Your precious money put in the church plate goes for a website? Oh, no!!

Your precious money put  in the  church plate

goes for  a website? Oh no!

Church websites are so, sooooo boring!  And so useless!  

Typically   you’ll see  the same  old   pages at the top:

Staff         Worship        Outreach     Calendar

 Why useless?   Active members never look.  Why?  Active members know what’s going on having been to their church  recently. As for what’s really going on behind the scene — well that’s never put up on the church  website.  You have to be ‘in the know’.

Why boring?   Little is put up on a church website that’s really interesting or entertaining.God forbid!

Have you ever seen photos of who is holding who’s  hands in church?

No.   Church website typically show photos of persons who made the largest donations.

Gee whiz.  How exciting. There’s another picture of so and so who gave the most money  last year.

What might   be interesting,  entertaining or useful  to find on a church website?   How about ….

Jobs!       Gossip & News!       Weekly Raffle!    TakeAway!

 Now people  — active and thinking about attending —  might read those pages.  These pages are appropriate and fun.  

 

 Jobs! The priest / pastor’s job is to equip the  Christian Saints.  And that means that each and every  Christian Saint has a job or several jobs to do.  What spiritual gifts do  you have as a Saint or becoming Saint?  

 So yes — Jobs!  That Page could be at the top of  your church website.    

Gossip and News!  Why that’s the life blood for  some and it can be quite entertaining to read.   Gossip is rumors and chatty information: A man named Jesus was seen hanging out with women who are not his sisters … Will that pass for gossip? Or, how about this:    there’s rumors that so and so  was seen near Safeway in #Aptosia   helping a wheel chair bound lady …. See picture on Twitter!  Add your  own fun gossip and news!

 Weekly Raffle!   So “old” and “new” check in to see who won what and what’s up there next week. People have to find out via their computer to know if they won. Post what’s freely offered  via  a weekly raffle by posting on SantaCruzCountyFreecycle:

https://groups.freecycle.org/group/SantaCruzCountyFreecycle/posts/all

Why not use church parking lots for a barter/ exchange so people can get and give stuff easily and safely?    For example, right now we’re  looking for a free  redwood picnic table for use at #AptosCommunityGarden .  So, there’s a post listed up there.

 

TakeAway!   So what did you “TakeAway” from the weekly sermon/ homily?   Church websites typically are  one-way advertisements. Churches  put out “their message”.

Want to know what those in the pew thought of what someone said from the pulpit?  Let the pew sitters say what they “Takeaway”. Make the website interactive.

Let people  post “TakeAway”  as to what they heard.  Or thought they heard. Permit conversation right there on the website.  Wonder whether “old” and “new” might check in to see what others thought?  You bet they will check in.

It’s really too bad that most church websites are largely  useless for attracting people to walk in the door ….. or hang outside where the food/ coffee might be!  

Why are so many church websites so useless?    Take a look at them.

  Is there a Contact Form?   Nope. There could be.   Here’s one example for an Episcopal church:     

Does your  church  website have a contact page or better yet specific contact forms which  say: 

HELLO! to the person landing on that specific webpage!

For example.  Say a person goes to the church website and then “hits” on the Sunday School page.  

A contact form could say —  Hi!  Are you interested in the Sunday School as you have children?  Fill out this form and someone from Sunday School will answer your questions within the next 24 hours ….

Quite a few persons  looking to attend a faith based community has skills already developed and probably has skills which could be developed.

So  yes — have contact forms which  inquire what skills that person already has.  And might like to develop.

For God’s sake, show an interest in that particular, unique person!

How about a Contact Form that says:   Hi! Tell us a little about your skills –which you have?  want to develop?

We  will get back to you how you can use  your skills or grow your skills.

This Christian community has a special  job for each person!  

A recent look at  websites for several  Christian churches located   in Aptos, CA  shows no Contact Forms.  Take a look and see.  

 http://resurrection-aptos.org/

http://www.aptoschurch.org 

http://www.st-john-aptos.org 

Want to attract people?  Put  on your church website specific Contact Forms that attract people (“old” and “new”) to  smell the roses, slow down,  focus on what’s important.  And have fun!    Make it easy for new people to let others know about the skills and interests they have.  Make it easy for people  to want to go in that door ….

….  for nourishment needed   to go out  in the world and share God’s love.

Yes, take that   money that goes for  your church website and make sure that  it’s spent better.  

Have  specific Contact Forms that actually say Hello!  Tell us a little about yourself so  that we can get back to you and answer your  specific questions.