"The greatest barrier to the gospel is not theology; it is culture. A major issue facing the Western church is making the gospel message intelligible and attractive to people unfamiliar with the church."1 In today's Internet age, sharing the Gospel should take on a different form than it did ten years ago. Church and mission leaders need to consider how to use current technology to help make Christianity relevant to many who have dismissed it as irrelevant and outdated. Churches and other ministries have already explored the various media of radio, television, and film, in an attempt to communicate the Gospel to a wider audience in a form which is culturally relevant.
The online community is the newest and fastest-growing segment of society which churches have begun to target. Many such churches have become a part of this community by creating web sites. Relatively few of these sites, however, target non-Christians specifically. Most are geared toward people who are already Christians-members of their churches, and other Christians moving into or passing through their area. Churches use web sites as a means of communication-to inform their congregation of church activities, to present the church newsletter electronically, and to provide more up-to-date information than other means of communication allow. These sites also provide a means for sharing ministry ideas between churches.2
This paper explores ways churches can apply church growth strategies to help create and/or improve web sites to make them more attractive to non-Christians. It will help your church understand the vast mission field of the Internet, and target your web site to a specific subgroup within it. You will also find ideas for features to include to attract non-Christians to your site, and tips on evaluating the site's effectiveness.