To Build a Church Website, pt 4: Design for effectiveness

So you’ve decided to build a website, and you’ve already got a hosting provider and toolbox lined up. In part 4 of our To Build a Church Website series, we’ll actually start the work of building a website by designing the thing.

To Build a Church Website, pt 3: Assembling your web toolbox

Once you’ve found a web host, it’s time to get to work building your site. But like any good carpenter, you’re going to need some tools. In Part 3 of our To Build a Church Website series, we’ll put together a toolbox that will help you build an effective website and maybe even do a few other things around the church better.

To Build a Church Website, pt 2: Choosing a hosting solution

So you’ve decided to build your church a website. What do you do first? Well, first, you have to find a place to keep it. In part 2 of the To Build a Church Website series, we look at the the issues of choosing and registering a domain name and hosting provider.

Must read!

This article by Richard H. Bliese is an absolute must read for anyone who leads, ministers in, or attends a small church. http://tinyurl.com/yfnj7rg. Bliese explains how a small congregation – his small congregation – transformed itself from an inwardly-focused enclave to an outwardly-focused, truly missional church. You really need to check it out.

To build a church website, pt 1: Debunking the myths

Just about everything and everyone is online today, but is your church? The process of building a website for a church, especially a small one, can seem imposing, even overwhelming, but it can be done! In the first installment of a two-week series, we’ll explore how to build a website for your church by building one for mine.

Notes on a megachurch

Two weeks ago, I attended the Celebrate Innovations conference at Celebrate Community Church in Sioux Falls, SD. If you’re not familiar with Celebrate, a little background information is probably in order. Now just more than ten years old, Celebrate is one of the fastest growing congregations in The Wesleyan Church (my denomination). Over the last decade, it has gone from 0 to approximately 3,200 in primary worship attendance. And it has done so through a number of innovative approaches to ministry, including a commitment to never spend a dime for advertising but to rely, instead, on worshipers inviting people; to maintain simplicity in every aspect of ministry from facilities to authority structure, etc.; and to help to resource and equip other local churches to be effective in their own contexts. For the last couple of years, it has been this last commitment which has led the congregation to organize and hold an annual conference designed to challenge and equip pastors and church leaders from other congregations to be equally effective in their own ministry contexts.

Now, you’re probably wondering why I would talk about a church with an average attendance of 3,200 on a blog with the express purpose of equipping churches of 100 or less in attendance, so let me say this first and foremost: Celebrate did a very deliberate (and generally good) job of making their big church conference applicable for small churches like mine. And so I wanted to take a couple of moments to share some things that challenged and encouraged me while I was there.

First, for the challenge. Probably the biggest thing that I picked up from the entire conference was a simple recurring theme: you already have in your congregation all the resources you need to move to the next level of ministry effectiveness. This was an incredible challenge for me as I find myself often discouraged when I look down the road to where our church is headed and wonder how we will ever possibly realize this grand vision from the Lord. While I need to keep that vision in mind, I need to remember that there are a number of steps between here and there. All I have to worry about right now is getting to the next step. And God has already placed in our congregation all the people and money and things that we’re going to need to get that far. So the challenge, then, is to remember the ultimate destination but focus primarily on the next step in the journey. Be faithful with what God has given me – and us – here and now, and we’ll be able to make it that far, at least!

And now for the encouragement. Well, actually, there are two things that I saw that greatly encouraged me. The first was one of Celebrate’s worship folders, or bulletins. During one of the sessions, a bulletin from the previous Sunday was distributed for each attender, and as I perused the thing, I came across something that made me laugh right then and there: a typo. While referencing an upcoming youth meeting, the date was listed as September 30rd. To be certain, it was minor. Even trivial. But for me, it was a tremendous encouragement! Why? Because while I so often find myself thinking that megachurches are somehow immune to human infirmities such as typos, this reminded me that, no matter how big the church might get, it’s still populated by humans. Mistakes happen sometimes. And as long as we’ve been diligent and done our God-enabled best, that’s okay. God’s big enough to take care of the rest. Celebrate won’t collapse because of a typo. And my church won’t not grow because we make a mistake every now and then. So we can take risks. And we can fail on occasion. And it’s still okay.

