Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Latoya Hutchinson had never heard of nearby Highlands Baptist Church when she plugged her ZIP code into an online church finder.
Family stress had brought her to this point. She was sitting in her room, fumbling around online and somehow wound up looking at church listings in her area through a church locator tool created by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Highlands Baptist Church was listed first, so she clicked a button to have someone contact her.
She had no idea what awaited her on the other side.
Every day, roughly 380 people in the United States and Puerto Rico use the online church finder. Nearly 50 of them express interest in finding out more about churches in their area. The ultimate goal is to take people from online to offline, moving them from the solitude of their computer screens into a community of fellow believers. The effort is part of BGEA’s internet evangelism ministry, Search for Jesus, which aims to share the Gospel worldwide and disciple new believers.
When Hutchinson clicked the button, that sent a message to Danielle Geraci, who acts as a liaison between her church, Highlands Baptist, and people who find out about it through the online search tool. Geraci was excited to hear about Hutchinson’s interest in her church, and she quickly connected with Hutchinson to set up a time for them to chat.
Hutchinson agreed to visit the church, and that weekend, Geraci brought her three children along to pick her up.
During the drive, Geraci learned that Hutchinson hungered for a place to serve, but she also wasn’t sure of her relationship with Jesus Christ. Within a few hours, Hutchinson had answers for both. She came forward to accept Jesus in her life at the end of the church service and later joined the choir.
“After that, everybody came around me and gave me hugs,” Hutchinson said, adding that she was floored by the outpouring of love from these people who had just met her.
Mark Appleton, BGEA’s director of internet evangelism, hopes experiences like that become the norm—that people who find a congregation through the online search tool will feel comfortable visiting in person and that church members will respond with open arms.
“It’s exciting to see we’re getting to a place where we actually take a searcher and connect them into a community of faith,” Appleton said. “That’s the hardest part of online evangelism. But it’s a priority for us because our job isn’t complete unless we’re connecting people to the local church.
“God established the church, and we’re called to help build it and grow it,” Appleton added. “No Christian is called to live out their faith in isolation. They need a community of believers to interact with and grow with and serve with.”
About 110 churches nationwide have a trained ministry liaison like Geraci who can respond immediately and establish a connection when someone online shows interest in their church. With about 3,000 searchable churches in the church finder database—all vetted by BGEA—the hope is for all churches to eventually have a liaison to expedite communication.
Pastor Frances Fernandez has interacted with one person online and praises the effort of the church finder. Fernandez serves at Prince of Peace Full Gospel Church in Seaford, New York.
“It’s wonderful to witness to people,” he said. “It’s wonderful for people to check a box on a card [indicating a decision for Christ], but if they’re not followed up with, then they’re going to fall by the wayside. It’s important that they get connected with a good solid church or fellowship.”
That instant bond is what drew Geraci to Highlands Baptist. She didn’t come through the church search tool, but her children attended an Easter event at the church, which is right down the street from her house. When her children started begging to go back, Geraci gave in.
“When I first started going to Highlands, I was so touched by the people there,” Geraci said. “Now that I’m there, I can’t picture not having church. They’re my family. I could not picture my life without my brothers and sisters at church.”
Involvement in the church fueled her desire to do more. Geraci volunteered at the 2015 Franklin Graham Festival of Hope in Jacksonville, which prompted her decision to serve as a liaison for Highlands.
“I think more people should get involved,” Geraci said. “There’s people out there who are looking for churches, and there’s so much we can do if we get people indoors to a church. We can save a life in this crazy world we live in.”
Hutchinson can attest that the online church finder was a game-changer for her.
“It’s a good thing because things have changed so quick,” Hutchinson said. “You can get so many friends, some good positive friends, and I thank God for that.”
