Lausanne World Pulse – Internet Evangelism and Your Church

A Ten-Step Plan for Internet Evangelism in the Local Church

1. Meet with the senior pastor to explain the ministry. Obtain approval on the approach, deliverables, timelines, budget, etc. This should include a draft for project implementation that closely aligns with the evangelism strategy for the church. Make sure that all aspects of the ministry have been clearly articulated and documented. Provide the documentation to the pastor prior to meeting with him or her so that he or she is able to review the proposed ministry thoroughly before you meet.

2. Obtain any necessary further approvals. In the case of Woodvale, this was a lengthy process which involved obtaining approval from all seven pastors and the church board of directors. While this took several meetings (and months!), it was well worth it as all of the senior leadership in the church is now committed to the program.

3. Integrate the Internet evangelism strategy into the overall strategic plan of the church. Again, this may take time. This step is important to ensure that the approval obtained in steps one and two above makes its way into church process and possibly church bureaucracy. 

4. Engage and invite the website committee into the project. If the church already has a process in place for Internet and website strategy, these individuals must be widely consulted from the beginning. In the case of Woodvale, the website is still driven at the pastoral level, so it was important to invest time in recruiting a team to carry the ball once the approvals had been given. Ensuring a team approach will ideally ensure continuity and a long-term strategy. In churches where we count on volunteerism, people come and go at a rapid rate, so the team approach to this ministry is helpful. Team skills or expertise needed on this committee include: strategic direction and project management, evangelism, graphic artist, web design, writing, editing and proofing.

5. Articulate a follow-up strategy for the church. Once people are reached over the Internet and have made contact with the local church, it is important that these individuals are followed up. The optimal place for this is through the small group/cell group ministry of the church. This has been the case with Woodvale. 

6. Train small group leaders in follow-up. There is a myriad of training programs available for training the leaders of church small groups. A part of their training program should include how to enfold and engage new believers into the group and into local church life. At Woodvale, we have made sure that the small group leaders receive training in follow up. Ultimately I would like to see the churches create the option for small groups online.

7. Initiate a training program for Internet Evangelists. As mentioned previously, few people in the local church understand the Internet and how to use it for effective evangelism. A team of people need to be trained to respond to individuals who come in contact with the local church via the internet. 

8. Place the Now Try God link on your website. This link provides a proven gospel presentation that will bring people to a decision point and then refer them back to your website for follow-up.

9. Begin to communicate and promote. Once your strategy is clearly outlined, a follow-up process is in place and your online evangelists are trained, begin to more broadly communicate and promote the website. This can be as simple as communicating to your membership that the gospel presentation is now available for them to refer people to. Or, it can be a comprehensive communications approach that includes paid advertising, billboards, web advertising, bumper stickers, etc.

10. Develop a measurement and feedback mechanism for the church. Once the program is up and running, a measurement system should be put into place. This will include gathering web statistics, monitoring response rates, engaging with new converts, getting the church involved, etc.

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A Ten-Step Plan for Internet Evangelism in the Local Church

1. Meet with the senior pastor to explain the ministry. Obtain approval on the approach, deliverables, timelines, budget, etc. This should include a draft for project implementation that closely aligns with the evangelism strategy for the church. Make sure that all aspects of the ministry have been clearly articulated and documented. Provide the documentation to the pastor prior to meeting with him or her so that he or she is able to review the proposed ministry thoroughly before you meet.

2. Obtain any necessary further approvals. In the case of Woodvale, this was a lengthy process which involved obtaining approval from all seven pastors and the church board of directors. While this took several meetings (and months!), it was well worth it as all of the senior leadership in the church is now committed to the program.

3. Integrate the Internet evangelism strategy into the overall strategic plan of the church. Again, this may take time. This step is important to ensure that the approval obtained in steps one and two above makes its way into church process and possibly church bureaucracy. 

4. Engage and invite the website committee into the project. If the church already has a process in place for Internet and website strategy, these individuals must be widely consulted from the beginning. In the case of Woodvale, the website is still driven at the pastoral level, so it was important to invest time in recruiting a team to carry the ball once the approvals had been given. Ensuring a team approach will ideally ensure continuity and a long-term strategy. In churches where we count on volunteerism, people come and go at a rapid rate, so the team approach to this ministry is helpful. Team skills or expertise needed on this committee include: strategic direction and project management, evangelism, graphic artist, web design, writing, editing and proofing.

5. Articulate a follow-up strategy for the church. Once people are reached over the Internet and have made contact with the local church, it is important that these individuals are followed up. The optimal place for this is through the small group/cell group ministry of the church. This has been the case with Woodvale. 

6. Train small group leaders in follow-up. There is a myriad of training programs available for training the leaders of church small groups. A part of their training program should include how to enfold and engage new believers into the group and into local church life. At Woodvale, we have made sure that the small group leaders receive training in follow up. Ultimately I would like to see the churches create the option for small groups online.

7. Initiate a training program for Internet Evangelists. As mentioned previously, few people in the local church understand the Internet and how to use it for effective evangelism. A team of people need to be trained to respond to individuals who come in contact with the local church via the internet. 

8. Place the Now Try God link on your website. This link provides a proven gospel presentation that will bring people to a decision point and then refer them back to your website for follow-up.

9. Begin to communicate and promote. Once your strategy is clearly outlined, a follow-up process is in place and your online evangelists are trained, begin to more broadly communicate and promote the website. This can be as simple as communicating to your membership that the gospel presentation is now available for them to refer people to. Or, it can be a comprehensive communications approach that includes paid advertising, billboards, web advertising, bumper stickers, etc.

10. Develop a measurement and feedback mechanism for the church. Once the program is up and running, a measurement system should be put into place. This will include gathering web statistics, monitoring response rates, engaging with new converts, getting the church involved, etc.