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WebBased Church Looks to Grow Faith Online

A new Web site titled The Virtual Pew, www.thevirtualpew.com, focused on creating an online church was recently launched. The concept for the site was created by Wichita resident and former pastor Mike Furches and David Bruce, webmaster for HollywoodJesus.com.



Designed to meet the needs of a regular church member, The Virtual Pew targets the increasing number of Christians who no longer attend regular church services in an effort to ensure their spiritual needs are met. Furches serves as pastor of The Virtual Pew and sees it as a ministry opportunity with infinite potential.



's8220;There's8217;s a lot of people out there who are looking for answers and guidance, and most of them are searching online,'s8221; Furches says. 's8220;So the idea of an online church seemed like the best way to reach people in an environment where they feel comfortable and open to making personal connections.'s8221;



The Virtual Pew is designed to serve its members and visitors by offering discipleship tools, such as daily blog teachings and online discussion forums. Weekly podcast 's8220;sermons's8221; will be added to the site by fall 2006. Furches also offers personal counseling services and takes requests from members for blog and future sermon topics.



The discussion forums focus on the prayer, fellowship, worship, Bible study and sharing your faith. Furches says the foci were determined based on what the average churchgoer might experience at a regular church.



's8220;By offering online discussion groups, we's8217;re helping people get connected who may not otherwise have an opportunity or comfortable chance to talk about their faith,'s8221; Furches says. 's8220;It's8217;s also proven to be a great way to get our site feeling more like a community.'s8221;



In addition to meeting the spiritual needs of Christians who have become disillusioned with traditional church settings, The Virtual Pew also aims to reach out to non-Christians and others who may be searching for spiritual direction. Furches also sees The Virtual Pew as an opportunity to reach out to members of other religious groups.



's8220;The Internet is the next place for evangelism to take place. A lot of people see the Web as a bad place where lots of evil can happen. But it's8217;s also a place where a lot of great things can happen for God, too,'s8221; Furches says.



Contact: Mike Furches

(316) 258-3952

P.O. Box 17731

Wichita, KS 67217

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