For far too long the Church has been slow to adopt new technologies to attract new members, and this has led to an assumption that the Church is old fashioned or outdated. There has been a move recently to make technology a more important part of the ministry of the Church, and one part of that push has been to recognize the need to attractive web designs. In the 21st century more than half of all potential church visitors will look for information about the church on the internet before they ever set foot inside. This means that your church needs to have a site that looks good and functions smoothly; however, there are other functions that you can add to your site that will make it an even more powerful tool for ministry.
Mobile Support
Over the last five years there has been a move away from traditional PCs and towards mobile platforms like smartphones and tablets. These platforms require that sites be optimized for mobile screens or the user will not be able to see the site as it is meant to be seen. Since the web page is the first thing that many potential visitors will see about your church, you want to make sure that the lack of mobile support is not a barrier that would prevent them from wanting to visit. For an even better mobile experience you should consider the development of an app for medium or large churches that can keep members informed about events and other information the church wants to convey.
Electronic Tithing
Tithing is one of the most important things that church members can do, as this is the best way to fund the ministry plans for the church. Because of the spread of debit cards, check cards and direct deposit, more and more people are moving towards a cashless existence. This can make it hard for them to make their tithes on Sunday mornings, as it means making a special trip to an ATM to withdraw cash before services start. With online tithing support, either through credit card payments, EFT or even PayPal, you can make it much easier for your members to tithe, and it will help to encourage members to give more than they might have given if they had to do so with cash. The bigger bonus is that the church will become less of a target for robbers and break-ins because there will be less cash on campus to steal.
Private Prayer Forums
Finally, there are members of your church that want to make prayer requests but they may be too shy to talk about them in public, or they might not be active in any of the Bible study groups or Sunday school classes that the church offers. With the introduction of a private prayer forum you can allow members to make posts about prayer requests that they have, without the need to mention names or specific situations. This will allow the members of your church to pray for each other and build a community of prayer, even if they do not have regular contact with each other in person. For medium and large churches this is a near must-have as it is so easy for members to get lost in the shuffle and feel like no one will take the time to pray with them.
The modern Church has made strides to become more technologically advanced, but there is still work to be done. A high quality website for the church, such as those created by Ministry Designs, will be attractive to potential visitors and members, increase giving and generate community within the membership.
I am George Mansfield and I have been a pastor for forty years. I have long been a supporter of technology in the church as a way of staying connected to younger generations.
