a blog, Twitter or Facebook account, I think that’s ok. At a minimum, they should be searching to see what real people in their community are saying about them.”
Is your church talking about online ministry?
