Template for Promoting UrbanMinistry.org on Web 2.0 blogs

Since its initial launch in April, TechMission’s UrbanMinistry.org has become the premiere Web 2.0 destination for people interested in Christian community development and social justice. The site currently has over 9000 registered users, nearly 400 audio workshops & trainings, over 150 videos, and a growing wiki on urban ministry & community development with nearly 750 pages. Through sharing these resources, TechMission hopes to “connect communities for social justice.”

Just before Thanksgiving 2007, UrbanMinistry.org launched a homepage redesign intended to make the site more user-friendly and to make its best content more quickly accessible. The new homepage features news stories related to TechMission’s core values of Jesus, justice, and technology. It also includes book and DVD reviews, recent popular content, ready access to social networking features, and urban ministry opportunities through TechMission’s direct service program, TechMission Corps.

TechMission is in partnership with some of the largest Christian urban ministry and technology ministry organizations, including the Christian Community Development Association, Gospel Communications, the Salvation Army, and the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions.

In addition to the social networking and open content-sharing features available at UrbanMinistry.org, TechMission also provides volunteer matching services through ChristianVolunteering.org. The site, which is similar to VolunteerMatch and Idealist.org in function, currently offers over 2000 volunteer opportunities and has matched 581 volunteers since September of 2006.  Near the end of November 2007, a co-branded site, volunteer.gospel.com, was launched in partnership with Gospel Communications (http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/913734869.html), whose BibleGateway.com site is the third most popular religious website on the Internet (cf. http://www.thesearchagency.com/ResourceLibrary/search_engine_stat.aspx?sCatId=1).