STL Social Media Guy

The short answer to that question is yes.

I’ve been on the prowl for examples since I started working on my own church’s new web site (still not officially live), which will be powered by WordPress. The first pass at the site includes the default reader comments option on the posts, which alarmed some at our church. When I had a chance to present reasons for allowing comments, they were acknowledged as good points. So the idea isn’t dead.

There’s a long list of “WordPress powered churches” here. I went through the first 25 on the list — and only looked at the U.S. churches, just to narrow the list a bit. I found five churches that allow reader comments, but none of them had very many comments at all. I’d be interesting in finding other examples — and perhaps more robust examples. Also, I don’t know whether the churches I found moderate their comments; I’d be willing to concede that a mild version of moderation might be warranted; maybe others have a different point of view on that.

Some of the concerns at the church echoed those we hear in the news business and, I’m sure, those that business owners share when they get alarmed about comments on third-party sites: Readers won’t discern between what someone posts as a comment or what is really the church’s message; a controversial discussion might dissuade newcomers from trying the church — that sort of thing.

I noted that a discussion in the open, that we could respond to publicly, would be better than whispers in the parking lot that we never hear.

A few church sites I found that allow comments:

Bethany Baptist Church, Martinez, Calif.; Brawley First Presbyterian, Brawley, Calif.; Brea Baptist Church, Brea, Calif.; Cedar Ridge Church, Leander, Texas; Chatham Baptist Church, Chatham, Va.

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