Research conducted earlier this year, which surveyed hundreds of churches representing more than 70,000 members combined, attempted to drill deeper into two fundamental questions as the internet grows in its influence and importance in our culture and beyond:

1) Do church websites strategically help attract new visitors, connect people, and equip leaders?
2) And if so, what are the best practices for a church’s web strategy?

Three significant discoveries, as well as several best practices, emerged from this work. This information can help large churches (congregations such as Willow Creek Community Church participated in the research) as well as small ones (church plants with fewer than 50 people also participated). These practices also are useful for most any situation, regardless of whether a church is using a volunteer, a church website design firm, or a staff member to design its site.

Article pdf (6mb) Website Wisdom - New research, cooperative reveal best practices for churches

Read the whole magazine in their digital version: Your Church Nov/Dec 2009 issue

Social Media Pulse

What are churches current social media patterns?

• We are living in a world people dreamed of.
• There used to only be a computer at work… then it went home… then to your lap… now to your hand.
• Mobile ubiquity, where everyone has a phone, presents challenges and opportunities for the church.
• There’s an embedded value system in social media [public/participatory, new media].
• There’s value in it that it’s instant.
• Everyone is an equal creator… it’s user-generated content.
• We’d rather buy something someone tells us about than what we are told by businesses or corporations.
• Users have a voice and are able to generate content.
• In a relationship economy, what people say matters deeply.
• We now have greater accessibility to information.
• Churches need to move from having “please have your phone off” signs to “please have your phone on” signs.
• The media is affecting our small group communities and the way that they interact.
• We’ve torn down the boundaries of distance; there’s now a worldwide conversation going on that anyone can participate in.
• The definition of “presence” is changing.
• We HAVE to think through these things theologically.
• Is physical presence necessary for you to be a part of and “be” the church.
• Social media allows customization [personalization].
• One size does not fit all … [MySpace, my reviews, my favorites, etc.]
• My can be consumer oriented, but it reflects the fact that media is in the hands of every person and every person has the ability to create media.
• Everyone is a content producer.
• We now watch TV on our own terms [TiVo].
• New generations are being raised with these new ideas embedded in their everyday interactions.
• As technology becomes cheaper and more effective, the Church is confronted with one of the greatest opportunities along with one of the greatest challenges of how to steward it.
• The Men of Issachar were able to see the times and were able to know what to do.
• Let’s go to the next level… let’s find out what we are capable of doing and how are we able to frame it in a Biblical context?
• The word of our testimony is the critical story we have that’s a powerful conduit [Christianity is viral] to reach someone we may have not been able to reach any other way.
• We’ve moved to a digital age.
• It will be normal for us to connect online, first and then meet in person.
• 43% of churches say social media is one of the most effective ways for them to communicate and engage with people.
• Church websites are the front doors to churches.
• 77% of people say the church website was an important part of why they chose to go to church.
• If people can’t connect to your website they may not go to your church.
• People make judgements about a church based on what the church communicates across their website.
• It’s a missiological issue.
• John 17:18
• Facebook is the 4th largest nation in the world if you look at the number of people that are on it.
• Non-Christians do not go to your website.
• Your website is primarily visited by believers looking for information about churches.
• 20% of all data people are accessing on church websites is information for new visitors… that’s a significant portion where you should invest your time.
• Use the web to help people new into the church to get deeper into community.
• Your web strategy should be looked at as an Internet Presence Management.
• What are you communicating online?
• How are you connecting to where people are talking and engaging?
• Where are you present? Where are you absent?
• Who is responsible for your church’s online presence?
• What does it mean to be the Church online?
• How do you define presence? What’s your theology of presence?
• We need to recognize that participatory media is decentralized.
• It’s unregulated.
• We have a lack of control.
• We have to look deeper at our theology.
• A mobile, extended presence can be used missionally.
• Is virtual community real community?
• What is Biblical community?
• We need to define Biblical community before we define online community and if it’s possible to have church online
• We need to ask if we can use an online presence to build real life community?
• We need to intently be on the internet, it’s a mission field.
• We, the Church, are called to be counter-culture… what does that mean at this technological crossroads?
• We are willing to be transparent online, but vulnerability is not often seen online.

