THE IMPORTANCE OF A CHURCH WEB

STRATEGY

By Stephen Morrissey@SBMorrissey

Overview

•What is a web strategy•Connecting web strategy to church strategy

•A real world example•Do not forget the user•Action plan

Your Church Web Strategy

“The wholistic plan for accomplishing your church’s objectives using web technologies”

CONNECTING THE DOTS

Making sure the right things are driving your website forward

What is driving your website?

•Scripture is the root•The church executes with the help of the Word and the Spirit

•Various ministries and functions support the church’s endeavors; one is the website

Digging a little deeper

•The website supports one or two of the church’s strategic objectives

•Various tactical solutions make that happen•These often take the shape of functionality and content

•Unfortunately, many people start with these•What do these functionalities look like?

SOME NON-EXAMPLES

A few things you should not do

“I think our church needs a website”Too often, we rush into creating a website without considering why we need it, who we want to reach with it, and how it will support our church. Often, you end up with an expensive digital brochure that talks at and not to visitors.

“We need to be on Facebook”Avoid creating accounts on social media platforms with no clear objectives, measures of success, or even purpose. This quickly devolves into a sporadic posting schedule and a general loss in interest.

“It’d be awesome to have an app”There are many approaches to getting your message on mobile devices, and it is often difficult to implement properly.

While an iOS or Android native application seems interesting, a mobile-friendly website solves 90% of the problem

Fun Fact: Cell phones have been browsing the web since 1999

“Can we post the weekly bulletin?”While it is not a bad idea, you can integrate and bolster your church operations far more effectively than just posting your weekly announcements online.

Depending on church goals, you can blur the lines of digital and analog at many of the interaction points your congregation encounters before, during, and after a service.

A BETTER EXAMPLE

A concrete example of connecting your website to church strategy

Church Goal: Reduce Operating Costs•This is a shorter, one year goal•By reducing operating costs, we remove some pressure from the congregation to donate

•We are also demonstrating good financial stewardship and discipline

•How can the website support this?

Web Goal: Reduce Operating Costs•Children’s ministry pages have calls to action soliciting volunteers

•Schedule volunteers digitally, with more efficient communication

•Allow members to opt-in for electronic communications instead of mail / paper

•Create mobile-friendly bulletins for online viewing before, during, & after services

•Digital fundraiser sign-up sheets, and utilize collaboration apps to coordinate donations

It Rolls Up

•Note that various ministries still get to push their own agendas and messages

•The children’s ministry will still talk about that ministry, with reducing operating costs as second priority.

•Of course you will need to balance page objectives, but this is a way that every page / section of the website can support a primary church goal

Another Consideration

•While all of these goals do drive your church website, one aspect has been conspicuously absent until now.

•Your visitors / customers / users are a driving force in determining the site’s features as well.

•Balancing business goals with your visitor’s needs is the second half of this dance

REMEMBER YOUR AUDIENCE

Balance business wants against customer needs to create a great experience

The customer’s voice

•Remember that it cannot be just about what the church wants

•Use tools like new member interviews, congregation surveys, and personas to determine what website users want

•Always ask what customer group you are serving by adding a piece of content or functionality

ACTION PLANPut ideas into motion

Decide and Document

•Pray•Press leadership to determine your 1, 3, and 5 year goals

•Pick one or two of those goals to guide your website

•Inventory your website and connect each piece of content and functionality to a goal

•Where appropriate, examine how each area can retain its own individual goals, while supporting the church’s

•If possible, note how those the content & functionality meet’s a user’s need

Analyze and Act

•Where can you add new functionality and content?

•What website features can you remove or make less prominent; reducing clutter and noise

•Chunk out the site into project sized pieces and get to work

•After each project, test the site as a whole to ensure there is consistency and good flow

•Pray for next steps

Review

•What is a web strategy•Connecting web strategy to church strategy•A real world example•Do not forget the user•Action plan

Thank you!

Stephen Morrissey

www.StephenBMorrissey.com

@SBMorrissey

Church Web Strategies

www.ChurchWebStrategies.org

@ChurchWebStrats