Author's note: I wrote this article several years ago in hopes that it would help churches embrace and redeem technology that had quickly demonstrated its power (unfortunately, a power that was often used for evil). During the past years, some things have changed, and some things have stayed the same. When I wrote the article, I was seeing some churches shy away from the internet--in the same way some churches shy away from the movie theater. I do think that churches have made great inroads into internet ministry--but there are more, greater, and more innovative approaches that we should be considering.

My prayer for the future is that God would help us think "out of the box" of simply having a website that tells about a church, and that we would develop powerful ways of ministering to those who find our site. It's far too easy for us to view our website as tool for getting people to come to our church, instead of seeing it as a tool for helping people come into The Church. (I better stop now, this is starting to sound like a sermon I preached a couple of weeks ago! :) )

Curse the Darkness? Nah...

Light a Candle!

In today's world, many people associate the internet with all that is wrong in the world. Unfortunately, the internet is replete with countless sites that espouse evil, provide sinful or tempting material, and run entirely counter to Christian principles. It would be easy for the church to abandon the internet, encouraging people to avoid it altogether. How much more difficult it is for us to effectively infiltrate the internet, illuminating it with the light of the Gospel.

Throughout history, different Christian groups have had choices to either abandon elements of the world, or work to change them. Movies, television, pop music, radio, art, and other elements of culture have occasionally been abandoned by the church in the name of purity. I'm not suggesting that we get knee deep in the crud of the world, but we must occasionally get our hands dirty in order to help clean things up.

In his book, "Roaring Lambs," the late Bob Briner suggests that, as Christians, we ought to actively engage our culture by creating work of the finest quality. It is not the mediums in and of themselves that are either evil or sacred, but the content. As responsible Christians we must push back the darkness with material that is uplifting, positive, and ultimately God-honoring.

As you think about the design of your website there may be a variety of materials and resources available to you that members in your community will find useful. While your site remains distinctly Christian, consider placing material within your site that is of such intrinsic value to your community that they can't help but visit. Within your congregation, you probably have a variety of writers, teachers, musicians, and many other talented individuals who can contribute to your website, increasing its value. Instead of cursing the darkness, let your website be a candle, illuminating the way for many to find God.

Grace and Peace,

Jonathan Twitchell
YourChurchWeb.net

Labels: design, purpose

posted by PastorJon @ 10:42 AM