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Easy as Typing a Page

Create Your Own Website  

by John F. Miller

 “A website?? They are expensive. They take too much time. I wouldn’t know the first thing to do with one. We can’t get those around here. Our church never had a website before! The Internet is just a fad. Why would we want one? Websites are for big churches or churches in big cities.” And on and on . . . the Internet has connected people around the world to share information, opinion and more. However, the Internet has also created a “Have and Have-not” mentality in some folks. This is true in many churches. The task of creating, updating and maintaining a website for the church is just one more task placed on an overburdened staff or congregation or budget, and often all three.

Fear not! Websites for churches can be inexpensive, low-maintenance and as simple to set up as typing a letter. You need not be a computer genius to get involved and many organizations seek to make sure your website is visible and easy to find. The Communication Services Committee of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches wants to encourage our member churches to get involved in the Internet. We can help you build a website that will be inviting, informative and effective at presenting your church family to the web-surfing public. It is so easy to do that before this article is finished, we will have created a basic website together!

For the past several years, the Communication Services Committee has honored churches that have had creative and informative newsletters and church bulletins. We have shared these honors with others so that ideas could be gathered from churches across the country. During this upcoming year, we pledge to do the same for websites. There will be a contest culminating in web awards at next year’s Annual Meeting in Spokane, Washington. There will be two basic categories of awards and these will help us to take a look at website utility.

The first category will be for churches using pre-formatted websites. These are found in a variety of places on the web and will be the version used during our article today. The American Bible Society has sponsored one such website called ForMinistry.com. It offers three different options for church information, ranging from a one-page information sheet, a three-page brochure style site, or a six-to-sixteen page more elaborate creation. You can start with any one of these designs and upgrade to a more advanced site at any time.

The second category of websites in our contest will be for churches creating their own websites using Internet space and original or commercial formats. Like most things in our modern world, websites can be as complicated, expensive and involved as you would like them to be. Our committee will look at many different examples of sites that may require some time, investment and expertise. We applaud churches with the resources to step out on their own on the web. At the same time, we want to make the web available for all, and even a church with its own website can add a site at a place like ForMinistry.com and create a link to a more elaborate site.

So let’s get started!! The first step on ForMinistry.com is to register as the editor of your church’s website. All you need is basic Internet access to register. Please make sure that your church knows that you are doing this so that you can avoid conflicting editors or sites. This also will enable people to get you information to post, feedback on the site and to promote the site on church letterhead, business cards, signs, bulletins, newsletters and other information sources. You simply enter your e-mail address, your church’s name and location and create a password so that your work will be kept secure. As you enter your information, you are guided to a second page.

Here is where it begins to get a little more exciting. You get to decide a layout and color pattern for your site. Things begin to take some shape on the screen for you. At this point on ForMinistry.com, there is a screen that asks for a very simple statement of faith about scripture. ForMinistry.com is sponsored by the American Bible Society, and a non-threatening agreement about the Bible is requested before your site can be fully launched. Read it carefully and check the box if you are comfortable with it.

After you have made your way through that agreement, you will present a Welcome Message and Mission Statement from your church. If you don’t have a Mission Statement, simply leave the box blank. The rest of the website is either boxes to fill with brief statements about your services, ministries, location, building and more, along with multiple choice boxes to check. The whole process took me about 15 minutes and the results can be seen at www.ForMinistry.com/49128CCF. You will certainly learn enough there to attend a service at our church next Sunday if you were in the area. I have left the basic page in place that I created during the writing of this article.

ForMinistry.com and others like it offer a basic web presence for no cost. I could have added up to ten more pages to my site for free as well, but chose to leave it simple for your consideration. These additional pages are optional and some or all of them might speak to your church’s needs and abilities. Just keep track of anything that involves a date or special event so your information does not get old and you are all set. People who view the site will be able to provide feedback through any e-mail address listed or to your address as the editor. There are a variety of sites like this listed in the box accompanying this article. They are separated by free and pay options, and you are encouraged to consider them all to decide which one(s) might be right for you. Remember to set up a simple site even if you have a site already so you can link to these easy and accessible pages.

To add a little flair to your site, see pages like www.hosea.co.uk, which seeks to help church websites be more useful and informative. They provide simple ways to count the guests on your site, or provide space for messages and more. www.yellowstone.net/baptist/websiteresources.htm will provide some similar resources from a Baptist perspective. members.aol.com/crossnetus/webmaster.html will give you lots of information about web hosting and the possibilities for more elaborate sites. Microsoft Frontpage and other publishing software can help set up a site. “Dummies” books, web tutorials and more can add to the fine-tuning of your site, but just know that basic options are out there for you. 

If you have additional ideas and information to share, please use the www.naccc.org message boards and do so. This article is not intended to provide every detail about web production, but only to take the “fear factor” out of getting involved on the Internet. If we share our ideas and resources, including links between our member churches and our national website, then we can strengthen each other in our efforts to reach out in this computer age.

For details about the 2001-2002 website competition sponsored by the Communication Services Committee, watch the naccc.org website of course! Rules, standards and the method for registering your site will be listed there. In the meantime, get your church on the web! If you are there already, take a look at these new ways to get involved or add to your current site. And show off your efforts to all in the new website contest for 2002.

Rev. John F. Miller, the vice-chairman of the Communication Services Committee, is a Congregational minister.

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