Technology and The Church
Darryl Freeman
No one can deny the heavy presence of technology in today’s world. From the everyday use of cell phones to the more complex uses for commerce, entertainment, and academia, technology is here to stay. As the church in the twenty-first century, we need to be informed of the many benefits technology can be bring to facilitate effective growth.
One of the most important technological tools a church must have is a quality professional website. A website should contain information such as address and directions, service times and contact information including a phone number that is easy to find. Other areas like photos, available ministries and streaming media will give visitors on overall view of your church. With this basic information, viewers can get a general understanding of what and who you are.
Why is this important? People in your area that are looking for a church will more than likely do a search on the inter-net. It is vital that your church show up in the search results. This has occurred many times in our city. Just within the last two months we have had 3 different families that have visited us as a direct result of doing a search for Pentecostal churches in our city. This is positive technology in action.
You also want to take advantage of Googie My Business. This is your directory listing on Google that contains your church information as well as an accurate map and contact information. Google will automatically index your church based on phone records or other information but it is very important to make sure your listing is correct. With Google My Business you can edit this information for free.
Additional resources that can be used in the church are social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and more. These are not only used for outreach, but can aid in promoting events and ministries within the church body. It is an easy way to deliver information to your church members and prospects. Targeted inexpensive advertising is also available on sites like Facebook to target only people in your area.
Each time you have an event, you can post images and information on social media. This alerts your members in addition to others that have visited your church in the past. This keeps your church visible to them on a consistent basis. In a world that holds a host of distractions, there needs to be a continual promotion of the church in order to maintain a constant flow of guests to your services.
With smart phone, tablet and computer ownership at an all-time high, technology is a way for the church to be continually promoted in the lives of people you are reaching.
In addition to what I have already discussed and because of the advances in technology, developing and executing print and mailing campaigns has never been easier and less expensive. For example, with the U.S. Postal service’s Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) you can take advantage of low cost mailings. With this program, you can reach every home in your city for only 17.5 cents each (current pricing). No mailing or bulk permit required. It is also vital that the church keep and maintain a list of all guests and contacts including physical address, email, cell phone etc.. for follow-up.
The above article, “Technology and The Church” was written by Darryl Freeman. The article was excerpted from The Focus Magazine.
The material is copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study or research purposes.
This article may not be written by an Apostolic author, but it contains many excellent principles and concepts that can be adapted to most churches. As the old saying goes, “Eat the meat. Throw away the bones.”
