There has been a dramatic push lately for businesses and churches as well to create their own website. Just yesterday I saw two different hosting companies commercials saying it was more affordable, and easier to just do it yourself.

And while to those who really haven’t thought about a budget, it may seem like a good idea. However, the templates they offer to ‘build’ your website with are very dated, and limited in ability to make a site that is usable for your ministry.

And if you are expecting to have some fancy site like the church down the block, who is offering an alternative to your church, well then unfortunately you might be sadly mistaken.

Lets face it. Your ministry website is one of the first things prospective members will see, and if it doesn’t grab them, chances are you won’t even get them in the door.

So What Do You Do?

I know most people think hiring someone to work on the ‘church’ site seems crazy. Surely there is someone in your church that could do it, and many times the person who gets delegated, especially in a small church, is the pastor. He doesn’t have much else to do with his time, and it is ‘his job’ to reach the lost, right?

And there are free options out there. Really! I am telling you free options can work. However if you are going to have a website, even a free one, you have to realize that your website is an extension of your ministry. And it needs to be accessible to everyone.

More people access the web, Facebook, even their personal bank account via their smart phone, or possibly a tablet computer than any other option. Your site must be friendly to those users. And even more importantly, it needs to keep updated. Even the biggest churches with full time media departments fail on this and that is one of the main reasons you need to hire a designer. Not just for the original creation of your site, but for maintenance.

But I Already Have A Site

Just today I took a look at a website that I was hired to do several years ago. When a new pastor came in, he decided that they no longer needed someone to do the site and would go with another option.

The first option they tried was one of the free hosting deals, and it was an okay site, but it really didn’t have much personality.  I never bothered checking their site again until today, and they have changed to a Word Press site.

Word Press is a good option for churches that want to control their own content, and is fairly easy to use. There are plenty of templates to use and if you know what you are doing, you can make a decent site with it.

However, you must keep it updated. You must change out the premade content in templates for your own, or remove the widgets that contain the WP content.

On this particular website, they had filled in a contact page, and a page for accepting money, but the rest of their site had lots of generic information waiting to be filled in.  So, it kind of sounds like what most who do not go to church think. ‘They only want me for my money.’

If your website is not current with relevant information about your ministry, then people will take a glance one time and move on. You will have lost a potential saint in your church.

Content Is King!

When people think about a website most of them immediately think about the flash, big photo galleries, a place for media downloads, and all of those ‘fancy moving parts.’

But what most forget, is if the information is not current, and relevant to your ministry, then it really doesn’t matter if you paid $10,000 for your website or made it yourself on a free host.

And the only way to make sure of that is to keep it updated. Whether you make time during the week to update it, or possibly add a blog widget so at least it appears you are active, even if all you do is tweet out scriptures or upload your sermon notes from the last message you preached, something must be done to keep it current.

Or if there is someone in your church who at least knows how to keep their Facebook page up to date, then perhaps they would be good. If not, hire a designer. They will keep on you for new content, if you happen to get behind, and usually the monthly update fee is very minimal and you don’t have to know all the technology behind it all.

Most Important Content

All of the website is important, but what really matters the most? This is debatable and really depends on who you ask, but there are a few things that I personally would make sure was accurate at least once a month. You might be surprised that some of these are not up to date.

• Contact Info – Crazy as it sounds, often there are changes in email or phone numbers that gets updated on business cards, other internal church documents, and even newspaper advertisements, and the website gets over looked.
• Pastor Name and/or Photo – Can you believe it? Yes, there are church websites out there that have not updated who the current pastor is on their site, or have a photo of the pastor that is more than ten years old.
• Current Church Location – I know! The church moved across town into their beautiful new building and didn’t mention it on their website. A visiting evangelist had come in a night early and had set his gps to go direct to the church based on the address online and was surprised when there was no church building there.

Everything is important to keep current, but those items are vital to your ministry.

It would be as if somehow the animals were headed to the ark and it got moved and Noah was no longer in charge. Chaos!

We Can Help!

• FREE WEBSITE – for ministries with less than 25 members
• Custom Ministry Site – regardless of size, custom features, and free advice and quotes
• Visit Us On Facebook – whether you need a new site, a redesign, or monthly maintenance, we can help!

