Recommended: System Errors? Click here to Fix your PC »
Church leaders who have already used these materials are excited. "This is a hugehelp for small churches such as ours," writes a church leader from California.
The Internet Evangelism Day team emphasizes that web evangelism is for anyone, notjust the technically gifted. "There are many ways to share your faith online,without any technical background at all," says IE Day Coordinator Tony Whittaker.
Christian leaders are also enthusiastic: "I am glad to commend Internet EvangelismDay," says Dr. John Stott.
Churches still have time to plan a focus spot on or near 27 April, or at any moresuitable date during the year. More information is available at:http://ied.gospelcom.net/i ndex.php
Free Church Website Tool Released
The people behind Internet Evangelism Day also provide year-round resources aboutonline outreach. The ministry explains many ways that Christians can share the goodnews, including through church websites. Churches often find it difficult to createa site that will engage with outsiders in their area, and find themselves asking,"How can our church website help us reach out into our community?"
A new online tool released by IE Day provides churches with a free 15-pageevaluation report. Users assess their own website by answering 55 simple questions.Their customized report is immediately displayed online, ready to print or save. Thereport's recommendations are tailored with specific practical suggestions, based onthe questions that were ticked. View the evaluation tool here:http://ied.gospelcom.net /church-site-design.php
A church site which has been prioritized for non-Christian visitors can beremarkably effective in reaching the community. "Week in, week out, more visitorsturn up at our church on a Sunday because of the website, than anything else,"writes one growing church in London.
The tool also provides the parable 'A Tale of Two Golf Clubs' (which is alsoavailable to republish) to illustrate the principles of effective church websites:http://ied.gospelcom .net/golf-parable.php
Church leaders have welcomed this new resource. "This competent evaluation toolprovides a valuable service to churches that will help them strengthen theireffectiveness in outreach through the Internet," says Dr. Sterling Huston, directorof North American Ministries for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. GaryMcClure of LifeWay Ministries agrees, saying, "This checklist is an invaluable toolto identify critical areas for improvement. Every church should study this regularlyand act on it!"
For more information:http://ied.gospel com.net/index.php
IE Day is an initiative of the Internet Evangelism Coalition, a group of onlineministries, at Billy Graham Center, Wheaton. It is completely free with NOfund-raising component.
Email contact: InternetEvangelismDay.com/feed backInterviews and contacts: InternetEvangelismDay.com/publ icityPhotos: InternetEvangelismDay.com/phot osLeaders supporting: InternetEvangelismDay.com/supp ortingMore article ideas: InternetEvangelismDay.com/free -articles
