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Free christian web templates
For the past few months, members of your congregation have been asking why the church doesn't have a web site yet. Frankly, despite your good intentions, there just hasn't been time to get anything started. Asking yourself a few simple questions can help you begin planning that web site-one that will support your church's ministry.
First, who is going to do it?
Can you do the work yourself? Chances are that you have some web-savvy people in your church who would gladly volunteer to put together a site. If you rely on volunteers, just make sure they know what they are doing and will commit to updating the site at least once a week.
If you have someone on staff already producing your church's print publications, and who has time to take on extra responsibilities, maybe you can get that person trained in the necessary web tools. Classes taught by an instructor certified by one of the software companies cost big bucks, as much as $500 to $750 each. But similar classes at a community college or the training center at a local computer store typically cost in the $100-$250 range.
Anything much more than basic web page design, though, is probably best left to outside experts. Maybe you want to put your church services' audio or video on your web site. Or you want to offer real-time credit card transactions for your church bookstore. Unless you have a technically proficient webmaster, it's best to farm our those jobs.
Second, what tools do you need?
If you decide to develop a site yourself, you'll minimally need a good web page layout program. At the top end are programs such as Macromedia Dreamweaver and Adobe GoLive. Each works something like a desktop publishing program, letting you drag and drop to move objects around on your web page. In my experience, GoLive has an easier learning curve, though Dreamweaver gives you a bit more finesse. Macromedia offers discounts to churches. If your church sponsors a school, it should qualify for Adobe's academic discounts. Check a discount reseller such as Consistent Computer Bargains (800-342-4222; www.1 computerbargains.com).
Some other programs lack the bells and whistles, but are OK for putting together a simple web site. Microsoft Frontpage and NetObject Fusion both offer canned templates that you can modify to quickly put together a web site.
Any photo editing program, including low-cost gems like Paint Shop Pro, will work to prepare photos and simple graphics. Maybe, though, you want to create more sophisticated graphics, say "rollovers," where clicking on one image brings up another image. If so, do yourself a favor and invest in a program especially designed for making web graphics. Here, too, Macromedia and Adobe have the best tools, with Fireworks and ImageReady, respectively. Fireworks is a better deal if you only need to prepare graphics for the web. ImageReady is bundled with the latest version of Adobe Photoshop. The latter package costs more, but it can be used to produce images for both print and the web.
Third, what should it look like? What your site should look like depends on what your congregation looks like. Consider the web site for Mars Hill Fellowship (www.marshillchurch.org) in Seattle. The congregation is in a hightech region, and it shows on the web site. Rich with layered images and rollovers, this site is a great example of how to make illustrations look good-and how to march the look to the audience, a culturally and apologetically minded congregation. Other sites are more casual looking. For example, the one for Point of Grace Church in West Des Moines, Iowa (www.pointofgrace.org) , uses a basic vertical design with plenty of white space. Whatever the look, ideally your site will match the character-and ministry-of your congregation.
Here are some other points to consider:
Preplan your site structure. Put information for each "page" on your site on an index card and lay them out like you think they should be logically linked.
Gather all the necessary ingredients. These might include a mission statement, any artwork (such as a logo, photo of the church, and map giving directions to it), and contact information.
Put menu choices on the home page, and offer some on the other pages on your site, too.
Keep the graphics tasteful, if not understated. Not everyone's idea of a good web site is an Internet version of the flashing lights and marquees along a strip in downtown Las Vegas.
Provide something uplifting for visitors to the site, such as a thought for the day. To build a sense of community for your church members, perhaps post photos of recent church events.
Provide links to other sites. Your denominations offices and agencies may be on the Internet. Young people will appreciate links to Christian musicians and groups. Several searchable Bibles are also on the Internet. You could provide links to such sites as Bible Study Tools (www.biblestudytools.net), the Unbound Bible (unbound.biola.edu), and the Biblical Studies Foundation (www.bible.org).
If your site is relatively small, you can use the web space that the church or a church member has with a local ISP or online service. Free or low-cost space might also be available from your denomination. Some organizations, such as ForMinistry.corn (www.forministry.com), sponsored by the American Bible Society, also offer some free space to churches.
List your web site where people doing searches can find it. Most search engines have a form for submitting your URL. So, too, do some Christian web sites. For an easily remembered URL, register a domain name with a service such as Network Solutions (www.networksolutions.com).
Keep your site current, with bulletins, calendars, and devotionals or homilies.
If you have sensitive information on your computer, such as financial transactions or communication with missionaries in countries hostile to evangelism, place a "firewall" between your server and any wouldbe hackers.
The bottom line is, don't put flash and technique before your message. But don't get left behind either in not taking advantage of this latest tool for evangelism and outreach.
by Marshall N. Surratt, publisher for a church in Dallas, Texas (mnsurratt@yahoo.com), and contributing columnist to Christianity Online (ChristianityOnline.com). He is currently developing a web site focusing on Bible study and Christian education (www.digitalword.org)
Copyright Logos Productions Inc. Jul 2000
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved
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