Developing a Web site for the church

1. April 2008 by Pastor John.

We have decided that we need to beef up our web site, and that this should be a major initiative for this year.  We are learning that this will be a complicated process. 

Many have thoughts about what should be included, and maybe, what should not.  How do you present the church?  For whom are is the web site primarily intended?  Certainly we think that it should be visitor friendly, but we also know that it should provide members with useful information. 

Being late with informaiton or out of date is a serious issue that we will have to address.  How do we address that.  We have come to realize that depending on one volunteer to post everything is too much for one person.  It would be best for multiple people to be able to post, but then one loses certain control issues.  Issues such as “are we representing the church, especially for the visitor, with a consistent message”  or if linking to other websites, are those sites theologically consistent with the church’s theology.

Other issues will deal with the flow and artistic look of the site.  What some people think flows nicely, others will think is cumbersome and difficult.  What some people think is important information about the church, others will look at and think is “insider” speak that will disenfranchise the visitor.  Some may think we should have less information, but what does that do for the inquiring visitor who is looking for the meat the church has to offer.  Even if a primary emphasis is for the visitor, shouldn’t the website be a primary place for people to see if Sunday School is held this week or what time people are needed for the clean up following the rummage sale?  There will also be differences of opinion about the artistry.  Should we be simple and use two primary colors, or maybe use the pastels with a rolling screen and a calendar link page.

As we work to develop a website, the biggest problems I see are 1) agreeing as to how to put this together and developing a similar philosophy, and 2) providing material to our web designer in a timely manner.  Any thoughts as to how to clarify and provide this? 

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