It has been quite a summer. Sometimes we get so busy with life that we tend to neglect things that don’t seem as relevant to us at the moment.  I must apologize because I do believe that keeping updated on my design blog is important.

These past couple months I have went through some health battles,  started working for a radio station, updated my commercial website, and helped plan and celebrate my parents 50th anniversary.

With all that has happened, it would be easy to excuse not updating my blog and design website, but when we do that, we get caught in the trap of rationalization and before we know it, not only days have passed, but weeks, months, sometimes years. It is hard to catch up, and so rather than deal  with it, we just seem to forget it.

A lot of ministry websites are in serious need of updating. Some need completely redesigned. I have covered this topic before, but it bears repeating. It is one aspect of ministry that can be forgotten, but it is very important.

UPDATE YOUR LINKS!

Recently, I went to a website to check out their live stream video of a conference and while I enjoyed the services immensely, I was distracted a bit, because it was hard to find which link to click. Someone had taken the time to link to the videos, but they had forgotten to place those links on the front page of their website. Overall their website was decent, but its very important to make sure links work and are in proper places for people to be able to find them.

Your ministry website reaches places you might never be able to go. World wide, you may be touching souls, but if it is a difficult search to find where your message is, chances are they will give up looking. Its just a fact of life. We are willing to search, but many of us don’t dig too deep.

A FEW SUGGESTIONS

If your website is more than ten years old, chances are you need a new website or at least a redesign. Truthfully, if you have a website five years old, its probably only accessible to a few people.  Just as we update our wardrobe when it no longer fits, it is important to update the way people contact us. Our world is forever changing.

Here are a few suggestions for areas to update on your ministry website, that would not be too hard.

• DOMAIN If your domain is not reflect your current church name, then it needs to be changed. Many churches by a domain name once, and then change the name of their church, or their pastor, or have a domain that is not easy to remember. You can update your website simply by changing to a name that is easier to remember and more appropriate to your website. (You can keep your current domain pointed to the new one, just for the few stragglers that don’t like change.0
• TWITTER If you haven’t heard of Twitter by now, then perhaps the internet is not available in your area. And you probably do not have a cell phone. However, Twitter is a valuable asset for your ministry.  Your current church members can receive important updates, your church schedule,  special speakers,  and other information on their cell phones, Facebook, or own Twitter pages simply from you sending out one small 140 character paragraph. And, it can be embedded in your website to keep it up to date.
• PHOTOGRAPHS One of the areas churches really lack in, is updating the photos on their sites. Sometimes, the photo they have of the pastor is more than five years old, and you might even still have the former pastor’s photo on the page. Very important that people who visit your church are not greeted by someone that doesn’t match what is on your website. (PS. New Visitors will check out your website, before they ever step foot in your sanctuary.)
• CALENDAR It seems obvious, but many churches update their calendars for hand out, or in their announcements, but forget to keep it updated on their website. (While a calendar on your website might not seem important, it is a way for visitors to know that a special even is happening, or this coming Sunday we will be meeting at the park, or a concert is planned for this Tuesday.)
• VIDEO While it used to be very difficult or expensive to include video on your website, it has become relatively easy. Everyone knows about YouTube, and other websites that allow you to upload video to share with others. It is available on cell phones, Ipad, or on the web, and can be embedded directly in your website. it is a very accepted practice, and can help make your website more user friendly and approachable.

Today on a ministry website, I came across the following video. It was very stirring to me, and I hope it blesses you as well. GBU

Today I ran across a blog and Facebook page that I feel would be a great asset for any smaller church or ministry.

The story behind the ministry as well as the articles are very inspiring and give answers to a lot of questions young ministries may have.

Musings of  a Minister’s Wife covers topics of everyday life as well as modesty, ministry, marriage, and  helpful music tips.

Just recently, the writer of the blog released a 100+ Chord Sheet eBook (PDF) for Church songs. I am sure it will be a blessing to many ministries.  I plan to use it on my iPad for the ministries I am involved with.

The blog author taught herself to play the piano in just a couple of years and has compiled this eBook to help churches who are in need of music.

