Urbanization has affected the church's strategy as more people have moved to the cities.3 Similarly, the presence of a growing online community in need of Christ should have a significant impact on the church's strategy to reach the unreached. A recent Nielsen study indicates that nearly one in four people in the US and Canada have access to the Internet, and at least 13% of the population has used the World Wide Web in the last 6 months. The online community is growing by at least 50% a year.4 This makes it the largest and fasting growing movement in history. It has been estimated that "by the year 2000 as many as 250 million people worldwide will have access to the Internet."5 The church cannot ignore the possibilities which are now available to it as a result of the Internet.
People from all walks of life
make up the online community, although many people who use the
Internet share certain characteristics. The average household
income of an Internet user is about $59,000, although that amount
is decreasing as the Internet grows, becomes more affordable,
and has a greater impact on everyday life. More men than women
are online, although that may change shortly. Most Internet users
are married now or have never been married. About 10% are cohabiting,
and only about 5% are divorced. People with educational, computer,
professional, and management positions make up most of the online
community.6
Although no studies have been conducted to determine the religious makeup of the Internet, there seems to be no significant difference between it and society as a whole. In my opinion, given the profile of Internet users above, there is probably a somewhat smaller proportion of Christians online. If my suspicion is true, it is imperative that the church target and reach out especially to the secular people who use this means of communication most.