why your ministry needs a website

Connected with a friend in Virginia and found his ministry website and I was reminded how important it is for us to have website's for the ministries we lead. Several years back when we launched our kids / teen environments at GCC we decided to invest in web site's for our kid's ministry and student ministry. It has been one of the best investments we have ever made. Why does your ministry need a website...

1. Branding - online is the starting point to creating the "look" for your ministry. If you want to make a good impression start online.
   
2. Connect with Guests - we know kids and teens might not visit your site first but I promise, TONS OR PARENTS will. When they do visit you want to help them get a good picture of what you value. When a teen does check out your website go head and design it with them in mind. Again, design it so it makes a good impression!
   
3. Information - what do you believe? when do you meet? where are you? who are you? all that should be on your website!
4. Connect with Social Media - Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace are great tools but your website should always be your HOME BASE. Teens are out there living in social media, give them a place to use as a tool to invite their friends.
   
5. Simplify registration for events - we have an online culture for all our event registrations! WE NEVER MAIL STUFF! We use our web for sign up and payment with our paypal account. It works!
6. Connect with Parents - I know I am back on parents but we use our site as a hub to inform our parents. Parents can engage kids when they know what we are talking about. From our site they can link to the podcast or get our weekly parent update.
7. Inform your volunteer team - your volunteers should have a place to go and get quick info. THE WEBSITE is it. Keep it up to date and your help your volunteers stay in the loop.
   

Those are some quick thoughts on why we use our websites. How are you using your website? Why do you think we need an online presence or do you think it is a waste of time and money? What do you think?