Top Social Media Sites

1. Facebook
2. Twitter
3. Private Member Portals [ MemberHub, Monk, Tangle, Unifyer, etc ]
4. GoogleGroups
5. MySpace

• Greatest needs online: events, post prayer requests, get connected, finding small groups and ways to connect throughout the week, integration with their church website and resource sharing.
• Churches are wrestling with how to use participatory technologies.
• The Cobblestone Community Network is a tool that’s been developed to help churches have private communication that’s integrated into social media channels.
• If you don’t set a strategy you’re going to have a difficult time pulling it together later.
• What is your strategy for the community online?
• Pick a horse.
• If you don’t lead your people, they will find their own way and go their own direction.
• This is something we need to pay attention to but we don’t need to know the mechanics of it; you can find volunteers or someone on staff to help manage this.
• Things are easier than they were before.
• There are challenges and effort required but it’s more centered on your strategy.
• Let people tell you how they want to be contacted… be platform neutral.
• Let people choose how the content gets to them.

This is our second Total Church Conference and will take much of what we discussed last year and move forward what it looks like to live in Jesus community on Jesus mission motived by the Gospel of Jesus Kingdom.

The conference format will foster greater discussion and participation from all who attend. Each day we’ll have several groups that we’ll break into in order to think through the implications of the sessions. Then we’ll take the findings of each group and discuss them together with the session speakers who will interact with their ideas. This is an ideal conference for those wanting to guide their church into a more community oriented mission. It will also greatly help new or potential church planters as well as leaders, thinkers and congregates that are interested in living more intentionally for mission as they are empowered by the Gospel of God’s scandalous grace. Jesus is the central figure of this conference and we’ll be discussing his life, work, teaching, purpose, plan and power for the transformation of His glorious bride, the Church.

Session Information:

Mike Goheen

Session One: The Cross and the Missional Church

The crucifixion has often been interpreted simply in terms of its benefits for individual people. While true, this is inadequate. When the cross is placed in the context of the literary structure of the gospels and in the context of the whole biblical story, the cross has cosmic and ecclesiological significance. This talk will unfold the cosmic scope, communal significance, and the transforming power of the cross, all of which produce a missional people.

Session Two: The Resurrection and the Missional Church

Like the cross, the resurrection has often been shorn of its ecclesiological and missional implications. The resurrection stands at the centre of history with cosmic and communal significance, and this lecture will open this up with an eye to its missional importance.

Session Three: The Commissioning of Jesus: Our Identity

All the gospels end with a commissioning by the resurrected Lord. Often these commissions are interpreted as sending individuals to do evangelistic or mission work. Yet these are words that define the church in terms of its identity and its role in the biblical drama. We will open up these comissions in terms of the way they define a missional community.

Steve Timmis

The church wasn’t some idea that emerged out of Paul’s missionary journeys. Jesus came to create a new stand-out community that would model to the world what it actually looked like when Jesus ruled. When we read his manifesto known as the Sermon on the Mount, we see that it was (and is) something altogether phenomenal. In these three sessions, we’ll take a close look at just what it means to be the people of God.

Session One: A Phenomenal Holiness

Session Two: A Phenomenal Dependency

Session Three: A Phenomenal Obedience

David Fairchild

Eating is an activity all of us do. It is a basic human practice. Yet when Jesus came, He transformed the ordinary meal into a missional encounter. In fact, one commentator said that Jesus “ate his way through Luke’s gospel.” Luke gives us nine meal narratives with Jesus to show us the power of God’s Kingdom, the character of the King and the nature of His mission. The welcoming grace of the True Host is put on display as He calls us to come and dine with Him and invite others to His feast. The coming wedding banquet is for us to taste now as we rehearse this feast of grace with one another before a watching world. These sessions will look at what was accomplished by our Great Host and the example He sets for His church to enact His grace in these missional encounters.

