Increasingly, the front door of churches is online. When you think about it, most of us probably check something on our phones before going to a new store or restaurant.
People who visit your church behave the same way. It is very rare that anyone would simply walk in.
Since Japanese people tend to be timid, one of the ways churches and church plants in Japan can lower the barrier to entry is by establishing a welcoming “front door” online.
There are several different ways to do this including social media, reviews on Google maps, and a website. In this article, we will focus on the contents of a church website and provide a checklist to use to cover your bases.
Making church make sense
Many people in the United States have a general idea of what a church service is like. Whether it is a traditional church service or a contemporary service with drums and guitars, people typically understand that a church service involves some music and listening to a preacher talk.
However, this is not the case in Japan. People typically associate a wedding chapel type of atmosphere with a church and their perception might be influenced by a few scenes they have seen in a western movie.
When putting together the church website, it is important to remember who the viewer is, what they know, and what they need to know.
Potential Website Visitors
Keeping this in mind, here are a few possible website visitors:
- Believer who has moved to the area looking for a church
- Unbeliever who is curious about Christianity and church
- Unbeliever who is invited by a friend
- Current attendees
Each group has different needs.
Typically, believers who have moved to the area and are looking for a church will use religious jargon in their search terms. If you mimic what might be a common church website in the United States, it will serve this audience.
However, I think it is very rare that anyone reading this thinks to themselves “I want a lot of transfer growth!” Most of us who are planting churches want to reach those who are NOT professing Christians.
If you target your website at those who have little to no Christian context, it will make probably sense to believers and unbelievers.
Questions an unbeliever in Japan is asking about your church
Before looking at WHAT to put on your website to so it makes sense in a Japanese context, first we need to think through what kinds of questions an unsaved Japanese person would have about your church.
Questions about the organization:
- Is this a cult? (Are these people connected with anyone or is it a standalone group starting a cult?)
- What do they talk about?
- What do they do?
- What can I expect?
- Will they try to sell me something?
- Who do I contact if I have a question?
- What does the inside of the church look like?
- Will I be pressured into doing something?
- Is the space a relatively safe space (see the “appearances & impressions” section in this article)
- Are these people the same as Jehovah’s Witnesses?
Questions about attending
- Am I allowed to go? (Do I have to be a Christian or member to attend?)
- Can I go just once to check it out?
- What will they try to do to me?
- Will they try to make me join because I go?
- What should I wear? Is there a uniform?
Questions about preparation
- What type of people come here?
- How much does it cost?
- How do I get there?
- What time should I get there?
- Do I have to bring anything?
Most unbelievers who land on your website will probably have over half of these questions going through their mind. Provide clear answers to these common questions, since most visitors are unlikely to call for clarification.
Below is a quick checklist (also available as a downloadable PDF here). Beneath the checklist, each item is explained in detail.
Website checklist
Step 1: Answer the question “Who are these people?”
- Brief summary about the church
- Beliefs and associations (such as a denomination or sending church) if any
- History of your church/association
- A small blurb saying you are unaffiliated with the unification church, Mormon church, and Jehovah’s Witnesses
- Detailed pastor/staff profiles with high quality photo
- Birthplace
- Academic record (schools graduated and dates),
- hobbies
- Family
Step 2: Answer the question: am I able/qualified to participate?
- Service time(s)
- What attendees can expect
- What time people typically show up
- Rough idea of what happens during a service
- Lets Buddhist and non-religious people are welcome to visit
- States that you don’t have to be a member to attend
- Access (how to get to the church)
- Maps
- Address
- Parking (if any) and directions
- Public transit directions (which station or bus stop to use and many minutes’ walk it is)
- Bonus: include public transit time tables
- Information on how to participate (call ahead? Fill out a form?)
Step 3: Answer the question: what do I need to prepare in advance?
