Torn between two churches

[ninj]

Sorry to resurrect this older thread, but it addresses something I'm looking into. Because I'm going to be new to my neighbourhood, I thought it would be an idea to check out a nearby UCC with a view to attending more often.
On their website, it mentions nothing very welcoming to anyone. It does sound like they have a good seniors outreach and support homeless programs, but nothing mentioned about LGBTQ. Not even "everyone welcome". Thinking that's a red flag for someone like me

Should I call and ask? Should I "out" this church if it's awkward for the minister to discuss?
Nothing about being welcoming.

 

[ninj]

Buy the way, lest anyone think churches "need time". Have UCC churches not had 20 yrs to get there?

 

[Mendalla]

I would likely just pass and not even call. While them not presenting a "welcoming" message on their site doesn't necessarily mean they're a bunch of right-wing haters, it does mean they at least don't see it as important. The fact is, right-wing churches that aren't welcoming to LGBTQ usually have clear sign of it somewhere, e.g. statements about marriage being between "one man and one woman". Not saying anything eiither way sounds like they just don't give a flip. "We're fine with those people but see no need to reach out" kind of attitude which likely means they also aren't out advocating for LGBTQ or other minorities. Probably very inward-looking and not terribly interested in bringing in anyone new. Just my .02, though. Others might have different thoughts.

 

[Nancy]

@ninj, I would probably not depend wholly on the on-line view of the church. I know in my community, each church is so much more than what they appear to be on Facebook, or on a website. Often, they don't have someone dedicated to updating the website (those few volunteers we complain about!) Often their members aren't really interested in the on-line version of church, so that takes a back seat to other things. That's just my 2 cents, for what it's worth. (If it were me, I would attend one or two Sundays before making a decision).

 

[Luce NDs]

All welcoming places have their fire pits ... like a bog in wetter lands ... draining potential as a brain tease?

Fire must float in some dominions ... some do not believe in sphere's that are out there ... thought bubbles up!

 

[Mendalla]

Often their members aren't really interested in the on-line version of church, so that takes a back seat to other things.

I have a problem with this. It is 2023 and the web is over 30 years old (I know because it existed when I got married and I just celebrated my 30th anniversary). Even if you're not streaming services or doing social media like FB, having a website that is welcoming, up-to-date, and accurately reflects your congregation is a must just for marketing purposes, IMHO. A church that is neglecting the online world to the point of not even looking after their web presence is pretty clearly one that is living in the past and probably not that interested in anyone under the age of 60 or even 70 who might come in with newfangled ideas like, "Hey, let's start a Facebook group." And I don't want to be in that church. Simply the act of neglecting the online world reflects badly on an organization, in other words, and makes me think twice about them.

The Unitarian fellowship here in London is small and struggling but still managed to revamp their website this year into one of the best church sites in London. They clearly recognize the importance and value of online presence in the 21st century. I was a part of that, taking their original half-assed website and whipping it into shape something like 20 years ago. It has had two redesigns since I gave it up, both prompted by a recognition that you can't stay still online.

Frankly, if a church doesn't have a decent online presence, I likely won't even notice them and for most people younger than me, even that probably won't be enough. They rely more on social media than even the web. You need to be on Tik Tok or Instagram to get the attention of Gen Z, for instance. Just look at jazz singer Laufey, a 24-year-old who has largely built her career on clever use of Tik Tok and other social media and in doing so, actually got Gen Z interested in jazz.

If you don't have the expertise inhouse, hire someone. There's plenty of hired gun designers out there and they are not that expensive. And keeping a site updated with current information is a breeze in the era of content management systems like Wordpress. Hell, I could build a good, easily managed, church site using Xenforo and some add-ons and styling.

/rant off

 

[JayneWonders]

Hey mendella. You also aren't the typical church board rep or admin. Budgets are tight. Volunteers are overwhelmed

I concur regarding presence being important

I wonder if we could offer a quick table registry for people to tell us about their churches. Would allow for updates. Oh wait. Remember the original wondercafe. Even when simple they didn't do it.

I'd prefer no presence to inaccurate, I think.

Also, there is the whole challenge of a minister that doesn't support affirm or welcoming, won't do a wedding, but the congregation overall is affirming. Probably pockets that wouldn't be.
I was a part of a church like that for a while. Did not realize how entrenched the minister was until brought up affirming

 

[Mendalla]

Budgets are tight. Volunteers are overwhelmed

They are at the fellowship, too, or so I hear. Active membership is likely below 50, of which only a small fraction are volunteering. It's a matter of how they prioritized their limited resources. Getting someone to redo the site in a way that was easier to update is probably saving staff and volunteer time and effort in the end. They've even incorporated the newsletter directly into the site. No more PDF to generate for people to download.

I'd prefer no presence to inaccurate, I think.

This. Any statement you make on your site about your congregation needs to jibe with what people will find when they walk in.

Hey mendella. You also aren't the typical church board rep or admin.

But I do live in the real world and know how reliant people, esp. the younger ones, are on the web to find pretty much anything. If you're only serving your own congregation, then even the website likely doesn't matter. But if you want to get attention from external folks, then you're missing the bus if you don't have a proper, up-to-date, accurate website and probably some social media presence to back that up. It's that simple.

 

[Luce NDs]

Imagine someone volunteering for a community civil activity when anti socialism is so rampant so as to get better salaries for the CEO's of NGO's!