Please avoid all Katy Perry references!
The website is the main hub for a church to broadcast information out to their congregation. It is also a place where prospective members can go to get a “feel” for the church. There has be anecdotal evidence that richer content on the website may drive down visits when individuals or families are trying to find a new church. Of course some churches have richer digital cultures than others, and that varies somewhat based on relative age of the congregation.
This is a pseudo-ethnographic study that has its own inherent issues. I have surveyed a group of 5 United Methodist ministers. All are white people from the Southern united States and 2 are women.
So I am very interested by the idea of faith communities migration to the digital realm. I am going to limit myself to the Christian community, because it is a faith I know well and have contacts within. While I am not sure what direction this will go in, I hope to use podcasts, slide shows, and possibly video to delve into this subject matter. I hope to start with some interviews with members of the clergy that I know. This will not be a discussion on the validity of certain beliefs, just an ethnographic study into how practice is adapted and changed in a new environment.
What do you all think?