Chimps & Websites vs Blogs
Why a Blog Page Communicates Better Than Email Services Like Mailchimp or a Website
Have you ever tried using a hammer to drive a screw into a piece of wood? Sure, it can be done—but it’s clumsy, inefficient, and frustrating. Most of us would agree: a screwdriver is the better tool for the job.🪛
So why do so many missionaries and churches keep using hammers when they need screwdrivers?
Email Campaigns: Built for Selling, Not Connecting 📨
Let’s skip the tech talk and go with a simple history story:
Back in the late 90's and early 2000s, smart business minds saw the massive marketing potential of email. It was a quick, easy, and cheap way to reach lots of people with a single click.
It was during this time that Mailchimp was born—an email platform designed to help businesses grow by sending product promotions to big email lists.
And it worked—REALLY WELL!
An Opportunity?
Then churches and missionaries heard about these email platforms and thought, “Maybe we can use email platforms like Mailchimp (the most used email platform by churches and missions) to reach our hordes of members and supporters, too!”
Mailchimp and other savvy email platform companies saw this growing group of folks with an interest in their products and started adding features aimed to corral nonprofits into their business model.
And soon enough - churches and missionaries were signing up for email platforms in droves!
But here’s the catch: churches and missionaries aren’t in the business of selling products—we’re called to build relationships, foster community, and share God’s story.
Using a marketing platform to do that is like using a hammer to drive a screw. It kind of works—but not the way it was meant to.
Websites: Great First Impressions, But That’s About It 🤔
A similar thing happened with websites. Businesses saw this amazing tool in the late 90s and pounced on it as a way showcase products, tell their story, and drive sales.
Soon, churches and missions wanted in on websites too.
The result: today millions of dollars are being spent by churches and missions groups every year on big, beautiful, expensive websites (that many times few people go to).
The reality: people seldom visit their church's or a mission's website because the sites are static and seldom offer new information. They are just really nice billboards.
Honestly—when was the last time YOU visited your own church’s website (except to remember the service time)?
Websites, by nature, are built to inform—not to cultivate an ongoing relationship that churches and ministries are trying to use them for.
Again, we’re using a hammer when what we really need is a better tool. 😣
So, Does One Village Group Hate Email Platforms and Websites?
You might be thinking about now that we don't like Email Platforms or Websites.
But that's not true. Both are incredibly useful tools for churches and missions —when used together in a way that shares a story - the story of your church or mission. ⛪
And that’s where a blog comes in.
A blog combines the best of both worlds. It has the informative, foundational structure of a website and the immediacy of an email platform combined in one format.
This combination creates something that neither can do alone - they tell a living story. 📖
Case Study: The Hope Encounter
Take a look at the blog that One Village Group built for The Hope Encounter in South Sudan.
Abraham Deng
- The top half of the Blog works like a ‘website’: It introduces the ministry, shares its history, and provides essential info.
- The bottom half for Communications: a chronological feed of real-time updates, stories from the field, prayer requests, answered prayers, and more. Visitors can browse old posts or subscribe for email updates—right from the same page.
In one simple platform, you're building connection, credibility, a record of God's faithfulness and the vision for tomorrow.
A Blog Is the Right Tool for the Job
When we combine the structure of a website, and the reach of an email platform we create something powerful—a tool designed for ministry.
A blog builds trust. It builds community. It builds history. It paints the Vision for the future.
It shows where you've been, what God is doing today, and what you're praying for tomorrow.
So if your goal is to connect, engage, and grow deeper relationships with your members and supporters—a blog isn’t just better, it’s the right tool for the job. 🪛
Thank You!
As always, we at One Village Group want to thank you for supporting us through your prayers and financial support as we help missionaries around the globe share their stories with the world.
