Media Salt has a great article, whose title I shamelessly stole here, focusing on what your church can look like on the web.
Their basic idea? If you’re still struggling to make all sorts of information (photos, videos, sermons, etc.) available on your site, you’re already a step behind the curve. You need to be making your content available in ways that are even more convenient than your own site.
Although it’s a bit disheartening to advocate a step forward when so many churches are still three steps back, I think it’s a testament to how helpful it could be to have someone actually in charge of managing your church’s online presence.
Make sure to check out the entire article at Media Salt.
Eric Murrell
May 26, 2009
Thanks for the link love, Josh!
tyrone ferrara
May 26, 2009
Dear Friend,
I agree, churches should be taking advantage of what the web has to offer. The internet is ushering in exciting times for the social media industry. Churches that don’t take advantage of this opportunity are really missing out.
Keep up the good work.
Geoff in CT
May 26, 2009
Glad to see this article. It reflects my own experience (albeit on a much smaller scale).
Tim Bednar
June 1, 2009
Most churches and Christian nonprofits approach their site like its an “everyday” site for their audience, like Facebook or Google. Don’t feel bad many small businesses also make this mistake.
This corrupts good decision making and leads to bloat.
Most church and church-related sites need to be designed as if loyal visitors come 1-2 times a month and at best will sign up for an email newsletter or RSS feed.
free church website templates
August 17, 2009
I think it is sad to think of a church site in terms of only being worth so much as one or two visits a month. Why not add a church forum to your site and that way you build your church friendships and your site becomes more important and can even be a way to reach the community.
church websites
November 20, 2009
Speaking of use of the internet… I had a ministry online with a myspace page. Many people were influenced and even started coming to church!
JC
January 23, 2010
I agree with Tim Bednar. Put up a church forum. Then you have a venue where the new person who comes to your site can read the posts of members and interact with them and get a real feel for the attitude and sincerity of the people in your Church. Then your website becomes much more than just an advertisement “About The Church”. This allows each member of your church to take on a welcoming minister’s role if they want it (and some will). Do MySpace and FaceBook too, but understand that these social networks will change in popularity eventually. Build your own dynamic online community with a forum and you own it.