wfn.org | UMNS# 04515-Busy pastors find time to connect with worshippers

["NewsDesk" <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Busy pastors find time to connect with worshippers online 

Nov. 3, 2004	 News media contact:   Matt  Carlisle * (615) 742-5470* 
Nashville {04515}

A UMC.org Feature
By Tamie Ross*

A church grows best through word-of-mouth, and for a growing number of
congregations the chain of communication starts on the Internet. 

Mecklenburg Community Church of Charlotte, N.C., is among them. The
congregation reached out to 75,000 in October with a direct mail and
Internet-based evangelism campaign inviting all to submit their biggest
questions about Christianity online and come hear the answers at church. The
campaign generated Sunday crowds and news stories both on TV and in the
newspaper.  

"By letting the community know that we are open to them and have, so to
speak, a willingness to strap on the questions of those who are spiritually
seeking, we got a lot of mileage out of this," says the Rev. James Emory
White, the congregation's senior pastor. 

Churches increasingly are using the Internet to connect with worshippers in
new ways. Some offer online Bible studies, others share devotions or stream
sermons. Chat rooms with prayer partners are becoming popular. Every church
has its own message, and so do ministers. For those limited by time and
location, the Internet can close the gap and open the door to the unchurched.

"We estimate that between 70 and 80 percent of our current growth is from the
unchurched," White says. "I think it's possible, obviously, to do something
like this and have enough of an interactive approach to it so that people
feel like there's a dialogue-based approach. That's what makes them
comfortable enough to come and to want to meet us in person."

Faithbridge United Methodist Church of Spring, Texas, offers several programs
at www.faithbridge.org. One is a downloadable monthly study, which in October
centered on the biblical book of Nehemiah. Virtual visitors can watch Sunday
services, use PayPal to send tithes, see drama performances and read the
church's weekly bulletin.

Faithbridge has been meeting in a school gymnasium as a capital campaign to
fund the construction of a new building continues. In the interim, it's
important for the community to know where the church is meeting, says Janice
Stump, an administrative assistant. 

Mecklenburg sent out colorful postcards pointing community residents to
www.mybigquestion.com. The site invited visitors to submit questions about
Christianity, and White used the questions to put together his Sunday
sermons. Topics included homosexuality and gay marriage, the believability of
the Bible and "Is there just one way to God?"

In Cape Coral, Fla., Grace Church seeks out enrollees for the University of
the Holy Spirit at http://www.gracecapecoral.com/. Capitalizing on interest
in online degree programs, the Rev. Jorge Acevedo coined the phrase and uses
part of Grace Church's Web site to urge visitors to devote quiet time to God.
Making an hour-long effort to listen to the Holy Spirit each day is part of
the university's curriculum. Other aspects include prayer, Bible reading and
journaling. 

Two and a half years after introducing the concept he learned from a pastor
in Hawaii, Acevedo says the program still is going strong. Its goal is
simple: to encourage strong, personal relationships with God through private
devotional time. With 25 years in ministry, Acevedo says he felt his private
study and devotional time was lacking. The University of the Holy Spirit
changed that, he says.

"God had a big surprise for me," Acevedo says of his time in Hawaii studying
with the Rev. Wayne Cordeiro. "He taught us how to have quiet time. What I
taught our people was what Wayne taught me."

Acevedo has presented sermons on the university's premise, and he updates the
Web site with daily readings, sample journal entries and ideas on how those
interested can begin to study.

Tracking Web visitors can be difficult, but White says Mecklenburg hopes to
continue gathering information to discern how many Web site hits have
translated into church visitors. He still prefers face-to-face contact but
feels Web ministry is needed in today's society.

"In the current world, you have to be creative in thinking," White says. "An
online presence is so essential. I can't stress that enough."

*Ross is a freelance journalist based in Dallas.

News media contact: Matt Carlisle, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5153 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.

********************

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