Internet Ministry: A Church's Glass Wall©

LM2DM Project of Lee Clowning Ministry

INTRODUCTION SECTION


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INTRODUCTION SECTION'S SEGMENT DIRECTORY

Internet Ministry's web site becomes the organization's glass wall

Internet Ministry: A Church's Glass Wall module's purpose

What is an Internet Ministry (IM)?

Prayer & the IM

Organization's IM mission statement and goals

The head of the organization & the IM


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INTERNET MINISTRY'S WEB SITE BECOMES THE ORGANIZATION'S GLASS WALL

An Internet Ministry's web site can open the doors and windows of the organization so members of its community can learn about the organization in the privacy of their homes. A well-designed web site that uses photographs of activities can become the organization's "glass wall" through which the community can watch what the organization does and see it in action.

A web site can be designed to give visitors to the web site a view of what the organization is all about and become a very good witness for the organization. A church can, by using a web site, get into a community member's home by containing data that is of interest to people in the community. Once the visitor has invited the web site into his home, anything contained in the web site's pages can be viewed.

The visitor's attitude toward the organization will become positive if the visitor:

1. Likes what he sees.

2. Finds the web site's content to be of value.

3. Learns about the organization.

4. Understands the value of the objectives of the organization.

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INTERNET MINISTRY: A CHURCH'S GLASS WALL© MODULE'S PURPOSE

This module is written to explain how an Internet Ministry can be developed and used to support the ministries of a religious organization (church, groups of churches, conventions, etc.). Internet Ministry is a valid ministry for any religious organization of any size.

The Internet Ministry Module contains limited technical data. There are many books on the market that deal with the technical side of a web site and web site pages. The technical side of web site is a constantly changing as new software and hardware is developed and existing software is upgraded.

The content of this module has been developed and copyrighted by Rev. M. Dale Lee, M.Div., M.R.E. An assumption is made that the reader has done some internet surfing. If you have any questions or comments about the content of this module, notify M. Dale Lee at internetministry@lm2dm.org.

If you have any questions or comments about anything other than the Internet Ministry Overview Module please notify M. Dale Lee at dalelee@lm2dm.org.

If you would like to talk with M. Dale Lee, please notify him. A telephone meeting can be set-up. Telephone long distance fee if applicable will have to be paid by the requestor.

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WHAT IS AN INTERNET MINISTRY (IM)?

An Internet Ministry (IM) is accomplished through an internet web site. An internet web site is a new tool for achieving the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). A web site can assist an organization's staff and volunteer leaders fulfill their duties. Operating a web site does require some computer technical knowledge.

Internet Ministry (IM) definition: The deliberate and organized usage of an internet web site by a church or religion related organization to achieve its mission and to convey its message to its members, potential members, and interested people.


A key to the effective development of an IM is to approach the web site as if it is a marketing and educational tool for the organization. The use of a web site to communicate an organization's message is growing as reflected by the vast number of businesses, universities, government agencies, individuals, etc. that use web sites. How a religious organization can use a web site and e-mail is in its infancy stage. As the technical development of a web site and its pages are simplified and the cost of supporting a web site is reduced, the religious community will experience an explosion of the usage of internet ministries.

It takes effort, time, and money to develop an effective IM. The technical development of the web site can be performed by a volunteer or a paid person/company. The cost in time and money needed to support an IM will vary from organization to organization.

The presence of religion related organizations is growing on the internet. The improvement of the quality of web sites will occur as organizations acquire experience in using web sites and an IM philosophy is developed. The versatility of an internet web site provides an organization's leaders with a powerful and potential cost-effective tool for communicating with its target audiences.

An effective IM requires an involvement of people that:

Have a vision for the organization and its IM.

Are creative.

Possess or are willing to acquire appropriate computer technical knowledge.

Will allow God to guide them as they explore how a web site can be used in the ministry of the organization.


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PRAYER & THE IM

To operate an IM requires making many decisions, and the only way to make the decisions is to surround them with prayer. To develop an IM requires people that daily seek God's Will and God's direction as they make decisions concerning the IM and web site.

An organization's web site should not be a duplicate of another organization's web site. Prayer, believing in prayer, and depending on prayer enables people to learn how God wants them to develop the IM for their organization. The uniqueness of God's Will for the organization's web site can only be achieved if prayer is a very important ingredient of the planning by the people working with the IM and the web site.

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ORGANIZATION'S IM MISSION STATEMENT AND GOALS

The organization's IM mission statement gives direction to what is to be accomplished through the IM. From the IM's mission statement, goals will be determined that will guide the decisions that are made concerning the design and content of the web site's pages.

The mission statement will be general in design and the goals will be specific. The mission statement and goals identify the who, what, when, where, why, and how concerning the development of the web site.

The design of the web site and the content of its pages are determined by the IM's mission statement and its goals.

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THE HEAD OF THE ORGANIZATION & THE IM

Why should the head of an organization be interested in the development of his organization's web site?

The IM and the organization's web site is an extension of the organization.

Through the web site, a mental image of the organization can be formed in the minds of the people that visit the web site.

A well-designed IM can cause people to visit the web site that are not active in attending the organization's meetings and activities.

The web site is a tool for educating people.

The web site is a marketing tool for the organization.


A web site is a witness of the organization to the internet visitors. This witness makes the design of an organization's IM and web site very important to the leaders of the organization. The head of the organization or an executive level leader of organization should be involved in planning the IM and how the web site will execute the IM.

The head of the organization does need to review the web site's pages on a regular schedule to make sure he approves of the content of the web site's pages. It is no secret that the head of an organization will be held accountable for the web site's content if something is included in a web site's page that someone does not like. The people developing the web site's pages need to be sensitive to what to include or not include in a web site page.

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