The Cyber Church:
Electronic Tools and Ministry

Produce a weekly Cyber-Vitamin for the church.  That’s the name some pastors and congregations have given to weekly devotional messages distributed by e-mail.  It’s relatively easy for a church office to send a devotional to a huge e-mail list, and there’s no cost for postage or paper!  Some campus ministries have found this especially effective and have had the devotions requested by hundreds and even thousands of students.  One study of e-mail devotional programs offered by campus ministries found that the most successful ones were relatively short, quick to read, and clearly relate the Gospel to issues of daily life.  If members like an e-mail devotion and share it with their friends, it can even become a form of evangelism for the church.

Some churches send board and committee minutes and meeting announcements by e-mail to those who are online, thus saving paper and postage costs.  Printed copies still need to be provided for those who do not have access to e-mail.

E-mail can be a great way to help college students and others who live away from the community much of the year stay connected with the congregation.  E-mail devotions, church announcements and other information can be quickly and inexpensively shared.

A growing number of congregations are using e-mail as a way to share prayer requests.  Telephone prayer chains have been used for years and can be very meaningful, but information sometimes changes as it passes from one person to another, and other factors sometimes keep requests from being passed quickly along the prayer chain.  When e-mail is used, everyone receives the same information almost immediately.  At the same time, it is important to maintain a regular prayer chain for persons who do not have access to e-mail or who are not accustomed to checking it on a daily basis.

Some pastors and church members find that e-mail is a meaningful way to share their concern with others.  E-mail can be sent at five o’clock in the morning or eleven o’clock at night without worrying about waking someone.  Sending an e-mail is a simple way to let someone know that he or she is in your prayers.

Some small task forces and committees in the church may exchange e-mails to make decision between meetings.  For example, the evangelism chairperson in one congregation sent the members of her committee an e-mail describing an opportunity to be listed in a local church directory that would be given to people moving into the community.  She recommended that their church be listed and asked the committee members to share their opinions.  She received responses from all the members within a single evening.  No one had to  attend a meeting!

Some congregations have started using e-mail as an alternative to the monthly newsletter for persons who have access.  There are savings in paper and postage as a result. 

There is an online service for churches called forMinistry.com, formerly known as Houses of Worship.  This service provides every church in North America with a free, editable, starter website, gathered into a comprehensive searchable database.

Some denominations have a department or a group of volunteers who will help congregations set up their own websites.  Check with your denominational offices about available help.

Some congregations have members who can set up a site from scratch, and the number of people capable of doing so continues to grow.  Simply be cautious that your church’s website is not the first experience a volunteer has in web design.  Should the site prove inadequate, it may be very awkward to get it replaced once a member has contributed substantial volunteer time.

News about outreach ministries and mission opportunities for which volunteers are needed.

Human interest stories about people in the congregation, perhaps including photographs.

A searchable database of recipes created by members of the church.

Information about the history of the congregation. 

Oakland Church of the Brethren located in Bradford, Ohio -  www.oaklandchurch.org

Perkasie Mennonite Church located in Perkasie, Pennsylvania -  www.perkmenno.com

St. Paul’s United Church of Christ located in Chicago, Illinois -  www.stpauluccchicago.org

First Presbyterian Church of Edmond located in Edmond, Oklahoma -  www.fpcedmond.org

Provide a cell phone for the pastor(s) of your church.  Currently only about 10% of pastors have a cell phone provided by the congregation, but it’s a great tool for ministry.  Cell phones make it easy for the church office to reach the pastor in emergencies and make it convenient for the pastor to return calls without being tied to the office.

Consider a laptop computer for the pastor.  That way work  which is begun in the church office can be continued in the parsonage study.  Don’t force the pastor to spend time in the church office when he or she can be at home, available to his or her family.

Consider making a video about your congregation to give to visitors.  With almost all households having VCRs now, it’s a great way to provide an overview of the church.  Provide information on your church’s mission, faith statement, history, range of services and programs, and interviews with staff and members.  Ten to fifteen minutes is an appropriate length.

Consider a projection system for your sanctuary, making it possible to use PowerPoint™ as part of sermon presentations, to share announcements and praise songs, and even to share short clips from motion pictures.  This should not, however, be a quick decision.  It’s important to have the right projector system and the right screen.  It’s also important to locate the screen in such a way that it does not harm the atmosphere of the sanctuary.  It’s easy to make mistakes here.  For example, text on a large screen from a low-powered projector can be more difficult to read than on a smaller screen with the same projector.  Many pastors receive Your Church magazine and know that it has many articles on technology.  But be careful – the articles tend to be written by persons whose companies advertise in the magazine!

Consider the possibility of a local cable television program sponsored by your church.  Some local cable stations have open programming slots and will even let you use their equipment and facilities for taping.  But be sure to do a professional job – or no one will watch!

For more ways in which technology can be used as part of your church’s outreach, see the Public Relations Kit which is available from New Life Ministries. 

For more about the role of hospitality, see Widening the Welcome of Your Church, The First Thirty Seconds, and Hospitality: Life in a Time of Fear.  Those publications are all available from New Life Ministries.  New Life Ministries can also help your congregation host a workshop on  hospitality. 

Your Church magazine is available free of charge to pastors when sent to the church address; write to Your Church, P.O. Box 327, Addison, Illinois 60101.