WEB OUTREACH AS PART OF CHURCH PLANTING STRATEGY
IN A CREATIVE ACCESS NATION
By
Montier Sturdevant
A Pseudonym
January 2008
Published under ��Technology and Culture�� at www.globalmissiology.org,
April 2008
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................... 1
Cultural Context............................................................................................................................................................... 1
Ministry Context.............................................................................................................................................................. 3
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................. 3
Internet Communication.................................................................................................................................................. 4
Persuasion........................................................................................................................... 5
Online Evangelism................................................................................................................ 9
APPROACH TO WEB SITE
OUTREACH....................................................................................................................... 10
Web Site Goals.................................................................................................................. 10
Process.............................................................................................................................
11
Advertising........................................................................................................................
13
Rational............................................................................................................................
14
RESULTS..................................................................................................................................... 17
EVALUATION............................................................................................................................. 20
Evaluation of Our Internet Outreach........................................................................................................................... 20
Ideas for Change and
Development........................................................................................................................... 22
CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................ 24
BIBLIOGRAPHY......................................................................................................................... 25
INTRODUCTION
Jesus
Christ gave his followers the mandate of spreading His gospel to all the
nations in the Great Commission
(Matt.28:18-20). The hearers of His gospel must understand its relevancy if they are to accept it. It is the Christian
worker��s task to help make the message relevant to the people. The Internet has become a common source
for entertainment, information and advice throughout the world. If the local people are using the Internet, then
Christian ministry needs to use the Internet as a tool to propagate the gospel
message.
Our
Web site outreach project is part of our church planting strategy in a
localized region of an urban center
within a creative access nation (CAN). In this article, I will put this Web
site ministry in its context,
followed by a brief look at pertinent studies in the fields of Internet communication, persuasion, and online evangelism.
Next I will give a description of our approach
to Web site outreach. This will be followed with results data and an
evaluation.
Our Web site outreach exists in
a context. A brief glimpse into the cultural, and ministry context
should suffice in providing background to the Christian ministry and our Web
site outreach.
Cultural
Context
Using Geert Hoftede��s cultural
taxonomy,1 a comparison of CAN culture to a generalized North
American culture shows that CAN culture has a higher power distance between
social roles than that found in North America. This means that
it is expected that power is distributed unequally
among members of the society. People with authority are above, not level with,
those
1 Geert Hofstede, Cultures and Organizations:
Software of the Mind (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1991).
2
under them. For CAN��ites, the power
distance helps guide appropriate behavior in a particular context. North American culture seeks to minimize power
distance which is disconcerting for those expecting
defined roles and distance.2 CAN culture is more collectivistic
while North American culture is defined by its individualism. CAN��ites care and
are concerned about the views and values
of their group(s). Their identity is wrapped up in their group and even defined
by the group.3 Members of
CAN culture are higher on the uncertainty avoidance scale than North Americans. This means they are more likely to feel
threatened by uncertain or unknown situations. 4
They can say that different is dangerous, while North Americans might
say that different is interesting.
CAN culture values the social group and adopts technology
that compliments social networking. Cell phones have become a standard
accessory for every family member over 12 years old. Affordable access and use of the Internet has
continued to grow in correspondence to a developing and modernizing economy. CAN��ites are using
social networking technology like Facebook and
MySpace in growing numbers. In response to the rapid adoption of new
technology, there are concerns in CAN that the Internet can exacerbate social
problems by allowing access to harmful ideas
or images. The government is increasingly active in monitoring and blocking
some Internet content it deems harmful to society.5 Some are also
concerned about the effects the
Internet has on personal relationships, yet research is showing that the
Internet extends existing relationships for the
satisfied and fulfills a relationship void for the dissatisfied.6
2 Hofstede, ch. 2.
3 Hofstede, ch.3.
4 Hofstede, 113.
5 A department under the Ministry of
Telecommunication has recently been appointed to monitor the Internet. It has articulated eight areas to which they are seeking
to limit access; suicide guidance, child abuse, drug use, giving dangerous
health advice, pornography, prostitution, gambling, and profaning founding
fathers.
6 Gross, 87.
3
The citizens of CAN are overwhelmingly Muslim but
with a long history of a Christian minority
presence. Foreign governments actively sought to weaken CAN during the 19th
century. Foreigners living in CAN at
that time, both missionaries and non-missionaries, are considered to have used the Christian minorities to this end. In
brief, today the general population of CAN views national Christians as citizens with dubious loyalties and foreign
Christians as foreign government
agents. These views continue to be reflected in the national media and by
individual CAN��ites.
