CHURCH PLANT MEDIA ~ A LA CARTE
Happy New Year from your friends at Church Plant Media! Now that we are several days into 2014, we wanted to take a brief look back at some posts from 2013. We also wanted to ask you, the readers of Challies Dot Com: how can we serve you in this New Year? What topics would you like us to cover in future “Web Stuff Wednesdays” posts and what questions do you have about websites for church & mission?
In our 1st post: Introduction to Church Plant Media we shared the following.
After 15 years of building websites for churches, we have learned a few things about the web and our hope is to serve you with what we have learned… But in order to do so, we need your help. We would love to hear what challenges you are facing with your church website and what hurdles you would like to overcome.
Thankfully a number of people posted their church website questions. The following links will take you to the sponsored posts that answer those questions. If you don’t have time to go read them, we did a brief synopsis of each post below. We would love to get your feedback on what you found helpful and what questions you still have. Please take a moment to share your thoughts in the comments below.
Counting the Cost of a Church Website
Carl asked about the advantages and disadvantages of sites you build and host yourself vs. sites that are built and hosted by a company. We explained that with any building project you usually “get what you pay for” and it just depends on how much you know or who you know. Usually if you do more of the work you will be paying less in dollars but you end up paying more in time and vice versa.
A Church Website = an Online Building
Joanna asked how to graciously but persuasively make a case to church leadership that a quality website is really important. We encouraged her to help her leaders think of the website as an online church building with a: Cornerstone (determines the position), Foundation (needs to be big enough), Floorplan (maps out every room), Exterior (the outer expression), Entrance (the first impression).
Whosoever Will May Read Your Content
Dan & Denise asked if church websites should target researchers, skimmers, visitors, or members. We answered yes and suggested the acronym D.R.O.I.D. as a handy content strategy: D = Disclose (who, what, when, where, why), R = Retrieve (get them in and out quickly), O = Organize (find it in 3 clicks or less), I = Increase (from simple to complex), and D = Disciple (shepherd the flock of Jesus).
How to Keep Church Website Content Fresh
Brett asked how to keep his content fresh with limited time, resources, and staff/volunteers. We understand this may be easier said then done, but we think you may be sitting on content you have not even thought about. We shared what we like to call the ABCs of fresh content: A = Ask and you shall receive some help, B = Batch and your burden will be light, C = Catch and it will not go to waste.
How to Share the Gospel on Your Website
We wanted to encourage churches to share the gospel online knowing that Christmas time is when people are the most likely to attend a church service and visit a church website. We recommended listening to a sermon from our friend, Dr. Voddie Baucham, and we encouraged churches to share a gospel that explains both the problem (how we broke God’s law) and the solution (how Jesus paid our fine).
Using the www for Winter Weather Warning
Tim asked us to help readers put together an inclement weather strategy. If you have wondered how to announce the news that the Grinch stole your winter gathering, we explained how the acronym S.N.O.W. is helpful: S = Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), N = News Channels (Radio, TV, & e-mail), O = Outdoor Signs (Signage “just in case”), and W = Web Homepage (Banner & blog post).
If you have a website question, please post it in the comments below. We want to continue bringing you helpful content, and we need your feedback to do so. Thanks for your help!
Blessings from your friends @ Church Plant Media | (800) 409-6631 x 1
