Find-a-Church is most visited, dynamic feature of 10thousanddoors.org

United Methodist Communications
Office of Public Information
810 12th Avenue S.
Nashville, TN 37203
www.umcpresscenter.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 18, 2009

Find-a-Church is most visited, dynamic feature of 10thousanddoors.org

Nashville, Tenn.:Since the launch ofwww.10thousanddoors.org on April 20, 2009, more users have accessed theFind-a-Church feature of the Web site than any other section, according to tracking devices. The Web site is featured prominently in The United Methodist Church's new Rethink Church advertising.

"Getting viewers of our advertising to visit www.10thousanddoors.org and to use its Find-a-Church feature is a major goal of our campaign," said the Rev. Larry Hollon, chief executive of United Methodist Communications. "Our advertising says that local United Methodist churches offer countless opportunities for persons to become engaged with the world around them, and Find-a-Church is where a visitor to www.10thousanddoors.org sees those opportunities at the local level."

Hollon says it is critical for local churches to update their Find-a-Church profiles with their program offerings and schedules, a personal welcome, Web site links, and more. Even churches with Web sites should keep their Find-a-Church profiles updated, as the profile is a tool for directing people to the church's Web site, via Find-a-Church's involvement opportunity search criteria. Hollon offers an example of why that is important.

"One of our television spots highlights The United Methodist Church's commitment to improving global health," said Hollon. "If that spot resonates with a viewer down the street from your church, who then visits www.10thousanddoors.org, then that viewer has an opportunity to search for your church's involvement in medical missions if your church's profile has been updated to include that."

Hollon likens Find-a-Church profiles to a virtual "welcome mat" for United Methodist churches.

"Find-a-Church is where people come to us, seeking out opportunities within our churches," said Hollon. "But they'll never know what those opportunities are if they aren't listed."

Updating your church's Find-a-Church is as simple as logging on towww.find-a-church.org and clicking on Update Your Page Now. No Internet programming knowledge is required, and "Help" icons are available throughout the site.

If you have questions about updating your Find-a-Church information, contact United Methodist Communications at [email protected], or call 1-800-251-8140.

Media Contact: Diane Degnan
(615) 742-5406 (office)
(615) 483-1765 (cell)
[email protected]