More and more churches are realizing they need new ways of presenting themselves—and their light—to the world, of putting their lamps on lampstands, rather than hiding them under “bushel baskets” (Matthew 5:15). Websites and marketing are two ways of making that presentation, so that the world can see their light shine, be drawn to their good works and then join them in giving glory to their God in heaven.
United Methodist Communications is offering leaders new online training courses to help their churches shine in the best possible light. The Your Church Website (Rethinking Your New Front Door) ($39.99) online training course introduces the tools to plan, build and launch a successful online strategy, meaning a website and more, that helps people connect with local churches in a new way.
The Effective Church Marketing ($29.99) course (or Church Marketing: How to Effectively Reach Your Community) leads participants through a step-by-step process of examining, dreaming, planning and promoting ministries that make an impact by using UMCom’s Church Marketing Plan Tool. At the end of the session, participating leaders or teams will have a complete marketing plan ready to put into action.
Both new courses will be offered year-round for under $40 each. And both are open-enrollment courses, meaning students can register for them at any time. Students will have online access to the Your Church Website course for one year from the date they register and online access to Effective Church Marketing for six months.
The two new courses complement three other online courses, adding to a learning library that can help church leaders boost church vitality, as they seek to improve communication techniques and enhance outreach initiatives.” Registration for these courses will be open until Feb. 19, but they are offered in sessions with start dates throughout the year. The first session begins Feb. 22 and will conclude April 5. Course fees vary.
- Communicating Faith in the 21st Century overviews effective communication techniques utilizing a blend of traditional and digital communications technology. ($29.99)
- Tools for Increasing Your Church’s Vitality encourages discovery of new steps to increase vitality in the church, including small groups and missions. ($49.99)
- Welcoming Ministry is all about hospitality and how churches can best fit into the landscape of their community in order to serve it better. ($29.99)
All trainings will be offered on a new web platform that will greatly enhance participant experience, including full compatibility for mobile devices.
Learn more and register for all online training experiences at UMCom.org/training.