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.
First, schedule a break. This may seem obvious, but breaks do not happen unless you schedule them. Rarely will someone else realize you are getting burned out. I encouraged you to create a calendar for scheduling projects, upgrades, content updates, and social media posts. This is a perfect place to schedule a break. It does not have to be long, and often you can schedule certain things to happen so your audience is not even aware of your absence. By the way, I have taken several vacations during my 3+ years of writing this blog. I just wrote an article or recorded a podcast ahead of time to not disrupt the regular flow here.
Attend a Conference
One way to spend that break is to attend a web conference. I will be honest and admit that get fired up about the web when attend a conference. Many of you you do not have the time everyday to read a blog or listen to a podcast. Take a day or two and listen to lectures about the latest tools and techniques. They are also a great opportunity to meet others in the web community. It may surprise you to know how many web geeks are Christians. When they find out you work for a church, they may be more open and sharing with their tips and advice.
Continue Education
I am not asking you to start applying to colleges. As I mentioned in my article, education comes in many forms. If you cannot afford a conference, you can get the training brought to you. Nearly all conferences record their lectures, and many post them online for free consumption. Some require purchasing, but often it is a fraction of what attendance would cost. Plus if you project or display on a television, the entire team can enjoy this training. If you want something more active, you can check out online courses. Some that I would recommend are Treehouse and Lynda. If you know and like others, please share them in the comments below.
Rediscover Empathy
If you are not interested in bettering your web skills, perhaps another route is in order. Better understanding people is the other side of making a good website. Mission trips, volunteering with an organization, and outreach programs will all help you. By knowing a people group’s values and culture, you can better serve and love them. You can also make a better website for them. If there is a community you want to reach, volunteer, work part time, or visit one of their cultural hubs. This can be a community center, ethnic organization, or social space. By getting to know them you will have opportunities to share the Gospel, and also become the expert in creating their digital outreach.
Action Item
This is easy. Before you burn out and give up working on your church’s website. Schedule some time off so you are sure to do. If necessary, do extra work ahead of time and schedule it to publish or post in your absence. Then do something that will energize yourself. You can try one of the suggested ideas, or do your own thing. If you have a good idea, please share it with everyone in the comment. Regardless, take care of yourself and keep that desire to make awesome digital connections alive and well.
This article was inspired by the Church Marketing Podcast, “The You Episode“
Image courtesy of Stephen Davies