Session One: Invitation to the Party

Session Two: The Humble Feast

Session Three: Jesus, the Scandalous Host

• Cynthia Ware - Engaging This Generation What the Internet and the men of Issachar have to do with each other.
• Mark D. Roberts - Twittering in Church? A biblical perspective on faith and technology.
• DJ Turner - Digital In Denver How Denver Seminary uses Web-based technology to connect.
• David T. Bourgeois - The Internet Ministry Framework Key principles for online success.
• Steve Hewitt - Going Mobile Trends in smart phone technology.
• Nick B. Nicholaou - IT in a Tight Economy Considerations for ministry success.

Most of the above authors will be at the The Ministry Internet & Technology Summit so come and join us in San Diego April 2010!

Here are five trends that as pastors, leaders and Christians you should be aware of and determine how you will speak about these:

1. Doing the Sacraments Online: Churches will begin to offer communion and baptism over the Internet. This will be done where individuals at home can dunk themselves into a bath tub (see picture) or while watching a screen joining with others to take communion (as suggested by this Cyber-Church website or this one on Receiving Online Internet Holy Communion) “In order to celebrat (sic) the Lord’s Supper you will need some wine or grape juice, and bread or some sort of cracker. If you cannot procure these, using whatever your staple foods are - such as rice and fruit juice, or even simply water, should be fine.” Here you can watch Flamingo Road Church do it’s first Internet baptism.

2. The Rapid Growth of the Internet Church: More people will opt out of showing up to church ‘physically’ and decide to attend online. At the Echo Church Media conference I called this virtual Church but was corrected by an Internet Campus pastor who said ‘virtual’ implied not real so I should call it Internet church. As people blur their sense of presence (with things like mobile apps that constantly tether you to distant places) the idea of having to be somewhere in person for it to be ‘real’ will be lost in a digital generation. Already there are fully packed online services for churches to launch their own Internet campus.

3. Rise of Online Participatory Biblical Hermeneutics: With the rise of Wiki, social media and an increasingly participatory value the Bible will be read more through a communal lens. This will lead to a greater democratization of the interpretation of Scripture as an authoritative process. Often technological advances (such as YouVersion) cannot predict the consequences of these advancements. Further, there will be a deterioration of Biblical memorization and study because people with persistent technological access will be able to ‘Google the answer’ rather than feeling a need to do the hard work of ongoing study of God’s Word.

4. Gospel Inoculation through Online Evangelism Spam: Several leading ministries will become enamored with the ‘conversion successes’ of numbers. Quantity over quality will be too attractive and the message of Jesus will be so watered down that it could end up with a ‘click here’ if you want to go to heaven and not hell. The masses will be exposed to just enough (and particular bent) of Christianity to determine it’s not for them.

5. Increased Persecution of Christians for their Beliefs: For those of us who live in California and experienced the voting and subsequent recourse of Proposition 8 we have only seen just the beginning. Supporters of Prop 8 were identified through their donations and boycotted, persecuted and some even had their life threatened. In the future data centers will be able to scrape the Internet to find any comments or positions you hold, match this to your business, cell phone or other identifiable postings to target you for your beliefs. If you come out in a post for or against something others disagree with, you could find your business added to mobile apps where people will be able to see your stance and boycott your business or restaurant. Your neighbors would be informed and told about your intolerance and bigotry to isolate you from the community and ostracize you for your personal beliefs because they are not in line with the agenda of these activist groups. The future of persecution will be immediate and the loss of anonymity on cultural sensitive topics will scare many to no longer stand-up for their beliefs.

