Vineyard Church North Phoenix | What does a church need a website for?

It's a question posed to me by my father, when he was here last month in the Valley visiting.

What does a church need a website for?

Immediately, I responded with "Everybody needs a website in 2006". Every business, service organization, or any entity dealing with other humans needs a virtual presence, a net cast to capture new customers and serve existing patrons. Not doing so is the equivalent of burying your head in the sand.

And I believe using the web as a tool is especially essential for an institution devoted to the critical mission of saving souls and doing the stuff that Jesus did. I realize not everyone is online -- in the words of a famous science fiction author, The future is here. It's just not evenly distributed yet. And many others have little use for any technology more advanced than the telephone or television. However, barring the onset of a global scaled disaster, internet technology is only going to grow more ubiquitous. All of our appliances and gadgets are going to grow networking features. Some may be dismayed at this, and prefer a Luddite existence.

How does having a website help the church?

Well, let me answer by listing some goals I've set out to fulfill in building the site here. Some have been met already, others I hope to knock out in time. But it's a neverending saga, as technology advances, storage capacity grows and processor power increases, the drive to create more interactive sites will intensify.

• An online report of everything that is happening at the church. Ministries, pictures from events, online calendars, pastor articles, audio sermons, and/or anything noteworthy enough to be printed in a bulletin (or not).

• Links to other online resources of benefit to new and/or growing Christians.

• Reviews of music, movies, books. Tips and pointers for parents.

• Administrative tools to help manage church business. Tasks like course and conference registration, online giving, resource management, etc....

• Online classes and instruction. Or interactive surveys like the Spiritual Gift Assessment Test

• A library to serve as an information repository of informational and devotional articles. Periodicals and congregational letters, for instance.

• A way for members or seekers to interact with church leaders. To ask questions, obtain guidance, or submit prayer requests.

• By providing another medium for fellow Christians to interact with eachother. Granted, most who view these pages will be in "read only" mode, but the capability exists for two-way communication.

It seemed like a silly question to me, but then I've been programming computing machines for nearly 25 years now, from way back in the early 1980's when "serious" computers were the size of a room. And I'm still in awe of the power of a world wide computer network -- the unleashed possibilities, the capacity for good (and bad), and how all of us are just a click away from each other.