Ministry Context
The CAN government does not issue missionary
visas. A missionary is generally viewed as a religious propagandist who comes to deceive the young, the naïve,
and the needy. Missionaries are
thought to offer money, jobs, and wives as tactics for proselytizing. Missionaries are supposedly employees or agents of
foreign governments who come to spread the
influence of imperialistic Western culture. Discussion in the press about
modern missionaries, their motives and their activities, often refer back to
the missionaries of 19th century.
The entrenched distrust towards Christians and missionaries impacts the way
followers of Christ share their faith
today
LITERATURE REVIEW
The literature that has been
most relevant for developing our Web site outreach can be
4
Internet Communication
Communication
is a process for creating understanding in which two or more parties are involved.7 Dr. Donald K. Smith declares that
the central problem in communication is achieving understanding across differences, no matter what causes
them,8 and has developed a set of propositions to articulate what has been learned about
communication.
The Internet has altered the mass communication
landscape. There are various theories regarding this new medium��s similarity and differences to
the old media. However, many agree that one of the
Internet��s unique characteristics is its interactivity. Interactivity is the
ability (and expectation) of the user to
interact with the Web site��s author, sponsor, or administrator.
The
Internet is different from these more traditional media. Rather than changing the
relationship between audiences and industries, the Net changes the definition
of the different components of the process and, as a
result changes their relationship. On the Net a single individual can
communicate with as large an audience as can the giant,
multinational corporation that produces a network
television
program.... Feedback in mass communication is traditionally described as
inferential and delayed, but online feedback can be, and very often is, immediate
and direct. It is more similar to feedback in interpersonal
communication
than to feedback in mass communication.9
Another important element of the Internet medium is its
anonymity. Anonymity, or at least the
illusion of anonymity, allows the user to pursue interests, gather information,
and express oneself in ways that may be
culturally taboo or even explicitly illegal. The rapid growth of Internet pornography is one expression of this.
Anonymity via the Internet that allows pornography to be readily accessible also gives
opportunity for those in restrictive environments to investigate different religious ideas. Related to
anonymity is the user��s online persona or identity. People develop their identities through real
life interaction and experiences. The online
7
Donald K. Smith, Creating Understanding (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992),
6.
8
Smith, 7.
9 Stanley J. Baran, Introduction to Mass Communication
4th ed. (New York: McGraw Hill, 2006), 316.
5
world, however, allows a user to
build a different identity, or even experiment with several identities.10
Observers are finding that much
of the Internet social working that occurs on popular
sites like Facebook and through
messaging software like MSN messenger, is simply a new use of technology
in the context of existing relationships.11 One��s school, work, or
family relationships have added another tool for
maintaining connectedness. There is evidence that those users who are
managing healthy personal relationships extend those relationships online.
Those who have troubled real life relationships
are more likely to maintain virtual relationships with people they have
never met.12 Anonymity allows a user to disengage from established
relationships and the associated social mores.
Persuasion
Persuasion is the act of moving
someone by argument or entreaty to a belief or course of action.13
Our Web site is designed to persuade users to re-evaluate their assumptions
about the New Testament, Jesus Christ, and Christianity. We
are trying to persuade users to read articles that respond to commonly asked
questions followed by email interaction with us.
The Elaboration Likelihood Model
(ELM) is a persuasion theory that says the amount and
nature of the thinking that occurs has an important influence on the nature of
the outcome.14
The
central route to persuasion, involves carefully thinking about and examining information
pertinent (or central) to the merits of a topic.... The peripheral route to
persuasion involves less cognitive effort and occurs when a person relies on a
10
Baran, 327.
11
Elisheva F. Gross, et.al.,
��Internet Use and Well-Being in Adolescence,�� Journal of Social Issues,
Vol. 58 No.1, 2002: 76. Online. EBSCO Host. 9 December 2007.
12
Gross.
13
Miriam-Webster Online. Online. 13 Dec 2007 < http://www.merriam-webster.com
>.
14 Richard Petty, et.al., ��6 To Think Or Not To Think,�� Persuasion:
Psychological Insights and Perspectives. Shavitt, 114.