I encourage you to check out the blog, download the songs, and use them as a blessing to your ministry.

You may also follow the updates of the blog and other projects by following the Musings of a Minister’s Wife page on Facebook.

God Bless You!

PS. If my readers run across other blogs of useful information or resources, please let me know for inclusion in the Designing Your Ministry resources.

It is easy to take for granted that everyone knows the rules to follow when dealing with technology in the digital age. We get so used to the internet, email, texting, that we can forget that not everyone keeps up to date, or even understands the very basic rules of online communication.

Due to a recent spyware situation, I have decided to post a few tips to refresh our minds or explain to those who do not understand the way the online world now works. Some of these you will probably already know, but take time to read them anyhow. When we think we have it all figured out, we will find out we too can be led astray.

1. Refresher Course On Email

With the innovation of Twitter and Facebook, email is nearly a lost form of communication. It used to be everyone’s method of keeping in touch just a few years ago, but with the changes in networking, and cheaper ‘smart phones’ nearly everyone has adopted the quicker, easier forms of keeping in touch.

In fact, recent studies indicate that even cell phones are used more for texting than for phone calls. Even our most recent ancestors would be very confused if we told them we text our friends on a cell phone. A telephone was used for talking.

Texting was something you did by teletype or telegraph. And the idea that you could walk around with a telephone in your pocket? Unbelievable! But if they heard about the internet where we can see each other live around the world, talk as if we are in the same room, and send messages in mere fractions of a second, they would think it was some sort of alien form of talking. And they would be right.

However, it is a new day and as technology advances our forms of communication will  evolve as well. Who knows some day we may come back around to talking face to face, and a handshake will be a contract again.

But back to the refresher, and some basic tips in dealing with emails.

• Email was intended to replace letters. It should be used for keeping in touch with friends and family, requesting a transfer of either money or information in transactions, and yes, you can still send other files through email when there isn’t another source. It is meant for communication and exchanging data between two or more people.
• Email is not meant to share ‘cute photos of cats’ or other fun, cute, interesting topics,  all though that happens quite a lot. This is called spamming, and for the most part annoys others, or gets ignored. However, some spam is used for spreading viruses, so be very careful. You can lose friends this way.
• Email should always include a subject, to and from email addresses,  and whatever is meant to be shared. However, it can also share files that are harmful to your computer or harsh words to hurt us emotionally.
• Only use Email when what you have to say cannot be sent by text, is too large to be said on twitter, or when it involves a group of people. I realize there are people who are not comfortable with the other forms of communication, but if you have to question it, then call the person.
• DO NOT Click on Links in Emails unless you know where they are coming from or it includes an explanation from someone you know well. If the link looks unusual or goes to a website you are not familiar with do not click it.
• It is also not a good idea to open Emails that do not include a subject, even if you know who it is coming from. These could include viruses or spyware that can harm your computer.
• And as it is in any area of life, if it sounds too good to be true.. do not open, click on links, or respond to the sender.

There are many more rules of etiquette and safety in dealing with Email but if you follow just what I listed above it will improve your experience and help keep you safe.

Over the next few days or weeks, I will continue this series on Basic Communication In A Digital Age. Stay Tuned.

If you were not aware.. tonight is the only time you get a chance to delete your web history from Google.com.

So, if you value your privacy, or you have visited sites you don't want to be made public, go to Google.com/history, sign in with your Gmail account or whatever email you have used to use Google docs, Gmail, blogger, YouTube, etc. and click the button to delete web history.

This is not the same as deleting your browser history. Web history is kept on Google's servers.. so they know what images you have looked at, which recipes, or anything else.. it will be public tomorrow.

It is the beginning of the year and we reflect on the past, take stock of where we are, and try and put into places changes that will make us more successful. The same goes for website design, including church websites.

I have noticed over the last few years that of the few apostolics that do have websites for their ministry, most of them never update, or finish once it is started.

We all make excuses about our daily lives, and it might even be justified, but there comes a point when it can run over into changing the reflection of who we are as well. Our online activities and efforts can be either an effective tool or a big waste of time that benefits no one. A church ministry website is one such place.

