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The Internet, like any form of technology, is merely a tool; people decide how they will use it. Businesses, groups, and individuals determine what type of content goes online, and it's up to each of us to decide what we will view and not view. There are plenty of sites that can help a pastor's ministry, and many that can destroy it. A recent study conducted by Your Church's sister publication Leadership Journal reveals that pastors are both helping and hurting themselves online.

I'll begin with the good news. Pastors are using e-mail to stay in constant contact with various people. Eighty percent of pastors e-mail other pastors. They also e-mail congregation members (62%), missionaries (56%), church leaders (53%), and visitors (38%).

Pastors also use the Internet to help prepare their sermons and Bible studies. Six of ten pastors online (61%) use Web sites to search for sermon illustrations and use Internet Bible and reference tools.

Pastors are using the Internet even for evangelism. About one-third (31%) have witnessed or shared the gospel online, usually with someone they already knew in person. Three percent of pastors have led someone to faith over the Internet.

Our study shows that a high number of pastors are involved to some extent with Internet pornography. More than half admit it is their strongest online temptation. About two in five (43%) have fallen to temptation at least once. More than a third say they visited a pornographic site last year (36%).

One thousand surveys were mailed to subscribers of Christianity Todayand Leadership Journal (500 each), and 564 were returned, for a response rate of 56 percent. Of respondents, 462 were pastors. The margin of error is plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Buy the rest of this article and get the complete results of the Church Research Report. Download Here.

John C. LaRue, Jr., is vice president of Internet research and development for Christianity Today International. He may be reached by e-mail at yceditor@yourchurch.net.

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