Less than 14 percent of churches updating Find-a-Church profile in New York West Area

United Methodist Communications reports that less than 14 percent of churches in the New York Area update their Find-a-Church profile and Bishop Marcus Matthews is encouraging all congregations to change that statistic.

Fifty-six out of 386 churches in North Central New York Conference and twenty-nine out of 256 churches in Western New York Conference have updated their profile.

Find-a-Church is a key component of www.10thousanddoors.org, a seeker-oriented Web site featured prominently in The United Methodist Church's $20 million Rethink Church advertising and welcoming campaign.

Find-a-Church does more than simply list churches' addresses and phone numbers. Newly enhanced, it now offers the opportunity for churches to list their ministries, including event schedules, locations, and special notes. Visitors to www.10thousanddoors.org are able to search for local churches based on these offerings.

To that end, the value of the Find-a-Church database relates directly to the breadth of information that churches self-report on the site. For the past six months, United Methodist Communications has launched a major effort to ask churches to update their profiles and keep them current. “Because a large number of churches still have not done so, I am sending you this message, encouraging you to update your church's profile,” Bishop Matthews notes.

“With easy-to-use templates that make entering and updating information a breeze, it has never been easier to highlight your church's programs and unique points of entry – from daycare to basketball leagues. Also available are opportunities to personally welcome visitors to your congregation, introduce your members, add details about your worship schedule, and link to your church's Web site.”

Click here to find out how to update and enhance your church's Find-a-Church profile. If you have questions about updating your Find-a-Church information, contact United Methodist Communications at FAC@umc.org or 1-800-251-8140.

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