There are many ways to grow a church. We encourage members to invite friends and share the Gospel with others. We hold events and help out in the community. We send out postcards and put up signs. All these things are great, but with nearly everyone being online these days and spending more and more time online, how can the church reach out to people online?
One of the ways churches can reach out to people online is through online church marketing, getting online listings, posting about member experiences online, and especially making sure that when people search for a church in your town, they are able to find your church. North River Church in Tuscaloosa, AL is doing just that and they are seeing real-world results because of it.
North River Church
I first met Rachel Whitehurst about 10 months ago. She’s a cheerful and gracious woman who has been a delight to work with. I asked her to tell us about North River Church:
“Our mission at North River Church is “To accept people where they are spiritually and invest in them so that God can develop them into the image of Christ.” We do this by living out our 10 Core Values:
- Core Competencies: Our goal as a church is to move people towards the image of Christ.
- Life in Groups: Relational discipleship is done in small groups.
- Generosity: The image of Christ creates generous disciples.
- Family: Living out our faith begins at home.
- Being the Church beyond our Walls: When we compassionately invest in others we become the church.
- Innovative Worship: Our desire is to utilize all of our creativity and resources to glorify God.
- Prayer: Prayer isn’t a program, but an intentional lifestyle.
- Mission minded: We never want the sun to set on the work of our church.
- Servant’s heart: Followers of Christ are called to be discipled servants who worship, grow, and serve.
- Legacy: We are committed to handing a healthy church to the next generation.”
What North River is Doing to Reach People Online
A little over a year ago, Rachel and the folks at North River Church decided to build a new website that would have the look and functionality they needed. In addition, they also got the Top Church Search Rankings service to help their church to get high rankings in the search engines, improve their overall online visibility, and get more traffic to their website. Between the new website and the increased traffic, they hoped to help more people find a home at North River Church.
Here’s what Rachel said about what’s happened so far:
“We have put our website on all of our publications that go out to our community and have seen great results. We are able to sign up for events on our website, and it has made planning events much easier and cost efficient.
We have also had several people come into our church because they found us online through a search engine. We are very excited that we have finally made it to the front page of Google. We think this will only increase our traffic to our website and, in turn, our church. Our hope is that visitors will see our website and be able to connect with us as well as see a clear vision for the heart of our church.”
In fact, in just 4 months the North River Church website saw an increase in visitors from the search engines of over 70%. As Rachel said, this has lead to real people visiting their church. That’s real-world results.
Next time you are in the Tuscaloosa, AL area, I’d encourage you to visit North River Church. And if your church would like to experience the same kind of increased traffic and visitors to your church, please let us know and we’d be happy to help. You can find out more about the Top Church Search Rankings service at https://marketing.ourchurch.com/marketing-church-marketing-services.php.
SPECIAL OFFER!
We will be offering our best deal ever on the Top Church Search Rankings service on March 26th. If you want to be bringing more people into your church, don’t miss this opportunity. It’s only going to be available on March 26th, though, and then it will be gone. So, don’t miss out. Get ready now and so you are ready take advantage of this offer and get best deal on the Top Church Search Rankings service on March 26th.
OurChurch.Com Director of Marketing Services
Kurt serves as OurChurch.Com’s Director of Marketing Services, bringing over 20 years of expertise in search marketing, and has developed numerous marketing services and served hundreds of churches, schools, ministries, and businesses.
He has authored more than 500 articles on the subject, contributing to platforms like the Christian SEO Guys blog and Church Marketing University, and is an active participant on LocalSearchForum.com.
In addition to his professional accomplishments, Kurt is an ordained minister, serving as pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in Wesley Chapel, FL, demonstrating his commitment to both faith and community. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree from Georgia Southern University. He also holds a Specific Ministry Pastor Certificate and a General Pastor Certificate from Concordia Seminary.
1 Comment
so happy that this church is spreading the good news…..