SUMMIT OVERVIEW: Technology is changing the way we work, live and operate as nonprofits. Centered on the theme of increasing your communication, operations and donor engagement The Ministry Internet & Technology Summit features twelve sessions that will expand your reach, increase your donor base and enhance how you do ministry in this increasingly online world.

TOPICS COVERED: Social Networks & Communities, New Media, Donor Management, Internet Marketing, Mobile Web & Applications, Interactive Media, Web Applications, Branding and Infrastructure.

WHY ATTEND? In today’s economic climate nonprofits need to be good stewards through decreasing costs as well as doing more with less. New technologies and web strategies can equip your ministry to achieve these goals. Learn from real world practitioners and experts who will equip you in ways that will make an immediate positive impact for your ministry.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Ministry executives, technology staff, development and fundraising officers, marketing and communications professionals and other nonprofit leaders interested in being on the leading edge of today’s technology.

SESSIONS:

A Look into the Near & Distant Future of Online Ministry
In this session leaders will learn to apply a web strategy framework to address their ministries needs both for today and tomorrow. Learn from cutting edge organizations and hear what experts say is next on the horizon. This session is designed for strategic leaders regardless of their technological level of understanding. In this session participants will 1) learn how to plan for an effective ministry online strategy, 2) explore key emerging technologies that will impact their ministry and 3) hear how cutting edge organizations are implementing revolutionary practices today.
Drew Goodmanson, CEO, Monk Development and cofounder/pastor, Kaleo Church, San Diego

Lost in Translation
You have a unique brand story. Don’t let it get lost in the way you express it. Social media, your web presence, print collateral, direct mail and events are all opportunities to consistently reinforce your story. This interactive session will unpack the importance of creating a brand identity that aligns with organizational strategy and avoids blind use of trends and gimmicks. In this session participants will learn 1) how to create a powerful story for your ministry, 2) how to integrate it across your entire communication and 3) how to ensure your story aligns with your organizational strategy.
Tim Ellens, President, CHANGEffect

The New Church Social: How Interactive Media Values Can Transform Your Ministry Mastering social media strategies is a communications imperative for businesses, churches, and nonprofits. As we move towards a technologically immersive environment, best practices for new media strategies have amplified value. Explore best practices you can employ for your particular new media needs. In this session participants will: 1) learn to identify five new media values, 2) gain the ability to implement these values into their social media strategy and 3) explore how small changes in communication practices can result in greater communication impact.
Cynthia Ware, Online Technology and Church Development consultant, TheDigitalSanctuary.org

The Three “I’s” in Internet
From mobile to social applications, including wikis, microblogging and social networks, ministries are constantly presented with innovative ways to connect. From case studies and current research, attendees will learn how to: 1) leverage new media trends 2) increase online donations and 3) maximize a website visitor’s experience.
Ron Weber, Chief Operating Officer, Trinet Internet Solutions, Inc.

How to Successfully Raise Funds Online
Learn how Campus Crusade has collaborated to launch several of its most effective multi-channel fundraising campaigns, with particular success in the online space. Hear important lessons learned from one of the world’s largest Christian ministries and receive practical tips for cultivating donors on and offline. Participants will learn 1) best practices in driving successful integrated multi-channel fundraising, 2) specific examples of multi-channel fundraising in action and 3) practical applications for the cultivation of donors.
Dave Raley, Director of New Media, Masterworks and Megan Hawkes, Executive Director, Constituent Engagement, Campus Crusade for Christ International

Back to Basics: Website and Social Media – More Tools In Your Communications Belt
Explore websites, Internet presence, email blasts, and social media and learn to select and tailor these tools for specific ministries using basic communications principles. Hear from a one-woman communications department that successfully implemented these tools at a 900-student seminary. Participants will acquire 1) a clearer understanding of how to develop an online strategy specifically for their ministry 2) ideas for developing and implementing those strategies with limited personnel and resources and 3) practical steps for creating and implementing an effective online communications strategy.
DJ Turner, Director of Communications, Denver Seminary

