Online-Churches - A Primer for Getting Your Church Online!


         (A ministry of Bob and Maureen Hoffman, Missionaries to Cyberspace)

     

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Note: Up until 06/16/07 we were mailing out letters to churches we created websites for. Due to the latest postage increase, we will not be mailing letters out any more. This page will lay out what this is all about and your options.

Help Support the "no church left offline" initiative with a tax deductible (US only) donation to FamilyNet International Inc via PayPal.


The Unofficial FamilyNet Web Page

Why an unofficial website? Our  Independent Baptist Web Portal at http://www.baptist-ministries.org is a link based database. That is it requires a link for each listing. If I cannot find an existing website for a ministry, I create a simple website with the basic information for a ministry. These web pages are clearly marked "Unofficial Website." This term will announce to the world that the website is in no way sanctioned or attached to the ministry! We do not take the "unofficial" label off unless specifically requested to by the ministry.

So - FamilyNet has created a web page for your church and  you are wondering what your options are. You have a myriad of options available to you. I will try and lay them out, so they are understandable.

Rescued domains

  • Many people don't seem to understand that once a domain expires and is released, ANYONE can register your domain. Several years ago when checking links in the baptist-ministries.org database I ended up on a church website that had pornography on it. Many former church websites have ads on them (Mormon dating, other denominational churches, adult advertising). Other ministries can have links to the expired domain (how often are these links checked?) and may be linked to adult, advertising, even malware sites. So the Lord laid it on our hearts to provide a rescue mission for domains that have been orphaned. Domains that have been rescued are marked as (rescued*) Unofficial websites. If the original rescued website was not copyrighted (and we can find an old copy of it) we may try to restore some of the features of the website.

You can do nothing!

  • You have a basic web page up, and you now have an internet presence. If the information is correct, you need do nothing else.

You can ask us to take the web site down!

  • If you already have a web page let me know and I will add a link from your unofficial website to your official web page. This will allow people coming to the unofficial site to find your permanent web page. This will also enable the search engines to find the permanent web page and build your search engine rankings. In order to accomplish this - someone simply needs to email me the URL with a request for a link. Anyone can do this.

  • If you simply do not want a web page, or you have any other reason that you do not want a web site up, you can send a US Mail letter, call us or email me. It is critical that you provide the URL of your Unofficial Website - or at least indentify the church name and location. If you have an existing website, provide me with your domain name so I can send your visitors to you! Only church leadership can do this. I will verify the request with a call to the church to speak to the Pastor or church staff.

You can ask that the website become "official."

  • This will result in the removal of the banners, (optionally the topsites if requested), and the "Unofficial" notation. In the case of a "rescued domain" I will remove all reference to the rescue as well.

You can send me a Church Bulletin!

  • Send a bulletin to me via US Mail, or email attachment, and I will update your information from the bulletin.

You can update the information!

  • Send me an email with the correct information and any other information your would like on the web site. I can add Bible Tracts if you like. If you can attach digital photos, to an email I can update your website with pictures.

You can update the information yourself!

  • Your web page was created using Microsoft Front Page. If you want to update it yourself, I will move it to a new location, add the Front Page Extensions, and send you a log on ID and password. I will have to verify you of course!

  • You will also be able to create content via any HTML editor you wish. Once content is created you can FTP (File Transfer Protocol) the content to your site.

  • You can create a web site at another web hosting service. See the Free Web Hosting Button! I will point your domain name to your new site.

  • I can set up templates for you. You can then create and update your site with easy to use templates.

You can get a new domain!

  • I have registered domains for many churches already, and pointed them to their free FamilyNet church web page.  The cost is generally between $8-$10 a year. I will register the domain and pass the cost on to you. The domain (whois) look up will be in your church's name, the church will own the domain name.

 

This page has been updated on 12/30/2009

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