6
relatively simple cue in the
situation, such as whether the source appears to be an expert
or whether a product comes in an attractive package��15
The
central route occurs when people possess both the motivation and ability to elaborate
carefully the arguments presented but that the peripheral route is more likely
to occur when either motivation is low or ability is impaired. 16
Opinions arrived at through the
peripheral route come without much consideration while opinions
arrived at through the central route of persuasion are more steadfast because
they have been carefully weighed. We are trying to use the
central route when we engage people on our Web
site. Important to this type of persuasion is that a person is both motivated
and able to evaluate an argument.17
In order to provoke a user to
carefully think about the issues we present, research suggests
that we can adjust variables to encourage central route persuasion. A high
relevance message with strong arguments increases favorable
opinions, whereas weak arguments actually decrease
a favorable opinion even if the relevance is high.18 We can help
make our message seem more relevant if it comes
from more than one source. We can help a user engage in thinking
about our arguments by minimizing distractions. However, if the arguments are
weak, distractions will actually help the user come away with
a more positive opinion than if there had been
no distractions.19
Presenting ideas and beliefs that
are contrary to the majority��s established religious beliefs
can seem futile. However, studies have shown that a vocal minority can free
others to disagree with the majority, even if only
privately. Anonymity has also been found to decrease conformity.
In the 1950s, S.E. Asch demonstrated how an erroneous majority can make a
15 Petty, 115.
16 Petty,
120.
17 Petty, 116.
18 Petty,
124.
19
Petty, 129.
7
minority conform.20
Yet if there is a vocal minority, conformity dropped dramatically. Studies also
find that a consistent minority view begins to gain credibility and review by
the majority. The lack of obvious benefit in a minority position
can ad credibility to their sincerity and even provoke
the majority to think about the minority��s perspective.21 We believe
our Internet site can help fill the role of the
consistent minority which could then help free some to break with the majority��s
opinion.
Dr. B.J. Fogg uses the term captology
for his interdisciplinary study of computers as persuasive
technology. The three roles computers play in persuasion are as tools,
as media, and as social actors.22 Our Internet site
is likely to function in a persuasive social role more than any other
role. In a persuasive social role it can take on the characteristics of a
teacher, friend, or guide as people ask their
questions. For some users, our Web site might even take on the role of antagonist
or enemy of the existing system.
Credibility is a key issue in
persuasion. Dr. Fogg defines credibility as perceived trustworthiness
plus perceived expertise.23 Trustworthiness is given when one is
considered fair and unbiased, honest and
truthful. Trustworthiness is also given through perceived similarity because
people tend to trust others who are like them in personality, preferences, or
attitude.24
Research has shown that a Web
site��s perceived trustworthiness increases if it includes information
about the people behind the site, provides access to outsides sources to verify
content, lists a physical address and phone number, and
gives a contact email address. Trustworthiness decreases if it
is difficult to distinguish between ads and content, if the site links
20 Shinobu Kitayama, and Eugene Burnstein. ��8 Social
Influence, Persuasion, and Group Decision Making.�� Persuasion: Psychological Insights and
Perspectives, Shavitt, 180-182.
21 Kitayama, 183-184.
22 B.J. Fogg, Persuasive Technology: Using
Computers to Change What We Think and Do (San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2003).
23 Fogg, 123.
24 Fogg,
95.
8
to another site that you think is not
credible, if the site automatically pops up new ad windows, and the site��s domain name does not match the company��s
name.25
Perceived bias
decreases a person��s ability to persuade, because the one being persuaded is motivated to defend his position, whereas if one
appears unbiased, the ability to persuade increases.26 In a similar vein, a Web site
can also increase its trustworthiness when it appears unbiased. Therefore, links to a competitor��s Web site
decrease the perception of bias because they give the user access to more facts, even those not
under their control.27
A site��s
perceived expertise is enhanced if it provides a quick response to inquiries,
sends confirmation email, lists an author��s
credentials on an article, lets you search for past content, looks professionally designed, and is updated since your
last visit. A site��s perceived expertise is damaged when it is rarely updated with new content, has a
link that does not work, contains typographical
errors, and is sometimes unexpectedly unavailable.28
Credibility requires perceived trustworthiness and
expertise. ��People rely on perceptions of trustworthiness in evaluating Web credibility.��29
A Web site��s credibility is important for it to be effective in persuasion and is therefore an issue
that needs to be taken very seriously by site designers.
25 Fogg, 156-158.
26 Petty, 131.
27 Fogg, 164.
28 Fogg, 160-162.
29 Fogg, 156.
9
Online Evangelism
Overseas
Christian workers may be skeptical of the claim that ��the majority of Muslims making decisions for Christ are doing so online,��30
but it cannot be denied that the Internet is playing a role in the process of conversion and discipleship. The Internet
has become a major source of
information which is why Christian workers need to be involved with it.
