Churches and Computers

by John C. LaRue, Jr.

Computing capabilities among churches vary greatly according to budgets. A recent YOUR CHURCH survey reveals the width of the gap.

Who Has the Hardware?
Small churches, or churches with an annual budget under $100,000, struggle to keep up with computing trends. Only 73 percent of those churches own even one computer (see Graphs 1 and 2), while churches with larger budgets own at least two computers.

Laptop computers have been one of the hottest computing trends in the past few years. Large churches, or churches with a budget of more than $500,000, clearly have caught on. Two-thirds (64%) of large churches own a laptop compared to just a fourth or less of smaller churches (see Graph 2).

Large churches are also much more likely to use scanners and computer networks. Large churches (71%) are four times more likely to own a scanner than a small church (18%). Since a large church typically has more than five computers, it is understandable that most (86%) are plugged into a network. Large churches are twice as likely to have a CD-ROM drive (96%) and a modem (91%) on their computers than a small church (57% and 45%, respectively. See Graph 2).

GRAPH 1: Computers & Budgets

Software Essentials
Word-processing software is the only type of software that the majority of small churches use (63%). Two-thirds or more of other churches own Bible software, financial software, and church-management software. Four in ten (44%) small churches own Bible software and a third own financial software (35%) or church-management software (32% ).

The Emerging Internet
Only 6 percent of all churches had a home page on the Internet two years ago. Now more than twice as many small churches have a home page (15%). By contrast, 30 percent of all medium-to-large churches now have a home page, and the majority of large churches (53%) maintain a Web site. Altogether, one-fourth of all churches have created a home page.

Large churches are almost three times more likely to have Internet access than small churches (75% vs. 27%, respectively). A slim majority of medium-to-large churches (52%) subscribe to an online service.

The number of churches with Internet access increased by 50 percent in the past two years. Previously, 30 percent of churches had a subscription to an online service compared to 45 percent today. Overall, churches have made huge strides in gaining access to the Internet over the past two years, yet not even half of all churches are online today.

The Study
The surveys for this study were mailed in February 1999. A total of 1,000 surveys were mailed and 400 were returned, for a response rate of 40 percent. With a sample this size, results are considered accurate to within plus or minus 4 percentage points.

John C. LaRue, Jr., is vice president of research and development for Christianity Today International, in Carol Stream, Illinois. He may be reached by e-mail at yceditor@yourchurch.net. Previous Special Reports can be found online at AOL keyword: YCor on the Web at http://www.ChristianityToday.com/cbg/features/report.html.

Copyright © 1999 by the author or Christianity Today International/Your Church Magazine. For reprint information call 630-260-6200 or e-mail yceditor@yourchurch.net.
July/August 1999, Vol. 45, No. 4, Page 72