While other areas of ministry are given much attention and most pastors would not show up for church with one shoe on, his suit inside out, and his big toe sticking out of the sock that is showing. Or the sister who teaches your children in Sunday School wouldn’t show up with her hose a wrinkled mess, or her hair not being combed, when it comes to the technology and creative sides of ministry we sometimes just let that slip away.

That is one of the reasons when you decide it is time to get online with your message you need to hire someone who has done it before, preferably a professional designer. If you didn’t, or even if you did and your site has been in limbo for a while, here are a few signs that you are in desperate need for an Extreme Makeover.

1. Incomplete Site

It can happen to the best of us, and usually does but if your site is unfinished and six months or more has transpired and it is still not finished, you need to call your designer, or find a new one.

There is a possibility that the information he needs has been sitting on your desk in that pile of papers you needed to file since last September, (it happens a lot), but chances are he got busy doing something else and forgot about you.

The number one reason most ministry sites go unfinished is that the information they need, such as pastor’s welcome, department information, schedules, and current photos have not been given to your designer to fill in. He cannot make the stuff up, he needs your information.

If your site still has Lorem Ipsum on it or Coming Soon, or links that go no where an other information that makes no sense to your site, (link here, asdakdd, Ridiculus, integer tincidunt, pellentesque proin tincidunt, natoque mauris urna augue tincidunt aliquam, Under Construction) or other filler information your site is in need of a makeover.

2. Outdated Information

Second biggest problem with most ministry sites is information that is outdated, or simply incorrect.  I was amazed recently when I was looking over a ministry site and saw animated swirly things, and a calendar date for a special event and it was dated June 4, 2002.

If your website has information on it that is older than six months, (it should be a month or less, but I will cut you some slack) then it is time for a makeover.

It is also time for an overhaul if your website lists your department heads from two pastors ago, and Sis. Shelley is listed as the church secretary and she has passed on, in fact you sang at her funeral, then it is time for an Extreme Makeover.

And yes, I am doing some of this tongue in cheek, because I don’t want to offend anyone, but I also want you to realize how silly it can be.

3. Missing Important Information

Recently someone asked me to take a look at their new website and tell them what I think. I might add that they were very proud of what had been done because it was supposed to be cutting edge design.  I was honored.

I spend a lot of time not only creating graphics and websites, but I also get paid to critique websites both for ministries and business to tell them what needs updated, how come their website doesn’t get them more business, and many times take a hard look at the site before it goes completely live.

Surprisingly enough, this pastor who was so proud, had forgotten to include information as to where his church was located, and the service schedule.

If you already went to the church, chances are you would already know all this information, but if you were a visitor you were out of luck.  They did have a contact page which included the name of the church, the city they were in but no street address, a clickable email address, and a phone number. 

I dialed the number, and got a ‘*beep* the number you are trying to call has been disconnected.’ The email address took me to my own email account, put the email address in the to box, and no other information.

Now that isn’t totally bad because you can fill in the details of the email yourself. However, do you ever get spam mail? Of course you do. 99% of the time, most spam mail starts by clicking such a link, and some unscrupulous marketing companies have what are called ‘spiders’ which browse websites all the time looking for contact information, and if they find an email address that is clickable, they take down that email and begin sending spam.

So, the chances are if you have such an address, even if it is correct, after a short while your email provider will notice the spam mail, and automatically start filtering the email to go into a spam folder, if it even reaches your desk.  That visitor who wanted to find out how to get to your church will end up in the spam folder or possibly even the recycle bin.

Shockingly, the other biggest missing information is that your beliefs are not included on your website. I have talked to some ministries that do not want that information there because they have been told by someone that it will drive away potential members. The theory behind this is that if your beliefs are somehow different from theirs, they will not make an attempt to come to your church. THIS IS WRONG.

Recently, I came across a blog of a young couple in Austin, Texas. They were new to the area and had decided they wanted to go to church. Partially out of just wanting to make friends, and partially to get back to their roots of where they had grown up.

They got on Google on their iPhone, (no one looks at a phone book anymore, really!), looked up the churches, and checked out a couple of websites. They came across one that seemed to be similar to what they grew up with, so they went the following Sunday.  It was not at all what they expected but they sat through the service and after arriving home, checked that church off the list of where to go.

