Church websites that continue to look like “electronic brochures” will not reach the next generation for Christ.

Young people want more than just information about your church.  They want to engage and interact with your community from the comforts of their home, work, or school.

“The internet is the next generation;” this according to David Yonggi Cho, pastor of the largest church in the world in Seoul, Korea with 750,000 members.  Concerning the future growth of his church, Cho says, “Use the Internet - it is better…I have already announced to my people and ministers that the next step is to go into total cyberspace ministry.”

More and more young people are becoming disenfranchised with traditional Church.  According to Barna Research Group (www.barna.org), “61% of today’s young adults - had been churched at one point during their teen years but they are now spiritually disengaged (i.e., not actively attending church, reading the Bible, or praying)…For most adults, this pattern of disengagement is not merely a temporary phase in which they test the boundaries of independence, but is one that continues deeper into adulthood.”

Just because young people are disengaging from church activities, doesn’t mean they are not “spiritually hungry.”  They are now turning to the internet; looking for spiritual significance.  The internet is fast becoming the new “mission field.”

Another study by Barna Research Group shows that, “among the growing number of Americans who use the Internet, millions are turning to the digital dimension to get them in touch with God and others who pursue faith matters. The report projects that within this decade as many as 50 million individuals may rely solely upon the Internet to provide all of their faith-based experiences.”

So, how can the Church break the bonds of disengagement and “re-connect” with the next generation?  With millions of young people plugging into the internet each day, Web 2.0 websites can help.

Here are three “non-negotiables.”

1. Make sure your internet presence is not “cheesy.”  Today’s young are imagine or wow-driven.  If they like what they see, they will go deeper into your site.  Remember the old saying, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”  Don’t get a novice to do your website.  Get a professional.  Remember, you get what you pay for.  This will speak volumes to visitors.
   
   
2. Make sure your site has interactivity.  There must be way for young people to “virtually connect” with your community.  Web 2.0 technology makes this easy through forums, media sharing, IM, and more.  Not all web developers know how to make this happen.  Find the ones who do it well.  The investment is worth it.
   
   
3. Build an online community that is safe and easy to use.  Web developers who are experts in Flash development can create for you an “online gated community” experience that provides peace of mind.  Online community development capitalizes on the enormous popularity of online “social networking.”  Web developers can provide community-building tools that are simple to learn and easy to use.

The days of “electronic brochure” church websites are over! 

If we cannot speak the cultural language of their “online world,” how will we communicate the good news of Jesus Christ to the next generation?

This entry was posted on Monday, June 11th, 2007 at 1:06 pm and is filed under Web 2.0, Church Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.