Church website hosting – value and functionality

August 25, 2009 · Filed Under Marketing and Advertising · 3 Comments

There are few things more elemental to Internet marketing than the hosting environment for your website or blog. As a result, the importance of this service has a tendency to be glossed over. Besides, who worries about hosting until they have a service outage, or the site crashes and burns when you try to upgrade the software the site is using?

I hope that you will put some serious thought into laying the right foundation for your site. You not only want something easy to set up initially, but have you given thought to how easy it will be in the future to upgrade your site when new releases become available? Would you like to ensure that you use a company that has fantastic customer service?

I have been blessed to use some effective hosting environments over the past several years. We have business clients in three hosting environments currently, and two of those run neck and neck for the lead when it comes to functionality and service. I would recommend highly one of those providers for church and religious organization sites.

Bluehost.com has proven itself to us over and over again with great customer service, high level functionality in the Control Panel (CP), and incredible ease of use. Fortunately, Bluehost.com has provided a foundation for our sites that I no longer have to worry about.

The price is right, the service is phenomenal, and our experience with them has been rewarding.

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Tags: hosting, Internet

Great Commission and the Internet?

July 8, 2008 · Filed Under SEO · Comment

Great Commission and Internet – Compatible?

Should Christians utilize the Internet in their strategy of fulfilling the Great Commission?

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.“ (Matthew 28:18-20)

Media has always been effective in communicating the message of the gospel. The printed page has been a favorite tool since just after the first printing press was created in 1450. AM and FM radio stations have been dotted with Christian outreach programs for many decades. Television has also been an effective tool for spreading the message. Great Commission

All of the above have one inherent drawback. Cost. Comparatively speaking, the cost of spreading the message through the Internet is anywhere from 200% to 1000% more cost-effective. This is good news for congregations and organizations that want to get the greatest effect for their money invested.

So what exactly can be accomplished through the Internet?

(1) Sharing the WORD. Churches can write web or blog pages that share the truth of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. They can quote scripture in the page/post that can be used by the Holy Spirit to generate life. Provide links to online Bible sources in multiple languages.

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

(2) Teaching. Formatting lessons for the web is a pretty straightforward process. If you really want to take it to the next level, take advantage of interactive media learning environments. You can test comprehension, as well as produce content in multiple media formats to ensure that the trainee has the best chance of encountering a learning style that suits them best.

(3) Revenue generation. It is possible to create an online environment that is self-supporting through the use of creative fund-raising, affiliate marketing, or ad serving.

(4) Encouragement. Instantaneous interaction with workers and believers worldwide is a blessing that we risk to lose site of if we are not careful. Peer-to-peer communications opens a whole new dynamic for evaluating the progress of the work.

This is just the tip of the iceberg on the subject. I invite you to share other ways in which the message of the gospel could or should be implemented on the Internet.

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