Church in McKinney, TX, Leads in Internet/High Tech Outreach

[James Nored]

 

Today I read an article that caught my eye: More congregations turn to Facebook, Web, high-tech outreach. This article, and the video above, highlights how churches like Christ Fellowship in McKinney, TX, are using the Internet and High Tech to reach out to the community.

 

I am a Generation X guy, and our family was an early adopter of personal computers. I grew up using Apple IIe and Apple III computers, then PCs.  I can remember receiving then my first email account when I was a senior in college (1995), and when I discovered the Internet I was blown away for a lot of reasons. First, I could read all about my Dallas sports teams, which rocked. Second, I could use it as a way to get general information and other kinds of news. It was, in fact, a type of daily updated research tool. Third, I knew that the Internet would fundamentally change the way that we interact, communicate, and ultimately "do ministry."

 

When I moved to Liberty, MO, for my first preaching job, it was 2002.  The church basically had no Internet site. I knew that the church really needed a website (this, despite a marketing guy who--in being too clever by half--told me that "companies" needed to really decide if they needed a website, not just have one). So I researched different website builders that had content management systems, found a good one, and worked at designing our church's website. Within a couple of weeks, using these easy tools, I was able to get a good site up with a ton of content. I wrote, uploaded pictures, inserted links and made the site match our print media. (I used a design guy during this who taught me a ton about design.)

 

I moved to McKinney, TX, in 2008 to work at the High Pointe Church of Christ. Despite this church being a 700-800 member church, there was only a single static page for a website that displayed the church's worship times and address. I started working on High Pointe's website before I even officially arrived to work at the church, knowing the importance of having a good site in reaching out as a church.

1. Good design -

2. Video of sermon messages.

3. Streaming of worship services