Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

“Who are you talking to?” For many of us, it is a question we’ve both been asked and asked of others. I remember my parents asking me this question when I was a child on the phone with friends; as an adult I’ve asked my own family this same question. (And received the same annoyed look that I probably gave my own parents….)

When it comes to church communications, this is an important question to ask. As congregations, we speak with many different audiences and, as with many things, while one size COULD fit all, it rarely fits WELL.

Richelle Thompson invited us to consider this question when choosing email distribution lists. Today, I invite you to think about who visits your church’s website and why. Is it members of your congregation looking for information? Might it also be people with no relationship to your church?

As I visit congregational websites, I find that many of us use our church websites as an online bulletin board. We post information about when we worship and perhaps information about the priest, staff, and lay leaders. We post links to parish newsletters and general information about our ministries. We assume that our congregation is our audience and we provide information intended to meet their needs.

What is sometimes forgotten is that there are other audiences for our websites. These are what I call ‘the people we don’t know yet.’

For ‘the people we don’t know yet,’ your church website is often their introduction to your congregation. When they visit, what will they find? Will your site make them feel welcome?

Recently, I shared this question and link on ECF Vital Post’s Facebook page:

Who are our church websites for? Often it is the people we don't know yet who find us first online. When a seeker visits your site, will they feel welcome?

This post prompted the following comment. It also prompted (at the time of I wrote this blog) 15 shares and at last look over 20 likes – all very good numbers for our ECF Vital Practices Facebook page.

We are full time RVers. The first thing I check out when we go to a new location is the Episcopal churches in the area via their website. I choose a church based on their website content: up-to-date, easy visitor access to information about service times and staff, the "spirit" of the parish as expressed in content (ministries, newsletter, mission) and photos. And this is the PRIMARY, and usually the only, way I look for a church. Folks, your website, current and easy to navigate, is vital for informing and attracting possible newcomers!

My recommendation? Here’s an exercise for the Vestry or a small group of congregational leaders or staff, including the person responsible for developing content for your website:

1. Each person in the group asks someone you know and who is unfamiliar with your church to look at your site with the eyes of someone who is seeking a place of worship. 
2. Invite them to be candid with you and as they speak, just listen. Please try to avoid the urge you will have to defend your site; just listen with an open mind and open heart. Take good notes about what you hear.
3. Come back together as a group and share what you heard. Listen for common reactions, themes, and questions shared by the people who visited your site.
4. Establish a small task force (2-3 people, including people with responsibility for the website) to develop an action plan for making your website more responsive to ‘the people we don’t know yet.’

I invite congregations with welcome and/or newcomer web pages that are working well for them to share links in the comment section below or Your Turn.