Church Website Design Q&A with Pastor Rich Schmidt of Living Hope
ByRich Schmidt of Living Hope Community Church in Valparaiso, Ind., completed my Web site design questionnaire (online form here). I’m pleased to post his answers to those questions here.
Rich is using WordPress to use his blog. I’m really fond of WordPress (I use it here) and want to explore the possibilities of using it as a content management system to run church websites like Rich is doing (and Micah too). There are literally thousands of free “themes” or templates available for WP, and many of them could be customized for use on a local church site.
Here’s Rich’s answers:
How did your current web design come about?
I’m using WordPress, so I found an existing theme with features I wanted and then modified it to my liking.
Who was involved in the design?
Basically just me. Plus the designer of the original theme, of course.
Who manages it now? How?
I (the pastor) do. It’s WordPress, so it’s a snap.
What is your goal or purpose for your web site?
1. To give people in our community a sense of who we are and what to expect if they were to visit one of our services or events. So it communicates basic information (when, where, what to expect) and gives people a sense of who we are.
2. To enhance participation by people in our church by providing a central, up-to-date place to find info, plus providing space for people to interact with the weekend messages (using blog comments, basically).
What should web sites accomplish for churches?
At the very least, it should communicate basic information, like a yellow pages ad. Beyond that, it should give a sense of the church’s personality or culture. Ideally it’s continually updated and not just static. And if you want, you can create space for people to interact (forums, blogs, etc).
What trends do you see in church design?
I see a move toward interaction, as well as a huge increase in presenting media (video, audio, podcasts, etc).
Any advice for other churches? Or other thoughts?
Go beyond the free stuff. Get your own domain name and your own hosting. Great hosting plans are available for cheap (less than $10/month). Don’t start from scratch. Use existing tools (like WordPress or some other blogging/CMS software) and existing designs (themes, templates, etc), and then customize from there.
[Thanks, Rich, blog on, rock on!]
See all the Q&As in the Building Rockin’ Church Websites here.
Ha! Too funny to see my responses to your questionnaire alongside responses from true web design talents. I’m just a church plant pastor who knows enough about computers & the interwebs to be dangerous.
FWIW, I try to keep our church website looking like a more traditional website and NOT like a blog. It’s fairly easy to do with WordPress. Unfortunately, this approach doesn’t seem to be common among churches using blogging software as their framework. So I imagine some churches get scared off from using something like WordPress because they “don’t want a blog.” Maybe our church’s website can help alleviate some of those fears…?
Also, most of the pastors I bump into are in smaller churches with very limited funds. Some of them, in their attempts to get SOMETHING online have either (1) gone the totally free route & ended up with something that looks bad and is hard to find, with a URL like mychurch.somethingorother.com/~je1219 or (2) been suckered into paying WAY too much for a church-targeted hosting plan that includes some unimpressive “Build Your Own Website Fast!” tools. Neither one is a good idea. If you don’t have a web geek in your church or circle of friends, and can’t afford to hire one, then learn a little about WordPress, spend a little money on a cheap hosting plan & domain name, and make yourself a fantastic looking site that you can keep updated with very little effort. It’s really not that hard.
Thanks for all you do here, Cory, to help guys like me get a little better at what we’re trying to do!
Sounds like great advice. Thanks!