Community Service

Keeping track of dates of events may not seem like much of an outreach activity, but if done right they can be a quite powerful tool.

I don't know how many times I've heard fellow Christians speak about how their faith is not about religion, but a personal relationship with Jesus. It's completely accurate, but sometimes we forget that, within the church, it's not about the services provided, but developing relationships with others through these outreaches. Showing an interest in people's lives outside of church can be one of the easiest, yet often overlooked, ways to do just that.

You may be thinking, "That's great, but what does that have to do with datekeeping on our website?". Well, I'm gonna tell you!

Try treating your church calendar as a community calendar. This will show that your church is not just interested in their "church-selves", but in their entire life. No, you don't need to list every activity going on, but try to target activities that relate to your congregations lives. Some good activities may be:

• Youth Sports League Signups
• Adult Education Registration
• Free Public Concerts
• Special Events At Other Local Churches (plays, concerts, etc.)

This kind of listing can help make your church website a more valuable resource for people to use in their lives. It may even make them pay a little more attention to the dates of activities going on in your church because they may better see how they fit in with their daily lives.

Remember that, as a church, we are a part of the community. Let's work on increasing our role out there and not just keeping to ourselves.