Often churches take donations to purchase flowers for the altar; and a dedication is mentioned in the bulletin that week. Other churches may have a fundraiser where members purchase a brick that is inscribed with a loved one’s name. Tributes and memorials are way to honor and remember important people in our lives. Why not tie in your website so that memorials also live in the digital space.
Category: Inspiration
Bible verses, sermons, movies, podcasts, and even cartoons; inspiration can be found anywhere. Here are articles that touch a wide variety of topics. But they all follow a theme in that they were inspired by something.
Pause for a Cause
During a recent trip to Disney World I noted a few things that translated to an article on church websites. This article is about how to help your audience pause at the right spot to notice something on your website. This pause will help them focus on something important, and hopefully cause them to take action.
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A Year in Review: 2012
By the grace of God I have been writing this blog for one full year. Every Friday morning I published an article about creating, running, or maintaining a church website. With this anniversary I would like to reflect on what the past year has brought me, and what I hope to pursue in the future.
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A Website that Deals with Sin and Shame
The forgiveness of sin by faith in Jesus is an essential foundation of Christianity. Some non-believers think they have sinned too much to be a Christian. Yet this is not the only obstacle they face. A staggering number of men and women feel they cannot have a relationship with God because of sins committed against them. Websites need to not only address how we can be cleansed of the sins we commit, but also the heavy baggage of shame for those committed against us.
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It is Never Too Late to Start
Newsflash: you do not need to be young to work with technology. Basic computer skills and a can-do attitude can put nearly anyone in charge of the daily maintenance of your church’s website. Here are some tips and encouragement to get volunteers of any age involved and engaged.
Inspire Confidence on your Website
What if your pastor’s sermon had no major points, no reference to scripture, and no relevance to your daily lives? What if they wore a distracting outfit, talked too quietly, and stuttered? I doubt that pastor’s preaching career would last very long. So why would it be OK for your website to do the same thing? Create good looking, recently updated, relevant websites and you will inspire confidence in your visitors.
Safety Net for Suffering
God does not let people suffer right? Consider the life of Job, the persecution of Paul, and the betrayal of Jesus. Honestly, it is a difficult sales pitch to convince someone to convert to Christianity and enjoy an eternal life in heaven, at the expense of the possibility of more suffering in this life on earth. So how can we show our support on our websites?
Fasting and your Website
Fasting and prayer is the discipline of doing without earthly sustenance and replacing it with God’s. How does this apply to your website? Try replacing something man-made with something that is from God. It is often hard to let go, get out of the way, and let the Lord work. So I challenge you to take a stance with a bold statement. Remove things from your homepage that are “of this world”. Allow people to set their eyes on the person who will ultimately change their life, Jesus.
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Church Websites and Star Wars?
Yes I am writing about Star Wars on my church website blog… trust me, it is relevant! Star Wars is arguably one of the most successful science fiction movie franchises in history. However, the announcement of re-releasing the films in 3D was met with far less excitement. Fans of the originals do not like “their movies” tampered with. How does this tie to your church’s website? Just because a new technology becomes available, does not mean you need to force it into your existing website.
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Inspiration from a Conversation
I started this blog with an article about conversations, and I feel compelled to revisit the topic. Often everyday experiences can be leveraged for writing. In this case, a quick conversation and questions that arose from it made me think about what can be lost in translation. The weakest form of communication, writing, is what we primarily rely on for our websites. A renewed focus on your church website’s content may help improve your message, and further the Gospel.
Always ask WIFM?
When discerning the future of your church, many people would suggest asking yourself “What Would Jesus Do?”, or WWJD? When designing your webs site, you need to consider it from your user’s perspective. One question they are undoubtedly asking is WIFM?, or “What’s In It For Me?” Your website should always be communicating the value that your church and a Christ-centered life can provide them.
Let Love Shine on Your Church Web Site
Although the drivers for my ideas and topics for this blog come from secular sources; you must not forget that your church’s website is a marketing tool for the Kingdom of God. Just like how Jesus commanded us to be different from the world, so must your website. E-commerce sites do everything they can to highlight key features a product. One key feature of Christianity is Christ’s love, so show it on your website in as many ways as possible.
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