Presbyterian Churches Most Likely to Use Internet

LifeWay Christian Resources recently did a scientifically sampled study of internet usage by various Church groups. The results are summarized in Survey: 1 in 4 churches neglect ministry potential of the Internet. Presbyterians came out as the biggest users of the internet.

Presbyterian churches, at 92 percent, are the major denominational group most likely to be using the Internet. Most other major denominational groups were about average, but Baptists from outside the Southern Baptist Convention, such as Progressive Baptists, Missionary Baptists and American Baptists, are much less likely than others to make any use of the Web (54 percent). In general, mainline and evangelical churches do not differ much in church use of the Web.

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Mainline and evangelical churches differ somewhat in their Web content. Mainline churches with a website are more likely than evangelical congregations to have a regular church newsletter on their site (46 percent to 32 percent). But evangelical churches tend to have more content and more diversity on their sites, as they are more likely than mainline churches to provide a statement of beliefs (72 percent to 36 percent), special pages for youth (48 percent to 34 percent), a way to submit prayer requests online (27 percent to 15 percent), Bible study materials or helps (26 percent to 10 percent), sermons in streaming audio (17 percent to 6 percent), and testimonies (7 percent to 1 percent).