"You are the salt of the earth...you are the light of the world." (Mt 5:13-14)
As we contemplate what this means to us as individuals and as churches, we also need to consider what it means to us as web developers. As I understand this passage of scripture, Jesus reminds us that we are salt and light, and as such we are to be salty and illuminating. We are to season our world, and shine God's light to those around us. The bottom line is: our world should be brighter and more flavorful because of our presence in it.
This is one of the fundamental reasons why I believe every church needs to have an internet ministry. We are to flavor the web with God's love. We are to provide beacons of hope to millions of surfers who have no hope. We are to offer light to those in the darkness, and direction to those who are lost.
In this article, I'd like to consider a number of items that should inform the way in which we fulfill our call to be the salt and light of the world, even on the web.
Quality - I realize that not every church has access to a professional web developer. Most churches will be fortunate to have a single volunteer who is willing to learn a simple design tool like Frontpage. And yet, we must still work at creating and maintainin our website to the very best of our ability. In our culture today, your website may be the very first impression that a new visitor has of your ministry. Do whatever you can to make a strong first impression.
Current - One of the hardest parts of web ministry is keeping your content fresh and current. Do your best to keep your calendar up-to-date (and if that's not possible--it's probably better to not include a calendar at all! :) ). Quickly remove out-of-date information and replace it with material that will be useful to the person who visits your website tomorrow. At the same time, feel free to include reports or photos of recent events or ministry opportunities.
Visibility - While I think it is valuable to use your website as a means of communication within your church, I believe you also have a responsibility to provide something to those outside your church. It is important that your site can be found. Make sure that your META tags are optimized, and that you've submitted to as many search engines as you can. Submit your URL to your denominational website, and local church directories. Ask your local newspaper to include your web address as part of their religion page or directory.
Content - How relevant is your website? Is your content fresh? Do you have something to offer that will connect with a non-Christian who is visiting your site for the first time? How does your church website reflect the makeup of your church? Do you advertise your children's our youth ministries? Are there photos of your church? Are those photos a legitimate reflection of the makeup of your congregation? Do you provide enough information so someone who has been to your website will feel comfortable on their first visit? Here are some ideas about content you can provide on your church website that may be relevant to those in your community:
- Parenting articles
- Financial information - Retirement planning
- Community news
- Sermon texts or audio files
- Listing of community events
- Church calendar of public events
- Descriptions of ministries
- Doctrinal statement
- About the pastor
- About a worship service
- Compelling testimonies from people in your church
I would encourage you to visit a number of church websites and evaluate the degree to which they are flavoring and illuminating the web. Find out what they are doing well. Send their webmaster an e-mail with questions.
Once you have spent some time learning from others, develop a plan for how you will be the salt of the earth, even on the Web. And if you have a great idea, feel free to post it here on this blog.
Grace and Peace,
Jonathan Twitchell
YourChurchWeb.net
Labels: design, plan, purpose