Online
evangelism and cyber missions are relatively recent terms. Enthusiasts look to
the global reach of Internet
technology and see great opportunity. Ministries around the world are seeking to use Web sites to reach the unreached
through direct evangelism, evangelism training, discipleship of believers, and Christian worker training. Our interest
in this article is direct evangelism.
The Internet is a pull
media where one goes looking for specific information rather than a push media where a switch is flipped and the
network pushes its content to you. As stated previously, one of the unique aspects of the Internet is its
interactivity. The authors of the Online Evangelism: A Guide to Web Outreach feel that interactivity,
specifically developing a sense of community,
is key to an effective Internet outreach.
For evangelistic Web sites, this
interaction is very important. Very few people become
Christians just by reading something. Conversion is usually a long
process, and involves friendly
interaction with people who are already Christians. Think
back to how you became a Christian. For most people, seeing the life of Jesus
in someone else, usually through experiencing friendship, is the most powerful
witness.31
The Online Evangelism guide uses
the Engel scale to talk about how people proceed in knowledge
of the Gospel. It then goes on to talk about the Gray Matrix which puts
conversion on a matrix with the y-axis representing knowledge of the gospel
(like the Engel scale) and the x‑
30John Edmiston. ��Internet Evangelism &
Cybermissions and Their Impact upon How We will Do Missions in the 21st Century.�� Online. 23 Oct 2007.
< http://www.cybermissions.org/articles/21stC_missions.pdf
> 19.
31 ��Online Evangelism: A Guide to Web Outreach,�� Online. 23 Oct 2007
<http://guide.gospelcom.net/>.
10 axis represents attitude towards the gospel. The Gray
Matrix shows that effective evangelism is
not just about knowledge but also about
changing attitudes.32 Therefore helping someone have a more positive attitude towards Christianity can be as
��evangelistic�� as increasing their knowledge of the
gospel. 33 This could be the biggest impact a site like ours could
have.
APPROACH TO WEB
SITE OUTREACH
Our approach to the task of managing a Web site outreach
as part of our church planting evangelism can
be described by first explaining our Web site goals followed by an explanation
of the process a visitor experiences in finding our site and exploring its content.
I then explain how we have
advertised our site and what that entails. This is followed by our rational for
our approach to the task.
Web Site Goals
Our purpose for our Web site is for it to be a contact
point for Christians and seekers34 in our target area that will lead
to personal contact. We do not want our Internet site to be a ministry with
nationwide reach. We want this site to be a church planting tool to help our
church planting team in our
geographically delimited area.
The Web site itself attempts to be a credible source and
engage people in a way that will encourage email
correspondence. Through email correspondence we answer questions and
32 ��The Matrix Explained,�� Online. 21 Dec 2007 <http://tgm.integralgc.com/tgm_matrixexplained.shtml>.
33
��Online Evangelism: A Guide to Web Outreach.��
34 A ��seeker�� is a term used to
refer to those who are seeking information about Christian beliefs, asking
questions relating to the Bible, or are trying to
understand Christianity.
11
attempt to gauge sincerity and
intent. Visitors who appear sincere in their research of our faith are
presented with an opportunity to meet personally with a follower of Christ.
Process
Our Web site is set up in the
name of ��ABC Fellowship.�� This fellowship of believers is in
the process of being established and currently meets as a small house group. A
user comes to our Web site by one of five ways: (1) directly by
typing in the site��s URL into the browser, (2) referral
from other sites that have linked to it, (3) a link from search engine results,
(4) a link from inside an email we have sent out, and (5)
clicking on an Internet ad.
The Web site generally tries to
minimize the use of Christian terminology. Therefore, we use
��believers in Christ�� instead of ��Christian�� and ��fellowship�� instead of
��church.�� However, the more traditional terms are
being used more and more by CAN believers, and thus many of the
borrowed (and referenced) articles on our site use these Christian terms.
The progression of communication
for the majority of our visitors is as follows:
�P
Internet ad �V Small ad that
should be relevant or provocative enough for the user to click
on it.
�P
Homepage or Landing page �V This
is the first page people see. Most people will make judgments
about credibility, the subject, and the people behind it in relatively short time.35
It should be attractive, inviting, and visually pleasing. We want to use attention
getting phrases that whet appetites for more.
