Visitors invited to attend. Fully 83% of the responding congregations, regardless of faith, budget, the congregation’s level of access, or the growth status said features to attract visitors were part of their sites. Many said new visitors had come into their midst after learning of the church or synagogue through its Web site. One small, new church noted that all of its new members first learned of the church through its Web page. Another church noted that it was rebuilding after going into decline 10 years ago, and that the Web site was helping bring in new visitors. Congregations note that they get calls from visitors who just moved to an area and first went hunting online for the names of local parishes. Some say they hear from families who have gone searching online before they move to an area in quest of finding a new church home. One synagogue noted that its site has prompted calls from people asking if they can visit even if they are not Jewish.

Of course, one reason this type of information is so readily available on congregational Web sites is that it is easy and inexpensive to post. Service times, directions to the church or temple, and welcome material is generally static content – it does not require revision or maintenance once it is posted. Some of the Webmasters at these congregations were frustrated by the lack of time and resources available to them to institute other Web site features. Thus, it is easy to see why many felt that welcoming material gave them the most bang for the buck.

Faith-related text. We asked congregations if their sites contained material such as mission statements, sermons, and other faith-related content and 77% said they did. This kind of information was most prevalent among Unitarian Universalist congregations (92%). This makes some sense because the basic precepts of Unitarian Universalism are probably less well known than those of Christianity and Judaism, and the web site offers an opportunity to explain those beliefs.

Links to denominational and other faith-related sites. About 76% of respondents said their sites provided links to other Internet sites related to their faiths. There were no great variations in the incidence of this feature when it came to a congregation’s religious affiliation, budget level, or access level of the congregation. In addition to making pages more interesting, links are easy to create and do not require frequent maintenance, particularly when they relate to material as timeless as the basic beliefs of different religions and denominations. That may be one of the primary reasons such links are so popular.

Links to scripture study or devotional material. Some 60% of congregations provide links to devotional material or information that assists in scripture study. From the comments we received, we know that these resources are used both for the personal benefit of individuals who use them, and for the preparation of worship services and religiousschool activities.

Internal communications. Some 56% of our respondents say they use their Web sites to publish the schedule, calendar, and weekly bulletins. This material is most prevalent (63%) on the Web sites of high-budget congregations (those over $500,000). This content was frequently cited as the most popular and well-read part of congregational Web sites. One congregation noted that it gets 10 times its normal traffic on Friday nights because younger church members like to check for service times and other activities over the weekend.

Photos of congregational events. Photos of congregational events are a means of providing a service for congregation members and promoting the congregation to the community. Overall, 50% of respondents said their Web sites posted photos of congregational events. High budget congregations (60%) were more likely than low budget (42%) to post photos, and Unitarian congregations (33%) were less likely than others (49%) to do so. One Unitarian congregation noted that its policy of asking permission of every person involved before posting photographs kept such postings rather low.

Youth group material. The popularity of the Internet with young people, coupled with general fears concerning the material available to youth at other places on the Internet, suggests why many congregational sites are eager to provide interactive material for their youth. One church noted that such material “greatly increases youth participation, since they live on the Web.” Some 44% of our respondents said that their sites do contain youth group material and activities. Wealthier congregations appear more eager – and able – to do so. Some 61% of congregations with budgets over $500,000 provide youth material, compared to 30% of congregations with budgets under $150,000.

Material to promote missionary/evangelical work. As noted already, this is primarily the domain of Christian sites (35%), although a handful of Jewish congregations (3%) and Unitarian congregations (7%) also include it as a feature. Among Christian sites, it is almost twice as prevalent in high-budget congregations (47%) as low budget (28%). It is also most prevalent among Fundamental (48%) and Greek Orthodox (44%) respondents, and least prevalent among Ecumenicals (25%) and Roman Catholics (22%). “Evangelism” may have different meanings from church to church, so it is expected that it would manifest itself in different ways online. For some churches, simply inviting visitors to participate in worship and fellowship may constitute evangelism. Other congregational sites take evangelism further, inviting cyber-visitors to take steps of repentance and commitment. One church noted that its prayer section offers an opportunity for evangelism, particularly to non-Christians who write in to request prayer.

Prayer requests. Space for prayer requests is not a widely adopted feature. Just 18% of these respondents offered a feature like this on their Web sites. It is a relatively popular feature of Christian sites (21%) rather than Jewish (2%). None of the Unitarian Universalist sites said they provided such information on their Web site. It is possible that many sites are reluctant to encourage prayer requests online because they want to protect the privacy of those who are experiencing difficulty. At times, these types of requests might be better handled in email. However, churches that do accept prayer requests have encountered unanticipated opportunities for outreach and ministry. One noted that it had linked with prayer sites from other churches, so that it could now pray for “thousands of hurting people.” Such opportunities also appear when churches receive prayer requests from non-members, and one church noted that most of its prayer requests come from non-Christian countries.

Volunteers and service. Most congregations need volunteers for church or temple functions and for community programs such as soup kitchens and fundraisers. Web sites are not yet a prime communication tool in this matter; just 15% include these goals. As with the creation of prayer chains, this may be an activity that many feel is better left to the telephone or in-person conversation. However, some congregations report reaping benefits from posting such material on their site. One church piqued the interest of teenagers who were not members but who wanted to join a mission trip a Mexico. Another site received a message from someone in Grenada, which led the church to head up a clothing drive to send assistance. Yet another provided overnight accommodations for a youth group visiting from out of town. Someone in the group had contacted the church office after finding its site.

Source: Pew Internet & American Life: Online life report