- How much it costs to attend
- What to bring
- Contact page
- Contact form
- Phone Number (land line is preferrable)
- Action step
- Social Media links
- Resources
- Resources for the curious
- Resources for new believers
- Discipleship resources
Technical aspects
- Professional design
- Mobile friendly
- Uses words and terms that a typical lost person would use or understand when searching the web
- Loads in under 2 seconds
- Targeted Key words
Details about each item on the checklist
Beliefs and associations
The purpose of this page is to assure the Japanese person visiting your website that you are not a new cult or something weird. Being able to demonstrate that you have roots is persuasive. Talking about how/when the church started (i.e. sending church) as well as a few statistics about your denomination such as the number of churches helps lend credibility to the work.
For example, our church has the name “Baptist” in it, but many Japanese people have no idea what that means. Since people typically just know Catholic and Protestant, we say “According to statistics, the largest group within protestant Christianity in the United States is Baptist” (per Barna stats). This is to assist with people who have no idea.
Even if you don’t have Baptist in the name and use the common Christ Church designation, presenting your denominational ties and what that denomination looks like in size will help people realize that you are not a new cult.
If You are receiving support from churches to start the work, it would be good to include this as well. People in Japan are very sensitive about money and wonder “how do these people stay in business?” If you think about it, for someone with no idea how a church works, it is a little odd that a place can afford to be open only a few hours a week and stay open. People might assume that the church is taking large sums of money from attendees so telling them how you are able to financially operate is a good idea. Even something as simple as “x number of Christians and Y number of churches in the United States financially cooperate because they want people to have a chance to know Jesus.”
Since most people in Japan are familiar with the Jehovah’s witnesses, you will want to make sure people understand that you are not connected. Many have heard about the JW’s refusing blood transfusions and causing issues. The JW’s also are very active in cities in front of large train stations. You will want to make sure that people know you are not associated in any way.
Detailed pastor/staff profiles
Providing these profiles helps people get to know you before they come. It is easy to try and put the church at the forefront, but at the end of the day, someone who comes will be talking to people. Knowing who the leadership is and what they are like will help earn the viewer’s trust.
Service time(s)
This will help people quickly decide if they are able to come. If you have multiple services, recommend the main one but provide a caveat saying they are welcome to come to another one as well if it better suits their schedule.
What attendees can expect
The Japanese person visiting your website has an idea about the leadership and what time things take place. Next, they need to know if they are allowed to participate and what kind of “things” take place. If you say the gathering starts at 10:00, people might not realize that means your first song starts at 10. Letting them know how early to arrive will help them arrive with plenty of time to talk, get comfortable, and settle in. Otherwise, they might show up right at 10:00 and won’t receive a proper greeting.
While in western contexts, people might assume that anyone can walk into a church, people in Japan do not have this mindset. People typically think that you have to be a member/Christian to participate so be sure to let them know that this is NOT the case. Also let them know that they can just visit once to simply check things out without the pressure to commit to anything. This is so they can feel free to come and go and not think they have to commit to something before they even understand what they are committing to.
Additionally, let people know what happens during a service. If you sing, let them know there will be music. If there is preaching, let them know that there will be a talk from the Bible. If there is an offering, let them know in advance. The key is to have no surprises. It is also a good idea to let people know if/how they are expected to participate.
We typically tell our visitors that there will be some songs, but they don’t have to sing along and they are welcome to listen. We also tell them that there will be an offering but those who don’t know what it means or are first time visitors don’t need to participate. This is to make sure they understand that our goal isn’t their money.
Access
The Japanese person should now understand who you are, and that they are welcome to come. Now they need to know if they are able to get to you. If the person is interested in attending, they now need to know if they can get to you in the first place.
Access information will vary from location to location. For example, where our first church plant is located in Minato-ku of Nagoya, parking is essential. Because our space is a 15 minute walk from the train station, we do not have many people come by public transit. Much of the city drives. However, if we were to do something downtown, we probably would not have our own parking but point people to paid parking nearby in the area as well as train/subway information.
All this information is to help the person on your website understand whether or not they can reasonably get to you or not.
Information on how to participate
Most of the time, people don’t just show up to events and activities. There is usually a registration or you contact someone and let them know you are coming. This is the perspective that a normal Japanese person would have when thinking about attending a church.
