Church Websites in Context

By the Project's Ecumenical Consultant, Rev'd John Barden Davies

The Church has always been in the business of communication.  It is remarkable how quickly the Christian message spread as communication in the early years was limited to people travelling around, on foot, on horseback or by sailing ship to carry the message of the Gospel. The greatest communicator of those early times was Saint Paul. 

In the years that followed there was little change in the method of communication until the invention of printing in the 15th Century. This revolutionised society and the church were quick to use this means of communication. Indeed the Reformation could never have happened without the invention of printing.  Now people were able to read the Bible for themselves. 

By the late 20th Century, there was another major development in communication – the rapid advancement of modern technology.  Churches were somewhat slow to adopt this method but gradually they came to realise the great help it is in communicating.  For some time now, most churches have been using computers for administrative purposes but, as the internet has expanded, more and more churches have been seeing the advantage of using technology as a means of communicating the Gospel. 

Today, it seems that everyone has a website, from major multi-national companies to the corner shop.Businesses spend money on commissioning websites because they know how effective a website is in promoting their products and services. Similarly people with a faith message can use this technology to get their message across. Churches are now realising the advantage of having a website, and how worthwhile it is to have a professionally designed site. 

If the Internet had been around in St. Paul’s day, he would have soon seen the advantage of it to get his message across. If the internet had been around in the 15th and 16th Centuries, just think how those who translated the Bible into the common language would have been able to get their message across. If the Internet had been around at the time of the Wesleys, just think how they would have used this means for spreading the Gospel, for preaching and for hymn writing. 

Today we have that means, and churches can use a website to get their message across. It could be an evangelistic message, like seeking to bring people to Christ. It could be a theological message, like writing articles about major theological issues. It could be a Biblical message with bible studies and sermons. A church website can also have a very practical use in letting the world know what is happening in the local church and what it is about.    

There are many people in today’s world who are searching for a faith. They are often reluctant to visit a church, or even to ask someone they know who is a Christian, as they think they will look foolish if they have no knowledge of Christ. People often seek the church for baptisms, weddings and funerals who would not at any other time go to a church. A website can provide all the basic information about what the Church has to offer to people at these special and critical times in their lives. 

A website is invaluable to today’s church, and it is a must for any church that is serious about communication in today’s technological world.

The Reverend John Barden Davies, Area Dean, Dyffryn Clwyd Deanery 1995-2010

E-mail: info@churchwebsitedesign.org.uk