Online Ministry Opportunities, Challenges & Lessons
Examine key findings from an online ministry research project that included many large and small ministries. The research gathered includes web surveys, analytics, key performance metrics and interviews from online ministry leaders. Explore opportunities in fundraising, donor relations, evangelism and discipleship. Learn common online mistakes. This session includes time to learn from peers, regardless of ministry size. In this session participants will: 1) learn from innovative online ministries, 2) gain an understanding of pitfalls and 3) examine the results of online ministry research.
Drew Goodmanson, CEO, Monk Development and cofounder/pastor, Kaleo Church, San Diego, Kevin Ring, President, Unconventional Method and Dave Bourgeois, PhD, Associate Professor of Information Systems, Biola University

Information Technology: What’s Hot and what’s not
Our panel will share their thoughts and respond to questions and good and not so good trends in Information Technology for ministries. This panel brings a wealth of insight into the leading edge IT trends affecting ministries today. Come with your best ministry IT questions and be prepared to walk away with answers.
Nick Nicholaou, President, Ministry Business Services and co-founder Ministry Technology Institute, Clarence White, IT Secretary, The Salvation Army – Western Territory and Steve Hewitt, Editor-in-Chief, Christian Computing magazine.

The Case for Online Kingdom Excellence
Explore a standard of online ministry excellence centered on Kingdom principles that promote long-term Kingdom success. Examine critical new research, while studying a five-point model for online excellence: strategy, presence, measurement, engagement, and impact. In this session participants will 1) consider creative and innovative ways to create impact through online ministry 2) be armed with language, data, and examples to make the case for online excellence within their organization and 3) receive validated practices and benchmarks against which they can measure their Internet strategy.
Kevin Ring, President, Unconventional Method and Dave Bourgeois, PhD, Associate Professor of Information Systems, Biola University

Ministry Growth through Email Communication Best Practices
Explore critical and relevant principles from the for-profit world to make email communications programs more effective for your ministry. Email can advance your organization’s goals like few other programs. Understand the hurdles and challenges inherent in email communications to dramatically increase effectiveness in attracting and retaining donors. Participants will gain knowledge of 1) best layouts, day/time to send, service providers, and more 2) understanding of the difficulties of getting your email seen correctly across all email programs and 3) how to get emails opened and read.
Mike Atkinson, Principal, uneekNet

Delivering Income Solutions through Data Strategies
Improved income comes through connecting with the right donors at the right time using the right messaging. In today’s competitive fundraising environment, successful nonprofits must employ smart data strategies to maximize income. The best data strategies are centered in relationships, not technology. Participants will: 1) understand how to optimize communication with your donors using your data 2) learn how to interpret donor-giving patterns to improve donor relationships and 3) find out how to choose the proper channel and timing for the best donor communications.
Steve Thomas, Partner, Oneicity

Ministry IT Roundtable
Join Information Technology colleagues for a session on solutions and cutting edge thinking by our “best in the business.” This session will be a wide-ranging roundtable discussion that will help ministry IT professionals to learn key insights and best practices to maximize their organization’s Information Technology systems and programs. Come prepared to help and be helped!
Nick Nicholaou, President MBS Inc., and co-founder, Ministry Technology Institute and Alan Weisenberger, VP or Technology Services, ECCU

Total Church is a way of thinking about church and mission in the 21st century which sees the local Christian community as integral to Christian living and Christian mission. The Christian life is ‘total church’ - our identity is communal..

Main Session Speakers Include:

Steve Timmis is the co-author of Total Church, cofounder of the Crowded House, a church-planting initiative in Sheffield, UK, and a director of the Porterbrook Network, which trains and mentors church planters. Timmis previously directed Radstock Ministries, a mission agency facilitating the involvement of the local church in world mission.

Michael W. Goheen, Geneva Professor of Worldview and Religious Studies at Trinity Western University , co-author of The Drama Of Scripture: Finding Our Place In The Biblical Story, Living at the Crossroads and author of “As the Father Has Sent Me, I Am Sending You”: J.E. Lesslie Newbigin’s Missionary Ecclesiology.

