Decay of Church Finder

[Franklin]

It makes me ponder that there may be concerns for safety and security. Certainly concerns regarding violence against churches during their services.

Using Google Maps, I can find Catholic churches or almost any other kind of religious services. Why do you think conservative Mennonite churches are more at risk than all the other religions that I can find on Google Maps?

[Soloist]

It makes me ponder that there may be concerns for safety and security. Certainly concerns regarding violence against churches during their services.

Using Google Maps, I can find Catholic churches or almost any other kind of religious services. Why do you think conservative Mennonite churches are more at risk than all the other religions that I can find on Google Maps?

I have zero concern for us having publicly available church information to find a church. I have found it terribly frustrating trying to find a conservative church prior to knowing how to find them. My concern is personal information. If we actually want people to attend our church, we should have the information available to find. We don't need all the members to have publicly searchable data to actually care about people attending...

[MaxPC]

It makes me ponder that there may be concerns for safety and security. Certainly concerns regarding violence against churches during their services.

Using Google Maps, I can find Catholic churches or almost any other kind of religious services. Why do you think conservative Mennonite churches are more at risk than all the other religions that I can find on Google Maps?

We have 1.2 Billion Catholic members. We are a bit difficult to miss. Yet we do not post personal information such as personal addresses on the internet as can be found in Mennonite directories. Church addresses, yes, member addresses, no.

I have zero concern for us having publicly available church information to find a church. I have found it terribly frustrating trying to find a conservative church prior to knowing how to find them. My concern is personal information. If we actually want people to attend our church, we should have the information available to find. We don't need all the members to have publicly searchable data to actually care about people attending...

Precisely. Nevertheless I can understand the concern within the context of historic persecutions. Catholics in England were likewise persecuted.

[Ken]

Identity thieves and fraudsters can be EXTREMELY clever about using personal information to steal. And elderly are especially vulnerable to this sort of thing.

Someone who obtains personal information about all the congregants of a particular congregation can do a little research and then work through a list of the most elderly congregants searching for targets. They can drop all kinds of names of “mutual members” and relatives and convince people to give up their bank account information for this purpose or another. For some specific charitable donation, or to help some family member or something. And then ever last dime gets drained.

This happened to my elderly father-in-law. A fraudster claiming to be a nephew managed to get one of his bank account numbers. He knew a LOT of personal information about the family. It was only one bank account or the damage could have been much worse.

I would think any sort of online church directory would be a target for these types of criminals. They can be extremely clever.

[Franklin]

Yet we do not post personal information such as personal addresses on the internet as can be found in Mennonite directories. Church addresses, yes, member addresses, no.

How did this thread get so off-topic? The topic is the Church Finder, not Mennonite directories. The Church Finder used to be a functional way to find church addresses and service times. Now it isn't, so there is no reasonable way for the public to attend a conservative Mennonite church.

[Soloist]

Yet we do not post personal information such as personal addresses on the internet as can be found in Mennonite directories. Church addresses, yes, member addresses, no.

How did this thread get so off-topic? The topic is the Church Finder, not Mennonite directories. The Church Finder used to be a functional way to find church addresses and service times. Now it isn't, so there is no reasonable way for the public to attend a conservative Mennonite church.

Honestly... I don't think that Mennonites expect visitors really.

[RZehr]

Yet we do not post personal information such as personal addresses on the internet as can be found in Mennonite directories. Church addresses, yes, member addresses, no.

How did this thread get so off-topic? The topic is the Church Finder, not Mennonite directories. The Church Finder used to be a functional way to find church addresses and service times. Now it isn't, so there is no reasonable way for the public to attend a conservative Mennonite church.

Honestly... I don't think that Mennonites expect visitors really.

I don't think any church in our nearest towns expect visitors. I think mega churches expect visitors, but they probably couldn't identify a first time visitor from a 10 time visitor either.

I was told yesterday that they have or getting a new website (or something), and don't have the ability to upload church locations. They are waiting on the coders. I had contacted them about getting our church listed, and that is what I was told.

[MaxPC]

Yet we do not post personal information such as personal addresses on the internet as can be found in Mennonite directories. Church addresses, yes, member addresses, no.

How did this thread get so off-topic? The topic is the Church Finder, not Mennonite directories. The Church Finder used to be a functional way to find church addresses and service times. Now it isn't, so there is no reasonable way for the public to attend a conservative Mennonite church.

It is not off-topic; others have generously expanded information on the topic. That is the customary pattern for discussions on Mennonet.

As Josh and others have explained, the Church Finder is supplied by information from different sources including the directories. It would not be amiss if you were to thank everyone for the extra information instead of complaining.