Giving people a step to take before physically coming to your location will help put them at ease. You can give them a few to adjust to their comfort level.
For example, you can say “if you are planning to visit, please fill out this form” and have them provide their name, email, planned date of visit, and possibly a section to write out a message fi they want to include details. You could also say “or, give us a call and let us know you’re coming” and provide your phone number.
This way, the person doesn’t feel like they are intruding or rude. It might be a good idea to consider those who are checking out your website who are friends of current attendees and let them know that if their friend invited them, they don’t need to do anything.
Participation fees
Japanese people inherently know that things cost money. It is actually suspicious when someone says something is “free” because this makes the recipient indebted to the giver. This is why it is usually better to charge a minimal fee at events to put people at ease.
However, when it comes to a church service you will need to clarify that there is not a participation fee.
Instead, explain that there is an offering but there is no obligation to give. Letting the Japanese person know that others have given so they can relax and attend can help put their mind at ease.
What to bring
Coming from a western context, this might seem strange. However, people who have not been to church do not know. Are they supposed to have a Bible? Can they just show up?
Spell it out for the visitor so they can be sure.
We tell people they can come without having to bring anything, and that we have Bibles that they can borrow. We also tell them that the parts of the Bible we look at are on the TV screen as well.
Contact page
This is if there are any other questions they might have, they have an easy way to contact you. Typically a contact form, phone number, and email address will do the trick.
Land lines are preferable for the phone number because it communicates that you are there to stay.
If you are more portable and don’t want to be tied down to one place because of a landline, you can have landline calls forwarded to your cell phone.
Action step
Instead of your website being a static billboard, Decide ahead of time what you want your visitors to do. If you want to take a more indirect approach (i.e. having people learn mor about Jesus before visiting in person) you could direct them to a video embedded on your website.
If your goal is to get people to fill out a first-time visitor form, then point people to that page. Whatever the case, make it easy and obvious and link to the form from multiple pages (access page, profile page, history page etc.)
Social Media
Links to social media provide people with another window into what you do. Different platforms have different strengths and weaknesses, but having a social media account can provide another “window” into your church so people can take a look before visiting.
Resources
These are for those who want to learn more before coming in person. Basic Bible studies, YouTube Videos and articles will help people understand what you are trying to do. Before the Japanese person comes, they might want to do some investigating for themselves.
You can also include resources for new believers and discipleship materials. While not necessarily for new believers, these resources can make it easy for people to grow in their walk with the Lord and is a natural place would be on the resources page.
Technical aspects
Professional design
Make sure your website is professional. Japan is a first-world country with first-world expectations. If your website looks like it came from 2003, you might be inadvertently communicating that you don’t care. Make sure your internet presence is sharp.
Language
Make sure the language you use is understandable to unbelievers. Terms like “devotional” and “worship service” don’t mean anything. Even denominational labels like “Baptist” don’t mean anything to most people. If you need to use uniquely identifying terms, be sure to explain to your Japanese reader what it means.
We choose to call our Sunday service お話し会(“ohanashi-kai” or gathering to listen to a talk) instead of 日曜礼拝(“nichiyou-reihai” or Sunday Worship) because the former is used in secular settings to listen to someone give a talk. We also include a blurb explaining to Christians visiting our website that we have intentionally chosen the word Ohanashi-kai since we want unsaved people to know what we are talking about.
Speed
Not only does your website need to look sharp, it needs to be FAST. The typical metric is that a website is supposed to load in under 2 seconds. While a split second might seem inconsequential, it could be the difference between someone connecting with you and coming to know Christ or not. Make sure your website is lightning fast.
Key words
Be sure to include key words in headings and throughout the text of your website. This includes the area terms like “protestant church”, “Christian Church”, “Bible” and more. Make sure it is done tastefully. If you are hiring a professional, make sure your website descriptions are optimized for searches.
What about you? What has been some information you have found helpful to include on your church website in Japan? Did I miss anything? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.