10 Easy Ways to Keep Me from Visiting Your Church Because I Visited Your Website
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Thu, July 14, 2005
- Viewed 93
- (19) comments so far
- Avoid telling me what's going to happen at your church this weekend. I found churches that had weather reports but nothing about their upcoming weekend service. I found two churches that had prominent information about upcoming golf scrambles (which I appreciated as a golfer), but nothing about this weekend's service. Why would I come if I don't know what I'm going to experience?
- Put a picture of your building on the main page. After all, ministry is all about the buildings.
- Use lots of purple and pink and add pictures of flowers. Really. Are you expecting any men to show up? And, for my benefit, please don't put any doves on your website. Doves scare me.
- Make me click a "skip intro" or "enter site" link. I don't have time for that and it's very annoying. If I have to wait for something to load or have to click around intro pages to get to the real information, I'm probably going to skip your church service.
- Add as many pictures and graphics as you can to the main page. My life is already complicated. I don't have time to figure out what's important at your church. If you dump everything on the main page, I'm assuming you don't know what's important either.
- Use amateur photography. And, for the record, it would be helpful to have at least one normal looking person on your site. Do us all a favor and hire a graphic designer, a professional photographer or purchase some stock photography.
- List every single ministry you have at your church. Frankly, I don't care what ministries you have. I just want to know whether or not I should visit your church this weekend. My first step isn't the men's Bible study or joining your church's prayer partners ministry.
- Make it as difficult as possible for me to get directions, services times, or find information about what will happen with my kids. It's important that my kids have a great experience. If you can't convince me that that will happen, I'm probably not going to risk visiting your service.
- Put a picture of your pastor with his wife on the main page. That tells me it's all about a personality, and I see enough of those people on television. I actually found one church that had not one but two pictures of the senior pastor on the main page. He was looking mighty dapper, though, in his fancy suit.
- Try to sell your church rather than telling me how I will benefit from the experience. I don't care how great your church is. I just want to know if visiting your church will help me and my unchurched friends take our next steps toward Christ.
Anyone's website guilty?
Todd
My friend, Tony Morgan, from Granger Community Church recently posted his top ten ways to keep him from visiting your church after he checked out your church’s website. This is some good stuff…
Comments
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rev-ed on Thu, July 14, 2005
So, a church’s website should be simply a listing of service times for the weekend and nursery information?
Some of these I can agree with, but shouldn’t a website list the various ministries of the church? Shouldn’t there be a picture of the building (because, like it or not, we are judged by our physical plant)? Shouldn’t there be a pic of the pastor (since potential visitors always want to know about the pastor - age, family, long-winded, etc.)
For the record, my church has no website. I’m not sure what it would look like if I put one up.
Brad on Thu, July 14, 2005
Joel Osteen’s church attendance hasn’t suffered due to his picture plastering technique…While I agree lousy websites are a turnoff…As an avid churchsite surfer I think the list is a bit “megachurch over dramatic”
Ben E. on Thu, July 14, 2005
Another “winner” is the “site underconstruction” note that stays there for weeks or even months on end. It’s better to just delete that page until someone’s ready to keep it updated.
Also, to go to a church site that has the information listed in the artical BUT, it’s for your worship service back in MAY! I know, we did that! Not inviting.
My thought, Ben E.
William Blair on Thu, July 14, 2005
Essentially, Todd shed light on the prevailing attitude that most Western Christians bring to the church. That attitude is that it’s about the worship or church consumer. The unwritten message here is that churches really need to serve the Christian and that most Christians are in the mood to get rather than to give. Understandibly, consumerism is a major part of the American culture. We generally approach all of our institutions with the attitude that it must serve us with bigger and better or we’ll go elsewhere. With this in mind we might treat the church in the same manner as we treat the local discount store or a competetive market. This might be a valid strategy for the church focused on attracting the unbelieving world but its my impression taht most churches are simply recycling vagabond Christians. Obviously, I have a problem with the underlying attitude of the Christian who comes to the table demanding services. It reflects low-end maturity. Such an attitude is foundational and, perhaps proper in many facits of our free-market economy. However, can we at least look again at scripture? Is that the attitude that a believer should have when looking for a church home?
BeHim on Thu, July 14, 2005
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mark on Fri, July 15, 2005
Yes and no. I believe our church has a decent site, some of the suggestions are great, and I will try to impliment some of them now that we are in the process of a redesign.
http://www.calvarymiamilakes.com
Derrick on Fri, July 15, 2005
So…just having looked at your website…You’re Guilty!
