by Luke Wertz

Serving as the webmaster of a church website can be a thankless job. We write all our own copy because groups and leaders and staff rarely respond to our requests.  We generate our own enthusiasm because all too often church members and sometimes pastors don’t see the website as something much more than a brag piece about “my church.”  We’re rarely paid (in money); even less often thanked for our many hours of service.  Is it worth all the effort?

Yes! What we do is important. Here are some reasons why:

1) Evangelism is more important than ever; in some important ways, Christianity is losing ground. 

In Europe, participation in the Christian church is statistically quite low. 1 Islam is gaining adherents.  Already, Islam is the 2nd religion in most countries. 2

In the United States, people are identifying themselves as Christian in fewer numbers3 and teenagers are moving farther away from Biblical viewpoints. 4

In Australia, according to the 2001 census, paganism is the fastest growing religion. 5

2) At the same time, there is evidence that people young and old are feeling a deep hunger for spiritual truth and meaning.6   Many who profess faith can do so only on the surface. When pressed, they are not able to explain their beliefs or why they hold them yet they are dissatisfied with this and wish to know more. From 1994 to late 1998, reported Gallup, the percent of Americans feeling a need to "experience spiritual growth" rose from 54 to 82 percent.6

Where are people going to satisfy this hunger? Many of them are turning to websites. The Pew Internet Project reports that 64% of people have used the Internet for religious or spiritual purposes. 7 Much of this activity is supplementary to their primary participation in the life of a local congregation, but it indicates an established and growing habit of using the ‘net in their religious practice.  George Barna reports that 8% of adults and 12% of teenagers use the Internet for “religious or spiritual experiences.” Again, much of this activity is supplementary to actual faith experience, but 2% of teens and about 1% of adults are turning to some kind of cyber-church as their source for faith practice. 8

Barna researchers predicted that people are increasingly likely to be turning to Internet sources more regularly in coming years for devotional readings, inspiration, reading and listening to on-line teaching, and suggested that by the year 2010, between 10% and 20% of U.S. Internet users will rely solely on the Web for worship or to otherwise connect with a faith experience. 8

3) The internet provides users with easy access to a staggering variety of information. Part of this virtually limitless selection of choices is a smorgasbord of spiritual beliefs, practices, ideas and instruction.  A growing number of Internet browsers are developing their own belief systems, picking and choosing ‘truth’ that appeals to them and fits within their current views.  This do-it-yourself religious practice stands as a challenge to the established church, and is growing outside of any religious authority.

“We are seeing the beginnings of a wave of religious reformation, one as big as the one seen after the invention of the Gutenberg press," said Quentin Schultze, a professor of communication at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich.9 This isn’t taking people towards solid ground, though.

Clearly a dynamic, attractive, substantive Christian presence on the ‘web is vital for present and future evangelism. Church websites must be more than Adobe Reader versions of the monthly newsletter.  Christians must build and maintain websites that provide nurture for this spiritual hunger, nurture that is rooted deeply in Truth, and that provides an attractive, inviting alternative to the polyglot of religious and spiritual beliefs provided by the many other groups and faith organizations.

If the Internet is neglected by Christians, it will go on expanding and developing without them.  Now is the time to build understanding and awareness of potential among church leaders and members, and for website designers to study and learn and keep pace with technology. Now is the time to educate and assist people young and old to use the Internet responsibly, and to create connections and network with Christian and compatible secular sites and directories.

Christians have made mistakes fighting culture wars in the past. The arts and the entertainment industry are both cultural strongholds long neglected by the faithful. Christians encounter little respect in either of these areas today. While the art world existed before Christ’s birth, the Internet is still a relatively young and growing cultural presence. What a unique opportunity!  Christians have a chance to establish and build a presence in the world of technology as it grows, and avoid any future necessity of having to carve out a foothold in a secular environment. 

What we do does indeed matter. It matters for today – but more importantly, for tomorrow.

Lately, I have come into contact with several Christian webmasters (and those in communications and information technology) that find themselves trying to discern God's direction in a specific issue, over a decision, or for His plan (mission) for their lives. I empathize with them because I have been there. I have spent many years walking around in that desert. This article is an offering to the C-W-M community, and to others, especially those trying to discern God's will over something. It is four pieces of wisdom/advice/manna gathered while in the deserts of tough decision making. There's also a bonus piece of manna if you make it to the end.

Lately, I have come into contact with several Christian webmasters (and those in communications and information technology) that find themselves trying to discern God's direction in a specific issue, over a decision, or for His plan (mission) for their lives. I empathize with them because I have been there. I have spent many years walking around in that desert. This article is an offering to the C-W-M community, and to others, especially those trying to discern God's will over something. It is four pieces of wisdom/advice/manna gathered while in the deserts of tough decision making. There's also a bonus piece of manna if you make it to the end.

I just read this article today regarding the nine challenges George Barna has for American Christianity,

Challenge Number 5 states the following:

A Costless Faith
Christianity has no cost in America. We've made it way too easy to be "born again"—perhaps much easier than Jesus intended. When do we get to the point at which we accept smaller numbers of intensely devoted people rather than feverishly investing in filling auditoriums and stadiums with massive numbers of the lukewarm "Christians" that Jesus promised to spew from his mouth (Rev. 3:16)?

Lately, I have come into contact with several Christian webmasters (and those in communications and information technology) that find themselves trying to discern God's direction in a specific issue, over a decision, or for His plan (mission) for their lives. I empathize with them because I have been there. I have spent many years walking around in that desert. This article is an offering to the C-W-M community, and to others, especially those trying to discern God's will over something. It is four pieces of wisdom/advice/manna gathered while in the deserts of tough decision making. There's also a bonus piece of manna if you make it to the end.