A recent short video produced by the New Media Project features three pastors sharing their experiences with new media. While each short presentation offers helpful insight, one provided a compelling visual image for the role of new media. Eugene Cho, founding pastor of Quest Church, considers new media to be the church’s new front door:
. . . the front door of our churches have now changed. The front door is no longer the front door. In fact, I would tell you probably the most important front door of our churches probably is our new media.
So What?
Most first time attendees at your church will arrive having already formed a preliminary view of who your church is based on their new media experiences. As they enter the front door (or any other physical entry point on your campus), it is reasonable to expect that your greeting is an opportunity to welcome them more deeply into a community they already know to some degree.
- How has your local congregation responded to new media as the new front door? What changes have you made in your marketing budget and efforts? in how you welcome people who are on the campus for their first time or first few times?
- What tools do you use to gather data about how people’s experiences of your community before their first visit to your campus impacted them?