AFRICAN CHRISTIAN COUNCIL HAMBURG WELCOMES IMIC e.V DIGITAL CHURCH NETWORK
The Chairman of the African Christian Council, Hamburg (ACCH), Pastor Prince Osai Okeke, the Secretary, Pastor Bona Siriboe Boateng, the Public Relations Officer, Pastor Felix Boateng, and several other clergy in Hamburg have welcomed the proposed Digital Church Network (DCN), an initiative under the auspices of IMIC e.V.
On Saturday, 15 June 2024, the DCN project coordinator, Raphael Ofori-Adeniran, gave a detailed presentation of the DCN initiative to the group of Christian leaders at their General Council Meeting and prayer session.
President of IMIC e.V., Mrs. Sylvaina Gerlich, was also present at the event.
The DCN is essentially an online directory and interactive hub for churches in Hamburg and Germany. This platform aims to provide greater visibility to Christian churches, regardless of whether they already have websites or not.
The DCN will offer digital marketing services to these churches at competitive rates, including hosting, website design, search engine optimisation (SEO), content creation, and social media marketing.
“Our main objective with the DCN is to connect individuals, congregations, and communities with churches, while helping them achieve wider online visibility,” states Mr. Ofori-Adeniran.
“Whether you’re seeking spiritual guidance, looking for a place of worship, or simply curious about the diverse religious landscape in Germany, DCN provides the gateway. Our user-friendly platform allows you to browse and explore the websites, social media pages, and other virtual platforms of all our partner churches,” he said.
According to Mr. Ofori-Adeniran, the DCN’s creation stems from the apparent lack of digital presence among churches in Hamburg. A survey conducted by the DCN team found that approximately 30 out of 40 African churches in Hamburg have no online presence whatsoever. While a few have websites, their social media presence is often poorly optimised.
Pastor Okeke reinforced the need for Churches to embrace available digital tools that can enhance the work of churches in spreading the gospel.
The digital revolution has transformed the world, and organisations are increasingly recognising its immense potential for reaching target audiences. Many have successfully used online strategies to connect with a wider audience than traditional outreach methods could ever achieve.
The DCN believes that African churches in Hamburg have a particular opportunity to make a greater impact within the community by embracing the digital world.
Following the presentation, many clergy present at the General Council Meeting expressed interest in having the DCN team curate their online platforms.
IMIC e.V. sees this project as a way to help these churches in Germany progress and thrive.
The event was crowned by the powerful prayer session conducted by Pastor Bona.
