As Churches move into the 21st century, they are beginning to realize the incredible opportunity the Internet can bring them and are starting to seek out Christian web hosting to give their church sites a home. But how is a Christian web host any different from a run of the mill web hosting company, and wouldn’t a local church do just as well or better using one of the industry leaders? Not necessarily. Let’s look at the differences, and how a Christian web hosting company can deliver in ways others can’t.
First of all, churches need all the same things a regular site does, including the ability to make available podcasts, videos, sermons, resources, music and worship services and more. Many churches have shut-ins that need to be able to access the services without actually having to be there in person. This is a great feature.
Many churches utilize blogs, and personal pages for their pastoral staff, where members can find out the latest information, as well as interact as much as is desired by the church staff. There are also ways to implement an online giving option, so that members who may be away or otherwise unable to attend can still support their local church with financial gifts.
A site with modern web hosting can also have a larger reach in the community, not only as a source for people who are seeking a place to worship, but also as a resource for community events, outreaches, charity and more.
What sets apart Christian web hosting from the rest lies in the implementation of the hosting itself. Churches need to be absolutely certain that their sites are protected by strong language and porn filters, as well as very tough spam filtering for their email systems. Nothing could be more damaging for the web presence of a church than to have pornographic images, or ads for “friend finding” sites pop up when people are seeking spiritual material. Likewise, email filters need to catch all the Viagra and other spammy mail that can find its way into any email box.
The sites that advertise themselves as offering Christian web hosting know this, and just to be sure, someone seeking this type of hosting should be forearmed and ask the questions nevertheless, just to be sure. A recommendation from another church could be a great way to go also, as you will likely get a very objective opinion from someone you can presumably trust.
Christian web hosting is simply web hosting held to stricter standards, with little room for error. While things happen, Christian hosts understand that once a site is compromised, and the trust breached, it’s a very difficult relationship to rebuild. Christian web hosting can provide a clean, safe platform for your church to have a web presence that is useful for all its members and visitors alike.
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