BELLEVUE, WA – September 26, 2022 – Identity Digital™, a leader in connecting the online world with domain names and related technologies, announced that 1 in 3 churches named in this year’s Outreach Magazine’s Outreach 100 lists are using .church to clearly identify themselves as a church, match their branding, and easily engage with their members and guests online and offline.
The number of churches in the Outreach 100 lists using .church has increased significantly in recent years. Digital engagement and spiritual connections with people far beyond church walls have been increasingly important, but the pandemic has made it a necessity and priority for church leaders. And the rapid adoption rate of .church domain names shows that churches are recognizing the value of using .church domain names to reach more people and engage online. “Any time we promote a CTA from the stage or on video, sharing the domain and short URL has always been simple and memorable. This gives us the best opportunity to get easy, actionable steps in front of our members and guests,” says Connor Wood, Eastview Christian Church’s Online Campus Pastor.
Justin Stewart, creative director of Canvas Church, explains, “We wanted to keep things as easy to remember and simple as possible, so when canvas.church became available, we took it.” When asked how .church has improved Canvas’ ministry impact, Stewart shared: “The biggest impact is the shareability of canvas.church. It’s easy for staff and regular attendees to say, “check us out at canvas.church.”
Oklahoma-based Life Church chose life.church “to share and talk about the church in a natural way,” Bobby Gruenewald, innovation pastor, says. Rachel Feuerborn, PR Manager, added: “[.church] allowed us to create a distinct name and brand separate from other Life Churches around the world.” The church also decided on youversion.church for its Bible App, which has more than 500 million installs globally. “[youversion.church] allows us to communicate (even with our URL) that we have offerings designed specifically for churches,” Feuerborn explained.
Church websites have become a critical touchpoint for people searching for a church to visit. Church seekers often begin their search online and make over 823,000 monthly searches for “churches near me” as they seek to connect. And online giving is now the most common way for people to tithe and donate.
“Our goal is to provide churches with the most authentic and relevant domain names to express their digital identities,” says Mina Neuberg, CMO, Identity Digital. “We want to empower churches to make every word count and express who they are from the very first impression – before and after the dot in their domain names.”
Neuberg adds, “The concept of ‘worship’ has changed in the digital age. Church leaders know that their church’s digital front door is as important as the physical front door, if not more. .church can help them get instant recognition, strengthen their branding, and increase their website’s click-through rate to reach more people and engage more effectively. Congratulations to the churches on this year’s Outreach 100 lists that are making a difference in their communities and beyond!”
Learn more about the benefits of.church domain names.
About Identity Digital
Identity Digital Inc. simplifies and connects the online
world with domain names and related technologies to empower people to build,
market, and own their authentic digital identities. With the world’s largest
portfolio of nearly 300 TLDs such as .live, .technology, and .restaurant,
Identity Digital operates around 25 million domains on its innovative registry
services platform. In addition, they enable customers to discover, register,
support and use high-quality domain names with its registrar, Name.com.
Headquartered in Bellevue, WA, Identity Digital is a global company with
approximately 250 employees.
