About a month ago I asked our Web developer to keep an eye on our stats for people visiting the website and engaging the content. For some folks, the idea that a website can be an effective form of outreach and ministry is a new one. After a month of  watching our stats I’ve got some good news to report to you.

First, some explanation of the data. Data is collected in two categories: “hits” and “visits.” A “hit” is counted any time a file is requested on the website. For example, if you have 10 files on a given page, one visitor to that page could net you 10 hits. A “visit” is counted each time a person comes to the site.

So, here are the stats for the last month: Total hits = 12,972     Total visits = 550

As I think of what this means for ministry, I like to use the term “connections.” Our website has allowed us to make a lot of connections. Keeping engaging content up on the site is a key ingredient. The podcasts have certainly added to the visit and hit count.

One disclaimer needs to be made here, however. The longstanding measure of success in ministry has always been the number of people in the pews on any given Sunday. Web-based outreach doesn’t necessarily translate into people in attendance on Sunday. It can, but its not a direct corollary. Web-based outreach is best understood as making wider connections in the larger conversation about faith and life with God. Its best seen as a way to increase relational and conversational possibilities exponentially. We’ve done that, and in a culture that is often more virtually connected than physically connected, we’ve entered a new arena of ministry with a healthy measure of success.

These days, practically no one will open their front door for you to share the good news with them. Countless many, however, will click a link and listen or read about it online.

The possibilities are endless and exciting!