�P
Relevant Articles �V We want to
encourage people to think about what they read and
what they already believe. We have chosen to highlight
questions that we know
12
people ask. We want to respond to
questions, give information, draw people in, provoke
thinking, and engage in interaction.
�P
Opportunity to respond �V We give
opportunity to respond by email.
�P
Opportunity to meet �V We make ourselves available
to meet with those who do not seem to
have threatening intentions.
Our Web site��s structure is
intentionally simple. Under the homepage, the next level consists
of these five Web pages:
1.
��About Us�� tells people that we are believers in
Christ who are starting a fellowship of
believers in Christ in the area. We encourage people to get in contact with us through the page and that we are eager to answer
questions about our beliefs. There is also
a link to a list of our beliefs but this is seldom clicked.
2.
��Frequently Asked Questions�� started with a list
of three responses to the most common
questions CAN��ites ask about Christian beliefs and has grown to seven as we have added additional pages relating to the
Muslim holidays.
3.
��Useful Links�� gives links to some of the
nationwide outreach ministries. We have only linked to sites with which we are comfortable being associated. We
avoid linking to unmonitored
discussion boards or confrontational evangelistic sites. We also link to
resources like ��New Testament listening,�� ��Bible search,�� and ��free Christian materials.�� Currently we only have five
links.
4.
��New Testament�� supplies basic
information about the New Testament. We define various
terms in a question-answer format. ��What is the Injil?�� ��What is the Holy Book?��
��Has the Injil been changed?�� And ��How can I get an Injil to read?�� Some of
13
the links go to other pages on
our site, other links take the user to another organization��s
Web site.
5. ��Contact Us�� is a Web based email form. The user is
asked to give us the name of the county in which they live, a
response email address, and their question. None of these fields
are required.
The only second level pages that
have a third level under them are the ��Frequently Asked Questions�� page which
has the question response articles under it and the ��About Us�� page which
has ��Our Beliefs�� under it.
Advertising
We published our Web site in virtually the same form and
format as it currently exists beginning in June 2005. In March
2007 we provided a link to our site in some email messages we
sent to BCC36 contacts. In June 2007 we started advertising our site
using the Internet.
We used a commercial internet
advertising program. The availability of internet advertising
in the local language varies in each country. The prices and policies of the
each advertising program also vary. Some programs that use
search terms price Internet advertising by a
proprietary scheme which depends on variables like search term relevancy and
space competition. In other words, the more relevant an ad is
to the search term the cheaper it is. The more
competition there is for the page space, the more expensive it becomes. The
advertiser is charged a fee by the company every time a user
clicks on the advertisement. The programs often allow
for daily and monthly customization so that you can control your own
advertising budget. Our cost ranges between five and
twenty cents per click and we average about $110 per month.
36 BCC is an acronym for the nationwide Bible
Correspondence Course
14
Information about the efficiency of an
advertisement and usage of a Web site is invaluable for evaluation. Statistics provided by the advertising
program can be very useful in determining
the efficiency of a) a specific advertisement, b) a specific Web site that
hosts your ad, and, if you are using
a search engine based advertising program, c) the search words that lead to
clicks on your ad. In addition to this is Web site analysis which requires a
separate setup. Web site analysis can tell you the physical location of Web
site visitors (city, province, country), how they came to your site (via advertisement, email link, referring site,
or directly), which ad they clicked
to come to your site, whether they had visited before, which pages were
visited, and more.
We are trying to reach
out to people who may not necessarily be looking for us, or our advertisement,
but do have a connection to our targeted geographic area. Therefore, we want
our ads to be relevant by means of
geography but not necessarily to the search subject. In other words, a person searching for real estate in our
targeted area may see our advertisement about Jesus appear. Our Web site analysis program tells us that about 50% of
our visitors who come to our Web site
via an advertisement view the home page and then leave. Those who go beyond the
home page look at three other pages
on average.
Rational
Our church planting approach has
always been cautious due to our context, philosophy, and
personalities. Our evangelism methods have focused on friendship evangelism and
contact follow-up. Contacts come via Christian network referrals,
through the national Bible correspondence course (BCC), and through our
Internet site. Christian workers, if they are considered
��missionaries�� as understood by most CAN��ites, are met with misunderstanding
and
15 suspicion. The more traditional an area is, the more
suspicious the authorities and local seem to
be of Christian workers. However, the
biggest concerns are the nationalistic groups. These groups are known to take the law into their own hands in
order to ��cleanse�� their land of polluting
influences. The prevalent attitude in the press and society regarding the
murders and beatings of Christians is that
Christians somehow deserved it because they were doing such terrible things (selling drugs, deceiving naïve youth,
paying people to convert, etc). Thirty to forty percent of the email we receive
to our Web site contains either foul language or threats.