David Fairchild is the co-founder and preaching elder of Kaleo Church in San Diego. He is also the southwest movement leader for Acts 29 network.

Breakout Sessions and more information to be announced…

In July I started writing a monthly Church Web Strategy column. My first article outlined the goals of the column and some of the research we’ve done to prepare for our writing the column. Christian Computing MagazineYour Church Website is Vital for New Visitors is my second article that looks at the data we collected from our church web market research projects. Read Your Church Website is Vital for New Visitors (pdf). Here is an excerpt:

Before you read this article, open your church’s website and take a few moments to examine it. What are the visual and content elements that jump out? For whom are these elements designed? Is it primarily a resource for people who already attend your church? Are the largest elements the recent sermon series, events or ministries to serve? Is your church website a place to welcome new people, or does it appear to be a site for regular attendees? Your church website sends a critical message to visitors and impacts whether they will ever visit your church community.

The question of whether online community is ‘real’ is one that the entire culture is going to ask. It is in the realm of sociology, philosophy, etc. I believe people do have ‘community’ online. I can meet, get-to-know and develop real relationships with people online. The questions we as Christians should be asking is:

What are we called to be as a Biblical community? And can this be done with technology?

Our question is not just one of whether ‘community’ is happening but of definitions of what life/community looks like for the people of God. One place to examine is the ‘one-anothering’ passages:

John 15:12 - Love one another
Romans 5:13 - Don’t pass judgment on one another
Romans 12:5 - Be members of one another
Romans 12:10 - Honor one another
Romans 12:16 - Live in harmony with one another
Romans 14:19 - Build up one another
Romans 15:5 - Be like-minded toward one another
Romans 15:7 - Accept one another
1 Corinthians 12:25 - Care for one another
Galatians 5:13 - Serve one another in love
Galatians 5:26 - Don’t provoke or envy one another
Galatians 6:2 - Bear one another’s burdens
Ephesians 4:32 - Be kind to one another
Colossians 3:13 - Bear with each other and forgive one another
1 Thessalonians 3:12 - Abound in love toward one another
1 Thessalonians 4:18 - Comfort one another
Titus 3:3 - Don’t hate one another
Hebrews 3:13 - Encourage one another
Hebrews 10:24 - Stir up one another to love and good deeds
James 4:11 - Don’t slander one another
James 5:9 - Don’t bear grudges against one another
James 5:16 - Confess your sins to one another
1 Peter 4:9 - Offer hospitality to one another
1 Peter 5:14 - Greet one another
1 John 1:7 - Fellowship with one another
1 John 3:11 - Love one another
Ephesians 5:21- submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Now maybe you think you can add ‘online’ to each of these so that “Love one another online” seems to fulfill these. But since we are the only community not formed for ourselves but we are gathered as a people for God and others there is no way with the current state of technology that we can go to the depths of this type of one-anothering community. Quite frankly most of churches that do meet throughout the week will struggle with this type of intense call of communal life.

Instead of asking, “Is virtual community real community?” Let’s spend more time considering “What is Biblical community?” Which leads us to consider “How can technology assist the life of a Biblical community?”

For example, one of the highlights of the conference is a debate about whether the online church is community between Andrew Jones (tallskinnykiwi) and Matthew Anderson (Mere Orthodoxy).

At the conference I will facilitate the session, Internet Strategy: What does the gospel have to do with Social Media? where we will investigate the role of social media in the church. How and what as Christians should we consider regarding our use of social media. For example in the initial results of a survey so far:

7 out of 10 church leaders believe that “If Jesus were alive today He would have a profile on a social network.”

Source: The State of the Church Online | Member Community and Social Networks (take this survey to help!)

What are ways we can redemptively participate in social media and what are lines we need to create. Join us for these discussions and much more….