June, 2003

Mindekirken on the web is open 24/7!
By Magne A. Hatlevik

I just read the article in the Seeds for the Parish of May-June 2003 about web-based ministry.

It is a very informative article about why a church should have a web presence. To quote from the article, Charles Austin, an expert on Church Computing says "It is cheep and easy; Not having online web capabilities is like not having a telephone."

The article talks about the five levels of value of having a church web site. The first level is just having a church web site. The second level is an outreach ministry. At this level, visitors will know where to find Mindekirken. The third level is that of the ecumenical or inter-religious ministries. Mindekirken need to be present on sites maintained by communities and other groups. The fourth level is the spirituality ministry like posting the sermons and having members take turns writing devotions. The fifth level is the internal informational and educational ministry. Confirmation classes and other should be taught how to use the web for research and study on religious topics.

The good news is that Mindekirken indeed have a web presence. Perhaps we don't cover all of the five levels of value mentioned above. Our web site features an up-to-date calendar of events at Mindekirken. The Pastors’ and Presidents’ articles are published every month and the Pastor’s sermons in both Norwegian and English are added weekly. In addition to that we have a variety of pictures and images of flyers advertising different events and concerts at Mindekirken.

The online sermons have been one of the most popular pages on the web site. I have found that many of the resent visitors and new members had found Mindekirken on the web site and then subsequently visited the church.

The web site has also benefited the Norwegian Language program at Mindekirken. From talking to Trude Dale, the administrator of the Language program, I hear that many of the students have found information about the language classes on the web site and then printed out and sent in the registration form for the class they want to attend.

So, next time you turn your computer on, take a few minutes and check out Mindekirken's web site at www.mindekirken.org. You might be surprised at what you find.

The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church ·  924 E. 21st St, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2952 ·  (612)874-0716