We have chosen a non-confrontational attitude
towards Islam. We do not want to publish articles that can be construed as critical of Islam, specifically of
their book or their prophet. When we
are asked directly what we think of the book or the prophet, we divert our
answer to say that we are here to
talk about our beliefs. We are of the opinion that argumentation37
is counter-productive at this level
of contact. We also believe that there are multiple audiences following our Internet site and we do not feel it
is necessary to provoke them.38
Our Web site is set up as a contact point for ��ABC
Fellowship�� which does not have a physical
address or give any allusion that it does. The site speaks of a group of
��believers in the Messiah�� meeting
together in the local area.
Our target area
includes three geographical area names on one side of a large city in CAN. These are known as ��ABC,�� ��MNO,�� and ��XYZ.�� One of
these names we have included in our original
domain name (��abc-fellowship.com��).
16
Our goal is to meet and engage seekers and
Christians in a personal relationship to help them mature in Christ. However, we will not meet with everyone who
wants to meet.39 Generally,
we have found that believers can at least rudimentally articulate something
about their faith and seekers can
tell us about what they have done so far in their search or have specific questions. However, troublemakers usually have not
made the effort to know how to even sound sincerely interested in learning about Jesus.
We have chosen to address people in the third
person when speaking in the name of ��ABC
Fellowship.�� If the seeker wants to meet someone then we try to solicit enough
basic information in order to know
with whom to put him or her in contact. Once that happens, a believer takes over correspondence and addresses
in a more familiar manner and uses his or her name.
The design of our site is kept simple for two
main reasons. First, we needed to manage the time, skills, and resources available to us. We have tried to keep
this Web site focused to a small
geographical area. Often Internet advertising allows an advertiser to have an
ad shown only to users within a
geographical area. We decided to use geographical terms as our search words rather than conceptual or religious
terminology. Fortunately for us, our geographical terms are unique in CAN, so it is less likely to receive
false positive search results.
Our second reason for keeping a simple design comes from
our own Internet experience. We thought that
a pleasant, focused, and easy to use Web site would be more effective for our
39 We do not give a physical address on our web
site. It��s not unusual for someone to write and ask for our address saying that he and some friends want to talk with
us about ��religion.�� Our response is to thank him for writing and confirm that we would like to meet him too but
perhaps he could give us an idea what some of his questions might be.
17 purposes of making initial
contact with people. B.J. Fogg confirms that ease of use and structure is a
viable approach in enhancing a degree of credibility.40
We placed an attractive spring
wild flower photograph of our target area as our Web sites��
thematic background in order to identify the site with the local area.
Similarity increases a perception of trustworthiness.41
Recently, we also added a small CAN national flag and clear glass
of tea to the homepage as well. This was placed on the Web site to again
identify ourselves more closely with the values of
the people but also to symbolically express a loyalty to this nation.
National Christians are frequently looked upon as suspicious characters with
dubious loyalties because they have changed their faith, when,
in fact, they are loyal and patriotic citizens.42
We try to minimize our use of the
words ��Christian�� and ��church�� because of their association
with ethnic minority groups. We try to avoid the miscommunication these words
can bring. These Christian terms are used by the national
CAN��ite believers but not exclusively.
RESULTS
We measure the number of times
our ads are shown and clicked on, the percentage of people
that only view the home page then leave, the location of the user, an
advertisement��s effectiveness, the pages viewed,
the email received, and the expense.
Received emails are placed into
one of five categories; positive, negative, neutral, address only,
and empty. A positive email is one in which the writer has asked what seems to
be an honest question about our faith or the content of our
Web site. In October and November 42% of
40
Fogg, 167-169.
41
Fogg, 95.
42 Smith, Propositions 13, 14, 17, and 20.
18
our emails were
considered positive. A negative email is one in which the writer��s intent is to
convert us to Islam, threaten us, or
swear at us. 35 % of our emails during this period were placed in the negative category. A neutral email
is one in which the writer��s intent is unclear, yet they wrote and gave us a response email address
for us that has been 12%. For example, one person told us about his money problems, another person asked if we
would sponsor an ad on our Web site.