And the second thing that encouraged me was the list of vital statistics in that same bulletin. Of course, it carried the standard information. Celebrate had roughly 3,200 people in attendance the week prior. And it brought in almost $46,000 in regular offerings against a weekly budget of approximately $35,000. For me, those were mind-boggling numbers. But then I looked again. With 3,200 worshipers, Celebrate boasts an attendance approximately 90 times that of my congregation. I would think it fair to assume that their giving would be at least in that ballpark; maybe a bit less since they probably have a few more who don’t profess faith in attendance on a given Sunday. Yet the annual budget of my church is $46,000, meaning that Celebrate’s offerings – on a Sunday where giving was substantially over budget – were only about 52 times that of my congregation. Now, I am certainly not meaning to speak badly about Celebrate Community Church or its discipleship ministries. And I am absolutely not meaning to toot my own horn or imply that giving is the only indicator of spiritual maturity. But the fact is that the Bible talks a lot about money and a believer’s spending and giving practices, such that I think it fair that giving is an important indicator of spiritual maturity. So here’s why I’m encouraged by this:

It means that Celebrate struggles with spurring believers on from simply believing and the elementary principles of the faith to a deep, vibrant, mature faith, just like my church does!

And it may actually mean that my church, small as it is, may be doing something more effective than this church that seems so overwhelmingly successful. This is a radical departure from the normal presumption that big churches equal excellence in all areas!

Why is it, then, that I feel so very unworthy in the presence of these churches and their pastors? And what can we do to work together with churches of all sizes to make sure we’re all more effective in ministry? I welcome your thoughts in the comments section below!

Fact or Fiction: Small Churches Struggle to Grow Because Of The People They Attract

The other day, I referenced in passing an article from The Barna Group which detailed a number of key differences between large churches and small ones. The article, “Small Churches Struggle to Grow Because Of The People They Attract” (Sept 2, 2003; http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/126-small-churches-struggle-to-grow-because-of-the-people-they-attract), observed distinctions ranging from socioeconomic makeup to a barometer of orthodoxy.

In the article, Barna noted that his research shows that small churches are generally filled with younger people who have not yet started families. In addition, members of smaller congregations tend to have less education, lower incomes, and a more conservative approach to leadership. Perhaps the most striking difference which Barna found, though, was that the people belonging to smaller churches are more likely to have an unorthodox twist to their theology. In fact, Barna found the theological differences so significant that he actually revisited the subject in more detail in a new article, “How Faith Varies By Church Size” (August 10, 2009; http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/12-faithspirituality/289-how-faith-varies-by-church-size).

In his articles, Barna asserts that the youth, poverty, inexperience, and unorthodoxy of the small congregation is a challenge to be overcome, but as the pastor of one of those congregations, I would submit a slightly different interpretation of the data.

The small church is actually fulfilling Biblical mandate.

To be more specific, in Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus declared that those who would be welcomed into heaven would minister – that is, meet the needs of – “the least of these,” giving food to the hungry; drink to the thirsty;hospitality to the stranger; clothing to the naked; care to the sick; and fellowship to the broken, lost, and imprisoned. While I would certainly not go so far as to fault medium and large churches for ministering to the established, more affluent families of the community, I would observe that there is very little need for this sort of ministry – the ministry that Jesus sought, recognized, and rewarded – among those groups.

And in Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commissioned His disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them… and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” I would point out two things about this commission: the people we’re going to are not yet disciples, and as such, they have yet to be taught about Jesus and His commands. Clearly, larger churches are doing this, probably even more effectively than I would have expected, but could it be that the smaller church’s tendency to express less-than-orthodox theology is a byproduct of the smaller church reaching out and bringing in more people that have yet to become disciples and learn?

Indeed, as my friend David K commented on my previous post in response to Barna’s article, Jesus recognized that His mission was not to preach good news to the rich and safe, but to proclaim a gospel message to the poor, broken, and sinful.

So what do we do with this?

Well, I think the first thing is that we need to recognize that the patterns which Barna observes do not necessarily indicate weaknesses of the small church. In fact, I think a compelling argument can be made (and, in fact, I hope I just made it) to say that it is actually a strength: we’re doing our job.

And the second thing is that we need to remember always that the people to whom we minister are exceedingly vulnerable. We must take care to meet their needs in every way we possibly can. And we must strive always to provide avenues for them to be raised up as mature and effective disciples who know Jesus and will obey all that He commands.