What’s with the pink flower pic? For that matter all the pics? Come on now…
Pat on Sat, July 16, 2005
Although I agree with most, I disagree with number 7. We’ve looked at church websites to decide if we want to visit or to decide if we want to apply for a position. The ministries listed is very important to me it. It tells the priorities: outreaches, ministry to the poor, prayer. I’m looking for a place to get involved. So as an intercessor, I’m looking at prayer ministries. The one that impressed me the most had a pastor of prayer.
Ron on Sat, July 16, 2005
We often recognize a church by what their buildings look like. What is so wrong with a picture of the building so that a prospective vistor can know what they are looking for when they pass our meeting place. I understand that it should not be the focal point of who we are, but maybe a picture of people coming out or going in would solve both issues?? Just a thought. My number one issue with church web sites is the incredible lack of professional looking designs and timely updating. Take BeHim up on his offer or find one of the thousands of others doing web design and make your site look good. We, as a church, do represent the King of Kings and in so doing we should at least look good. Most churches don’t have the time or staff to keep their sites as up to date as they would like, so pick the important things and do them well and leave the rest to the bulletin on Sunday. May the Lord forgive us for representing Him poorly, myself most definitely included.
Ellen on Sun, July 17, 2005
The very first comment asked about listing ministries - my church’s website has a dropdown menu that covers most things that are “no-no’s” - that way, if you’re looking for it, it’s there, if not, you don’t have to wade through it.
I’d add another “no-no” - if you add photos of people, don’t make them “cookie cutter” (unless you want your church to be “cookie cutter”)
If you want to attract all “two-parent families, with 2.4 kids, a dog and a white picket fence”, by all means, make sure that’s the only kind of family you have in your photo. If you want to welcome single parents, elderly, people with special physical needs, etc…include them in your photos.
David S. on Mon, July 18, 2005
I agree with most of it, except # 2 - which is the one about putting a picture of your church on the main page.
To be honest, many people form a first impression of your church by the way it looks on the outside. It’s not “fleshly,” it’s human. We’re wired that way.
Also, when looking for an unfamiliar address in an unfamiliar location, many times it helps to have a description of what the building looks like. A picture is the perfect way to take the “mystery” out of finding you. Yes, some might say, “if someone doesn’t recognize a church, then they’ve got bigger issues…” But really, some churches today don’t even look like churches. What about storefronts, etc…
I think having a picture of the church on the main page is ESSENTIAL. It helps form that first impression and it helps one feel more comfortable about finding you when they attend for the first time.
Jasper on Tue, July 19, 2005
I also agree with some but think you are off base in a few areas. One, Please list every ministry. I want to know what the church is doing. I want to make an educated choice in where I spend a Sunday.
Second I HATE stock photos. Who are those people in them? Just the impression I want to give to someone interested in my church—- “Come here we are all model perfect.” I agree the photos should be as professional as possible but I want to see people on your page that I am actually going to see at your church.
I agree with the others who have said a picture of the church isn’t such a bad idea either. It does help to locate and all that stuff.
I also agree with the poster who complained about the under construction thing. I say if your link is not ready don’t put it up there. I also HATE broken picture links. Double check and make sure everything works please!
Thought provoking article though. Thanks.
Tom on Mon, July 25, 2005
It sounds to me like the real solution is to have two web sites…one for non-members (or put another way, future members) and the other for members. Those two groups have significantly different needs. The members site MUST list everything you do, and in an easy to find format. If it takes more than 2 clicks to find what you want, it doesn’t exist.
Thanks for the article. It got me thinking. I think I’ll suggest 2 different sites for our church. (OK, in reality, there might just be a single link off the public site that redirects you to the internal site.)
John Daly on Thu, August 04, 2005
And the number one reason (for me) is that you don’t tell me what you believe! Why is it so hard to find the statement of faith on some websites? Are they ashamed of the cross?
Ray R. Harris on Mon, August 08, 2005
Isn’t it amazing that there’s such a diversity of responses to Tony’s web musings?
Does it reflect the fact that the “marketplace” perhaps is just as diversified?
My thoughts?
Your webpage reflects your church. If it isn’t doing that then it needs a change.
Tony would have been better off to address the relationship between the church and it’s site than to have given advice on what kind of church to be.
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