An address only email has a response email address that has been entered in by
the user. An empty email message
occurs when a user goes to the email form page and pushes the send button without entering either a message or
an email address. We received 5% address only and 7% empty emails during
October and November. If we only consider the advertising cost for this Web site outreach we can say that it cost us
$11.95 for each positive email that we received.
Taking
a snapshot of our Web site activity, our Web site analytics data tells us that
we received 2209 visits to our Web
site during the thirty days of November. 62 (2.81%) came from direct traffic, 58 (2.67%) came from referring
sites, and 1838 (88%) came from our Internet advertising campaign. Our largest referring site belongs to the Bible
correspondence course site which
referred 44 visitors during this period. It is significant to note that 9 % of
these BCC referrals result in an
email message to our site compared to 1.25 % for the site overall. The reason for the much higher email rate is likely
due to a higher motivation by the visitor who has already assigned a certain degree of relevancy to
our site. This visitor has come to us via another Christian ministry, whereas our most common
visitor comes to our site almost unexpectedly via our Internet ad.
The
nationwide Bible correspondence ministry has greatly benefited from the
accessibility of the Internet
throughout the country. Their focus is to provide a gospel access point for
anyone who wants it wherever they are. Their main key-words that activate their
Internet ad are Christian words;
19
e.g. ��Christian,�� ��Injil,�� ��Isa,�� and ��free New
Testament.�� The BCC wants their ad to appear whenever someone wants to find information related to
those search terms. In other words, the visitor has already determined that the BCC ad has a degree of
relevance to what is being searched, thus their motivation is higher to click through to their
Internet site.
Internet Advertising |
Ad |
Ad |
Click Rate |
Average |
��ABC Fellowship�� |
2,140 |
83,373 |
2.57% |
$0.06 |
BCC �V all campaigns |
44,061 |
22,230,206 |
0.19% |
$0.07 |
BCC �V Injil campaign |
3,923 |
113,903 |
3.44% |
$0.07 |
BCC �V injil campaign |
447 |
54,332 |
0.82% |
$0.11 |
Figure 1. ABC and BBC Campaign
Data
Even though the goals of our two
sites are different, the comparative data for our ��ABC Fellowship��
and the BCC is provided in Figure 1. The BCC runs several campaigns simultaneously.
The ��Injil campaign�� is one of their more productive ones. This campaign also contains
non-Christian key-words such as ��religion,�� ��exalted Kuran,�� ��suicide,�� and
��depression.�� The data for this group of key-words is listed separately. We
would expect the visitor who finds their site
through these search terms to be closer to kind of visitor who sees our ad as
well. That is, this type of visitor is likely to unexpectedly come upon their
text ad while searching for a completely different subject.
20
EVALUATION
Evaluation of
our Internet outreach tries to look at our tangible and intangible results. This is followed by some ideas for change and development
to help make our Internet site more effective in
achieving our goals.
Evaluation of Our
Internet Outreach
Mass
communication theorists accept that people gather information from media
sources that are consistent with their own
beliefs and attitudes.43 Smith points out that this selective process reinforces existing attitudes since they come
from like-minded people. However, in times of crisis
a person��s existing values may be found wanting and alternatives are sought
out, and thus, new ideas have an opportunity
to be heard.44 People who use search engines to find our Web site typically fall into this category. They are
already looking for alternative beliefs or they have a sympathy towards some of the beliefs we espouse.
They have entered search terms like Christian,
church, Jesus, or New Testament. The search page results have listed our page
or a page that links to us. This type of user accounts for only 6% of the
traffic to our Web site. Yet, we have found
that 3.5 % of those who come to our site by intentionally searching for it will
send us an email asking questions.
The Bible
correspondence site links to our site on their ��local churches�� page. Visitors
who have made it to their site and want to find a local church can click on the
link to our Web site. Referrals
coming from the Bible correspondence site have averaged an even higher 9% email
rate.
21
It is our Internet advertising
that accounts for 88 % of the traffic to our Web site. These visitors
generally were not looking for new ideas. Rather, they entered geographical
terms in order to find out information about our area, available rentals, or
real estate. For some reason, our three line text ad prompted
them to click on it which brought them to our site. Over half of them
immediately leave, while the other half look at a few pages. Of the people who
come to our Web site through our Internet advertising, only
1.3 % sends us an email asking questions.