59ers :: Ideas and resources for the 59% of American churches that average less than 100 in attendance

Over the last seven years, I’ve had the same conversation more times than I would like to admit. If you’re the pastor of a small church, you almost undoubtedly know the conversation I’m talking about. It’s the one where Mr. and Mrs. Williams (or insert the name of your choice) kind of linger in the foyer after services. For some time, you’ve noticed that they were a little quiet on Sunday mornings, and the last couple of weeks, they’ve suddenly had other things going on during Wednesday’s kids groups and such. And now, you can see it in their eyes long before it ever comes out their mouths. “Pastor, we love you and this church, but we’re going to be attending that fancy new megachurch just down the road from now on.” Of course, they have their explanations, ranging from “There are more people down there our own age” to “They have more stuff for our kids,” which are supposed to make you feel better, but however they sugarcoat it, as the pastor who has invested countless hours of sermon preparation and prayer and calling and general ministry on making sure that your church was meeting their needs, it always feels like you’ve been slammed in the gut with a giant sledgehammer.

In the American church today, there has developed a strange dichotomy. On the one hand, you have the megachurches and all those congregations which aspire to be like them, with their packed sanctuaries, concert-quality worship teams, countless high-powered ministries, and seemingly endless financial resources. With names like Willow Creek, Saddleback, and Skyline, they are familiar to virtually everyone. Their pastors are the ones the news media turns to for sound bytes. Their materials are the ones your youth are bringing in saying, “Hey, can we…?” Their facilities are always glamorous. And their events are the ones that actually make a difference. Or so it always seems.

And then there’s the rest of us.

As one of “the rest of us,” I have found myself considering these undeniably large congregations with a tossed salad of emotions. There is the righteous jealousy: boy, I would love for our church to be as effective as that one. The not-so-righteous jealousy: man, I wish I was as prominent and/or lucrative as that pastor. The irritation: don’t they know they’re stealing our sheep? The concern: are the people over there really getting the spiritual sustenance that I know we can provide? And then the frustration: how is it that they can air a TV spot, put up a billboard, hold a concert, do a mailing, etc., and people just show up while our church and I are beating our heads truly ministering, engaging the community, going door-to-door, and more with no apparent results?

So I find myself snatching up every resource and idea that I can get my hands on, desperately hoping that we can implement something that these effective congregations are doing and that one of them will finally transform my small church into one of those large ones. But with every resource I find, every idea I glean, I find myself right back where I started. The context is all wrong. The resources are just not there. There just aren’t enough people to go around.

Indeed, it seems as though every resource I see, every idea I hear, is intended to make my church the next megachurch. The only problem is that you have to be a megachurch to realize it.

But what if we’ve been looking at these behemoth congregations all wrong? What if the spit and polish isn’t necessarily the only – or even the best – way to do things? What if the spectacular isn’t always the right way to effect life change? What if the throng isn’t really the greatest way to draw people to a deep, meaningful, life-changing relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ? What if, while they certainly play a part in the Kingdom of God, not every church is supposed to be just like them?

According to statistician George Barna, the average Protestant church in America has fewer than 90 adults in worship on Sunday morning (http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/126-small-churches-struggle-to-grow-because-of-the-people-they-attract). The Hartford Institute for Religion Research observes that churches in America have a median attendance of 75, meaning that there are equal numbers of churches with greater than and less than an average attendance of 75 (http://hirr.hartsem.edu/research/fastfacts/fast_facts.html#sizecong). Both of these indicate that these numbers are pulled up by the estimated 2% of churches that run more than 1,000 on a given Sunday. And both note also that the numbers are pulled down by the nearly 60% of American churches that average less than 100 in attendance.

59% of American churches average less than 100 in primary worship attendance. But contrary to what many in leadership across the Church seem to think, these congregations are not necessarily merely sitting in their pews. Their pastors are godly and faithful ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And many of their members and attenders are earnest witnesses to the life-changing power of the Good News. Do they have weaknesses? Absolutely. Challenges? Count on it. But can they be effective at going and making disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey all that our Lord has commanded? You bet.

This site has been started for the 59ers out there, those who pastor, lead, belong to, or even just attend one of these churches averaging less than 100 in worship. I’m going to try to collect a number of resources, ideas, encouragement, and more specifically geared toward the congregations just like mine that aren’t megachurches yet and may never be. If you would like to contribute by sharing a resource you’ve found particularly useful, an idea you’ve seen produce results, or even just a note of encouragement, please don’t hesitate to contact me at jrgeerdes@gmail.com.