crowsfan85
Tue., Nov. 30, 2004, 9:45 pm
One main reason for having a dynamic, inviting church website is to make church more of a community and less of a Sunday-only thing.
The church should be a refuge or a shelter, but it should also be a place of encouragement, fellowship, and ministry... a place where anyone can come, get Spiritual nourishment, and leave challenged and encouraged to be more like Christ.
So, what better way to make the church more of a living, breathing community than by having an online forum, right?
Well, in my experience, the answer is yes and no. Yes, if the forum is, or is committed to be, successful, and no otherwise.
The potential is definitely there. More people than ever are online. And God has definitely given people an innate need and desire to fellowship. But if not done correctly, the emptiness of a forum communicates the lack of community, whether this is or isn't the case for your church.
So, then what are some things stopping the success of online forums for church sites and what should webmasters guard against? They take a lot of work, especially when starting, where it takes a committment from a group of people to post often and to post relevant material.
Posts are few and far between. It's the whole chicken and egg thing again. Who's gonna post if nobody's reading it, and who's gonna read it if nobody's posting?
Posts are often irrelevant. Categories (or folders) have to be well defined and moderators have to make sure posts are appropriate and in the right place.
Security is a concern. You're church will be represented by the posts in your forum, whether they reflect your beliefs or not. An approval process for new users may be beneficial.That said, I love the potential for forums. What is the Internet but one big tool to let people communicate and share information? If done right, imagine how many people can grow and be blessed by making a connection that might not otherwise have been made.
Crossroads Church does a pretty good job on their forum (http://www.crossroadschurch.com/forum/), but even more than half of their 24 or so categories haven't received one single post in the past month, which is why I recommend starting out with just a few broad categories, to at least give the impression of being a strong community. Then add, define, and remove categories as necessary.
My favorite example of an online community is SitePoint Forums (http://www.sitepointforums.com/) especially since I'm a web developer. Their posts are always fresh and relevant. There's almost too much good information. They even have a category for developers to talk about building a community (http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=71).
What do you guys think about church website forums? Have you seen any successful ones? Do you believe they can be effective? Are they a good way for churches to foster communities? Any good bookmarks?
The church should be a refuge or a shelter, but it should also be a place of encouragement, fellowship, and ministry... a place where anyone can come, get Spiritual nourishment, and leave challenged and encouraged to be more like Christ.
So, what better way to make the church more of a living, breathing community than by having an online forum, right?
Well, in my experience, the answer is yes and no. Yes, if the forum is, or is committed to be, successful, and no otherwise.
The potential is definitely there. More people than ever are online. And God has definitely given people an innate need and desire to fellowship. But if not done correctly, the emptiness of a forum communicates the lack of community, whether this is or isn't the case for your church.
So, then what are some things stopping the success of online forums for church sites and what should webmasters guard against? They take a lot of work, especially when starting, where it takes a committment from a group of people to post often and to post relevant material.
Posts are few and far between. It's the whole chicken and egg thing again. Who's gonna post if nobody's reading it, and who's gonna read it if nobody's posting?
Posts are often irrelevant. Categories (or folders) have to be well defined and moderators have to make sure posts are appropriate and in the right place.
Security is a concern. You're church will be represented by the posts in your forum, whether they reflect your beliefs or not. An approval process for new users may be beneficial.That said, I love the potential for forums. What is the Internet but one big tool to let people communicate and share information? If done right, imagine how many people can grow and be blessed by making a connection that might not otherwise have been made.
Crossroads Church does a pretty good job on their forum (http://www.crossroadschurch.com/forum/), but even more than half of their 24 or so categories haven't received one single post in the past month, which is why I recommend starting out with just a few broad categories, to at least give the impression of being a strong community. Then add, define, and remove categories as necessary.
My favorite example of an online community is SitePoint Forums (http://www.sitepointforums.com/) especially since I'm a web developer. Their posts are always fresh and relevant. There's almost too much good information. They even have a category for developers to talk about building a community (http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=71).
What do you guys think about church website forums? Have you seen any successful ones? Do you believe they can be effective? Are they a good way for churches to foster communities? Any good bookmarks?