Started a Business
Written on 3:13 PM by Pastor Coon
Well, friends it is official I have started the web design business (Baptist Ministries Worldwide - Online) that many desired and encouraged me to start. I have been building websites for nearly 10 years now which started from my interest of keeping my widely spread out family informed of the latest happenings in our life, as we travelled around the world while serving in the Marine Corps. I eventually graduated from personal websites to creating professional websites for the churches we attended. This has become very much my favorite hobby over the years.
Understand that I love pastoring and am not replacing my ministry with this hobby of mine. I'm not looking to build a large business or a means of financial support through this business, but I am looking to help churches and missionaries create a web presence. The more I talk to pastors & missionaries and I realize the large expense of websites; the more I see a real need for top-notch website development with very affordable (read: cheap) web services.
I pastor a very small church (September's average Sunday Morning attendance was 23) and have to work a 2nd job just to make ends meet. I know without my knowledge of web development that we could not afford (and probably would not see a need for) a website, but we have had two different families that visited our church because they searched for a church in the area via the Internet and found us. These are visitors from outside of the immediate area of the church and where we have gone canvassing. So a web presence is a real blessing and I would even go so far to say it is a necessity. As more and more people are accustomed to 'googling' on the Internet than reaching for the yellow pages in their search for restaurants, hair-dressers, video stores, and yes even churches, we find more of a need for churches to have a web presence.
I also think that ministry websites need to be updated regularly and give people (members or visitors) a connection to the ministry. These websites need to stay current with the use of the appropriate and coordinating colors, pictures, embedded Javascript or Flash, availability of audio sermons or videos online, easy to use layout, and so much more that the average pastor or missionary doesn't even consider. Most churches may have a member who has an interest to help with website but doesn't always have the experience or commitment to the website and so it quickly becomes impractical to maintain or outdated in its content.
I say all of this to share with you why I started BMW-O and if you or your ministry needs a web presence I would encourage you to consider Baptist Ministries Worldwide - Online for you online needs. Thank you for your time and prayers.
