ChurchWebStrategies.org is shutting down in August 2022. This has been a fantastic journey, but my life has new and different priorities. But first, I will share a few parting thoughts before I shut things down.
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Tips for Surviving Unemployment
Unemployment is not a great place to be. In fact, it feels horrible. Knowing that you are no longer wanted or needed at your place of employment is only compounded by being reliant on your government for sustenance. But in some instances, this can be a great place to reset your career.
Continue reading “Tips for Surviving Unemployment”Embracing our New Remote Lifestyle
With the spread of COVID-19, nearly all digital teams are working remotely. Luckily for church communications workers, this is not a problem. Most of us can do our work anywhere there is an Internet connection. Many of us have already adapted to this “new normal”. But going forward, your operations should allow flexibility in work locations.
Continue reading “Embracing our New Remote Lifestyle”6 Ways to Turn Conferences into Meaningful Content
Training conferences are a great way to learn the latest trends and network with other professionals. They can also be a big investment for any church budget. No matter who attends, there are ways to turn that conference into great digital content. Here are 6 ideas for anyone attending a conference to create great content afterward.
Continue reading “6 Ways to Turn Conferences into Meaningful Content”Helping the Weak Links in Digital Ministry
What is the best way To build up your church communications team? How can you bolster the entire church technology community? There are many approaches you can take to these problems. I suggest by helping your weakest links first. This article delves into why.
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Equipping Parents and Teens for Social Media
Developing strong youth ministries is a priority at many churches today. Exploring social media ministry is a priority as well. Yet the combination of the teens on social media could prove to be dangerous. I suggest equipping parents and teens for social media, and its potential pitfalls. How can your church accomplish this? I feel the answer starts with well-educated parents, sound guidelines, and enforced policies. These will all help protect children while advancing your online ministries.
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Preventing Burnouts
If you are reading this article, I imagine you diligently work to make the best church website possible. You know the site will only be as good as you (and your team) make it. Yet if you are tired or frustrated, you will not perform well. I will admit that some of these tips do not seem like fun at first glance. I purposely avoided the obvious ideas of spending time with friends and/or family. This list is to re-energize your enthusiasm for promoting your church’s digital mission.
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Using Libraries to Speed Up Website Creation
When dealing with limited resources such as time and personnel, you need to work smarter as well as harder. One key to gaining this efficiency is to not duplicate work. By creating a digital asset once and reusing it, you not only gain speed, but also consistency. This article will discuss several areas of website creation where libraries can be utilized to greatly increase how quickly you conceptualize and create websites.
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CWS Podcast – Ep. 48: Equip Members and Engage the World
The first time I tried to take the Gospel into the world was very scary. I was in my early teens and was handing out flyers for my church’s Vacation Bible School. We decided to target our surrounding neighborhood, going door-to-door with small pamphlets. I recall only one feeling, fear. What if they want to talk to me? What do I say? I was ill prepared to say the least. I was pretty lucky and the vast majority of houses had nobody home. My hope is that you utilize your church’s website to better prepare your members for engaging the world in a discussion about the church and Jesus.
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Why Your Church Needs UX
User Experience, and it is a growing field in the digital world. While many aspects of websites focus on the amazing technologies that support it, UX turns the lens back on the people using them. UX attempts to tie your church’s strategic goals to the people you are trying to reach. A practitioner attempts to not only make those connections work, but making them meaningful. This is the key reason why your church needs UX.
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Why I Stopped Coding Websites
Even if you are not technologically savvy, you know that website coding standards, design, and security best practices change at an alarming rate. I am asking that church leadership and website team leaders consider saving time and money by moving to a content management system (CMS). In this article I will explain the reasons why I stopped coding websites and focused on producing quality content for my audience.
Church Mobile Web Strategy: Mobile Devices
When new technology arrives on the scene, some sit back and see what happens, while others rush in to explore. Due to limited resources, many churches have hung back from exploring how their church should represent themselves in the mobile space. Unfortunately now there are so many mobile devices, operating systems, and screen resolutions that formulating a strategy seems more difficult than ever. This article series examines many aspects of the mobile space and hopefully will help you decide what approach is best for your church.
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