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