Web Gateway to be created
In a project of unprecedented scope, the Baltimore-Washington Conference is creating a Web-based system designed to revolutionize the way church leaders are resourced as they work to gather, report, retrieve and utilize information in order to grow disciples.
The 'Gateway,' is being designed as a multi-faceted system that includes access to disciple-making information, networking for churches and ministries, user-friendly data collection, conference forms, calendaring, event registration, subscription management, collaborative information sharing, e-commerce, image libraries, human resource evaluation tools, electronic publishing and a state-of-the-art Web site that allows users access to all these features and more.
'The Gateway will be a key to deepening our discipleship,' said Shaun Lane, the conference director of communications. 'It will provide our 686 churches and almost 200,000 members with tools and resources to do ministry in new and faithful ways. It will streamline administrative functions and deepen our creative abilities to celebrate in worship, connect as one, develop in faith, serve like Christ and share our faith.'
Bill Isberg, the chief operating officer of the conference, added that the Gateway will free churches from some of the bureaucratic paperwork associated with the connectional system and free them up for creative ministry.
'One of the primary roles of the conference is to resource local churches so that they can make disciples for the transformation of the world,' Isberg said. 'In this partnership, it is imperative that churches have the tools and technology that enable them to focus on their mission. This new Web-based information system goes a long way in providing that.'
According to Isberg, two-thirds of the conference staff have been enlisted to participate, in some manner, in the development of the Gateway.
After meeting with pastors and lay leadership, 147 features were identified that will enhance communications between the conference and local churches and assist local church leaders as they work to create Acts 2 congregations.
In August, during a week-long session, conference staff met with a number of vendors who specialize in providing membership management software systems for associations. The conference is currently in negotiations with one of these companies.
The design work for the new Web site and all its components has begun. Matt Brighton has been hired as the new conference Webmaster. The Gateway is expected to launch in January - in time for annual conference registration.
Its official debut will be later in 2008.
Among the many features the Gateway information system will provide are:
- Interactive tools for information sharing and connecting church
leaders; - Blog and discussion forums for church leaders to share best practices and innovative ministry ideas;
- The ability for forms to be automatically 'populated' with information to significantly reduce administrative work;
- A comprehensive, user-friendly event registration process that rivals those used by large corporations and other organizations;
- An online store;
- A data collection process that can assist church leaders in the strategic analysis that accompanies the creation of 600 Acts 2 churches by 2012;
- The potential to provide every local church with a Web site.
'If the church is to be effective in connecting with people, it must be present in a significant and meaningful way on the Internet,' Isberg said.
In 2000, 21 percent of Internet users used the Web to seek spiritual and religious information, the Pew Internet and American Life Project reported. Today, that number has grown to 64 percent of wired Americans, who report using the Internet for spiritual or religious purposes, representing 82 million Americans.
According to the Pew Faith Online report:
- 38 percent of the nation?s 128 million Internet users have sent or received
e-mail with spiritual content; - 32 percent have gone online to read news accounts of religious events and affairs;
- 17 percent have looked for information about where they could attend religious services;
- 14 percent have used e-mail to plan church meetings;
- 7 percent have made or responded to online prayer requests; and
- 7 percent have made donations to religious organizations or
charities.
The survey also found that two-thirds of those who attend religious services weekly use the Internet for personal religious and spiritual
purposes.
'The Gospel story provides
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