Augmenting information dissemination in the small church environment via the web and related technologies

The Web and related technologies are an integral part of the home, work and social lifestyle of society. The Web has become a tool that is impacting on the Global community as a whole. One of the core sectors in the community is the religious environment. The early church dates back to the book of Acts, but the modern church has indeed advanced into the 21 st century and developed its processes to mobilize its congregation using modern technology including online technologies. This paper will focus on the results of the research done as part of a Master’s study focusing on the use of Web and Internet technologies in the small church environment. Many small churches have the view that the Web is not an applicable tool they can use because of their size. This study investigates the impact the Web has on the church congregation members and the possible influential role it can play in assisting the church in better information dissemination. In particular the study looked at the Web activities of congregation members of various age groups. The study focused on the manner in which the Web is used in the church environment. It looked at how information was disseminated within the small church environment and how Web technologies can be used to assist in the movement of information within the church. The results of the study revealed that although many of the congregation members make use of Web technologies, the church is not fully utilizing the Web applications to assist in managing its information. In addition it was found that Web usage in the younger generations is undoubtedly more successful, and how the church can use the Web to gather and share information with its congregation members through a Web driven approach.