The simple answer is… well, no – probably not. But they’re worth every second of time it takes to do the work to get them online. And the reason is simple: they give visitors a glimpse of what they will find if they walk through your church’s doors. Face it – most of the anxiety we experience in our lives is from fears of the unknown. Knowing what to expect makes a huge difference.
It’s also a way to ‘audition’ a pastor. Fairly or unfairly, a few minutes of a recorded sermon will give a possible visitor enough time to gauge whether they really feel ’spoken to’, and in a way they like. The pastor is a prospective spiritual advisor and mentor to this person for possibly years to come; you can imagine that you would want to feel that they ‘get’ you.
If someone’s taking the time to look at your website, you owe them every opportunity to ‘get comfortable’ with you as a church. It’s a big commitment for them, even just to visit on some Sunday; making it easy for them is a good way to ensure a pleasant experience, and possibly add a new member to your church family.