The same thing happened the next Sunday. Another church website, another church visit, another check mark. This went on for five weeks, and the young lady decided to blog about their experiences. They were determined to find a church and so they turned it into an adventure.

What she found out was that your website reflects the way your church is. If your website is dull and boring, and hasn’t been updated in a while, the church is pretty much the same way.  One church they went to actually had burned out light bulbs in one of the hallways, and there was only a handful of people there, mostly elderly, and they were quiet and reserved. They didn’t feel that they fit in at all.

So, they tried a couple of more exciting websites. Flashy sites pumping graphics across the screen while music from a well known Christian Rock group emanated out of the speakers.  It seemed exciting, didn’t list what they believed but it was worth a shot.

When they got to the church, they were met by a guy with a bright red mohawk, tattoos up and down his arms, a dirty muscle shirt, and a nose ring. He invited them to stop over and try out the coffee bar where they were serving pastries and coffee drinks.  They tried it out and it was good, so they went in to the service when it started.

Heavy beats of a drum, loud guitar to where she wrote “I felt my ears might start bleeding at any time.” Then it slowed down for a moment as the red mohawk guy took the stage and started talking to them about ways to improve their physical appearance in order to be a better part of society. No joke.  He was the pastor.

She later wrote in her blog that there was nothing about what this church, if you can call it that, believed, and it was a total shock when they experienced it for themselves. They marked it off the list as soon as they got home.

They also found by simply driving around that most churches do not even have a simple website with service times and contact information.

After nearly a year they still never found a church where they felt they fit in. Their adventure continues.

You need to include what you believe and how you worship on your website, they are out there looking for somewhere to call home.

There are many more topics I could list to help you decide if your website needs a makeover, but in this posting I am only going to list one more for now.

4. Your Website is More Than Five Years Old

I know what you are thinking. Our website doesn’t look bad. It has the basic information. We even have a guest book and a spinning envelope graphic to tell them to email us.

While to some degree it may be getting the message partially out there, chances are no one who goes to your church ever visits your website, and its not likely any visitors do either. Chances are your website has many of the issues I have described.

I know of a church that every time I come across their website I cringe. It is not that it is ugly so much as it just looks old. There are a few pages with missing information and that “under construction” sign, but I have been aware of this church for more than four years now and the only thing that gets updated is their once-a-year church conference.

They pay someone several thousand dollars to make flyers, special business cards, and even a PowerPoint display. A copy of one of the flyers ends up on their website, but nothing else ever changes.

The website lists the name of a company that is supposedly the builder, but when you click it, it goes no where.  I was told that they have someone from the church who is supposed to be working on it when he can.

Knowing people in this church well, though, I know more about this church. They have a good spirit. They spend a lot of money on upgrading their church with large television monitors so that everyone can see the words to songs, the scripture text the preacher uses, and the announcements.  They are in the process of building a coffee house and a bowling alley at the church.

They have invested a lot of time and money in their church, and they have many special events for the community throughout the year. But behind the scenes, it is a different story, especially in the department that handles technology and creative ideas.

The computer that is used to display the PowerPoint presentation when they have their conference is more than ten years old, and a good percentage of the time freezes up when they try and advance too fast.  The mouse  connected to the computer (who uses those anymore) has a wire that runs down the wall and is intermingled with all the other cords and wires that run the computer, monitor, sound board, and recording equipment.

Yet, the pastor has often been quoted as saying he wants the screens with the songs and his ‘scriptures more flashy,  and faster somehow, and why is this computer so much slower than my Mac or my Ipad.’ His MacBook was new last summer.

This church has done a lot of good in their community. They have some great services, but their website displays how important they think it is to have the correct tools to get your message across. Our world is turning more and more to smaller, more efficient ways to get the messages.

We have Ipads, laptops, internet enhanced televisions and cards, and almost everyone over the age of eight has a cell phone that can text, get music, surf the internet, and do a lot of tasks that keep them connected to their lives.

Yet, when it comes to making sure that those who need to know this message can find it, in all the truth that we believe, we go lacking desperately.

Is it Time for an Extreme Makeover in your church? On your website?