UCG Reports Local Website Statistics

The Above Map Show the Number of Internet Users By Country

The June 2010 edition of UCG’s United News arrived last night. Page 5 was primarily devoted to UCG’s local internet program and related statistics.

To put those statistics into perspective, I thought I would show how the 12 months UCG reported compared to the 10.7 months statistics from COGwriter (I only used 10.7 months as there was a change to my statistics collection program at COGwriter).

…………………………………….UCG Local Websites……………COGwriter

Number of Reporting Websites… 187 ………………………………. 1
Volunteers…………………………….290…………………………………. 1
Number of Visitors……………… 205,000 …………………….. 915,602
Page Views………………………….855,000 ………………….. 2,339,839

Thus, all the local UCG website efforts have a fraction of the results that one personal site of an LCG member has. And of course, there are other LCG member sites whose statistics I have not included. UCG also reported that those sites had visits from over 125 countries in the twelve month period; COGwriter in the past 5 1/2 months has had visitors from over 175 countries. (BTW, it is not that no one ever helps me or sends me articles related to volunteers, it is just that since UCG is including sermons and other materials not produced by many of their volunteers, comparing “webmaster/associate webmaster” counts seems to be a better comparison.)

Why bother to bring this up?

Because many in UCG, seemingly to justify UCG’s poor television performance (LCG receives as many television responses in three months as UCG has apparently obtained in its 15 + years of existence), have pointed to its internet statistics as proof that it is other than lukewarm in its approach to gospel proclamation.

Notice the following from the website of UCG member, John D. Carmack:

UCG is hands-down the most effective COG organization at using the web.

The above is more of a hope than reality if reaching outsiders is the goal. Now if the goal is to reach its own membership on-line, that seems to be different.

While it is true that the combined Alexa rankings of UCG’s top two official websites are better than for LCG’s top two official websites, the reality is that if you include LCG’s You-Tube results (which are mainly its telecasts also being available on the internet) and COGwriter, that UCG simply is not “hands-down” more effective than LCG even on the internet to reach those without a COG background.

This is not to say that UCG is not making efforts in various areas. It is just that for a group about double LCG’s size, UCG, in my opinion, simply has not demonstrated that public gospel proclamation is what it truly is about. It has always been a secondary or tertiary objective for the UCG organization as a whole.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, and Roderick C. Meredith on Church Government What form of governance did the early church have? Was it hierarchical? Which form of governance would one expect to have in the Philadelphia remnant? The people decide and/or committee forms, odd dictatorships, or the same type that the Philadelphia era itself had?
Differences between the Living Church of God and United Church of God This article provides quotes information from the two largest groups which had their origins in WCG as well as commentary.
There are Many COGs: Why Support the Living Church of God? This is an article for those who wish to more easily sort out the different COGs. It really should be a MUST READ for current and former WCG/GCI members or any interested in supporting the faithful church. It also explains a lot of what the COGs are all about.
Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert W. Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work? Some say the Church should mainly feed the flock now as that is what Herbert W. Armstrong reportedly said. Is that what he said? Is that what the Bible says? What did Paul and Herbert W. Armstrong expect from evangelists?
The Laodicean Church Era has been predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present. These are non-Philadelphians who mainly descended from the old WCG.