The
only way we have to gage their motivations in coming to our site is through our
email correspondence with those who
write.45 We assume that the unknown responses reflect what we learn from email. That is, some seek
information, some are looking for alternatives, some are offended that we have a site like this, and some are angry.46
Credibility
is an important issue in persuasion and for our Internet outreach. Yet we find that our cautious approach knowingly holds back
credibility enhancing information because of the context of the ministry.
Specifically, we are unwilling to post details on our Web site about who we
are, our names, or our physical location.
We do receive email from
unthreatening people who say they want to meet face to face. However,
when we have tried to pursue meeting, we receive an unexpectedly high drop-off
rate. The typical pattern is for a visitor to suggest we meet
face to face to talk. We respond encouragingly and ask for them to introduce
themselves a little so we know with whom to put them in contact, in particular,
we want to know if the person is male or female. It is not unusual to
not receive a response. We do not know why people drop-off at this point. We
surmise that they realize they are losing their anonymity when
asked to give a name or tell about themselves. We
also wonder if it does not have something to do with a fear of the unknown.
45 Smith, Proposition 23.
46 Smith, Proposition 15.
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We have to ask ourselves if the Internet outreach
is worth the investment of time and money.
From our measurable data, we know that it costs us about $12 in advertising to
receive a positive email response.
We also have to consider that 4,100 clicks in a three month period has generated over 1,600 people47 who have
come to our site and looked at more than just the first page. That means that 18 people a day have become
aware that a) there are Christians in the neighborhood and b) have glanced at an article responding to a question
they have probably asked or heard
asked about Christianity. We hope that we are a consistent minority view that
can encourage others.
Ideas for Change and Development
We would like to increase the number of times our
ad is displayed (impressions), increase the daily number of clicks on our ad, decrease the per click cost, and
decrease the bounce rate. We found
with our brief experiment with buying a new domain name and redirecting it to
our main page that the costs per
click did decrease while also increasing our impressions and click thru rate.
The decrease was large enough to suggest that the cost-per-click savings would
offset the cost of a completely
separate hosted site and new domain name.
We are not willing to post a physical address on our Web
site. Even if we were willing, we would have to
carefully weigh the risks and rewards of freely giving such information. We would like to post a cell phone number so that we can
send or receive calls and text messages. However, we are cautious about putting our names on the
subscription line for this kind of
contact.
We have yet to find someone else who is willing.
47
4,100 clicks have shown to produce about 85% follow through to our web site. We
know that 52% leave after viewing the first page. However,
48% of those coming to our site go beyond the first page to go on and view 4
pages on average.
23
We are considering ways to develop social
characters on our site, that is, characters that could fill social roles from the perspective of the visitor. These
would simply be names that would
author articles, questions, and responses. Some of the characters we have
considered are the teacher, the
guide, the student, and the antagonist. The ��Eloquent Teacher�� could articulate
biblical knowledge and principles.
The ��Wise Uncle�� could help guide visitors into applying biblical truths. The
��Eager Apprentice�� could embody commitment to Christ and eagerness to learn. The ��Antagonist�� could put forth the
accusative questions and precipitate the common struggles seekers experience.
In our attempts to more closely identify Christian
CAN��ites with average CAN��ites we have considered writing an article critical
of Western foreign policies in light of biblical values. This would be an attempt to emphasize that
followers of Christ need not become Westerners.
We should also consider different funnels for
visitors depending on their source. Internet ad referrals are likely to have a different level of interest and
motivation than those who intentionally
seek out our site. Those who are seeking our Web site already sense that it has
some degree of relevancy and they are
motivated to look at it, whereas Internet ad visitors were unexpectedly presented with our advertisement.
Their initial judgment of relevancy is likely related to either its geographical location or questions they already
have regarding Jesus the Messiah. It is likely that curiosity, surprise, or
anger motivate Internet ad visitors to click on our ad and come to our Web site.48
The ability to
gather information about a visitor and how they use our Web site is
invaluable. We are able to tell if someone goes to our new article about ceremonial
sacrifices or
24
not.
We can see which pages are of most interest to the visitor and which referrals
resulted in a sent email.
CONCLUSION
Christian ministry needs to engage the local
culture and attempt to make the gospel message
relevant to the people. If the people are using the Internet to pursue
interests and seek out information,
then Christian ministry also needs to use the Internet medium. Our Web site
ministry has provided us a degree of access to people that was not possible
before. While the Internet has its
limitations, it is a tool that needs to be used in the process of sowing and cultivating the gospel message in the local
culture. An Internet outreach can be a viable evangelism tool for a local church plant when used in conjunction with
resident Christians who will engage
with seekers.
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