I just posted some comments that would tie in with this conversation on my recommendation for CMS providers.

Again, there is NOTHING wrong with paying for a monthly service because:

1. You get training and technical support which you can’t usually get with open source or freeware. This is extremely valuable for people who are new to CMS, Web 2.0, or even the Internet.

2. A worker deserves their wages. If a company invests their time and money into a product they should be able to make a profit. There’s nothing wrong with this and for a church to NOT want to pay someone who earns a living from their talent is going against Scripture.

3. You almost always get what you pay for. I will ALWAYS say this and have heard so many horror stories to back it up.

My advice is if your church doesn’t have the money for a $300 monthly plan – don’t try and do it. Find something you can afford. If you can afford it, then it’s up to you to know if you are being the best steward of that resource.

A couple of quick clarifications…

@Mark & @Fernando
There are some great open source options out there. I decided not to focus on them because most of them require an install on the part of the webmaster. Many churches do not have a webmaster that can get this done, so it’s often better for them to use a hosted (and supported) solution. Whether using an open source solution, or a lease/purchased solution, the point remains that churches need to be using more CMSs.

@Michael
I like the concept of fitting the programming of the CMS to suit the needs of the design. One potential problem with that approach, however, is that if you change designs (which most good sites do every couple of years) you will have to change the CMS…a costly (time and money) proposition.

On your second point, CMSs can be costly, but I feel that the cost is justified when you consider all of the benefits of a hosted CMS. We have a great company (worth their weight), and they give us great support, but for the average user (that is, the average person posting content who isn’t a web developer by trade) there was quite a learning curve. I think the quality of the company doesn’t necessarily dictate the degree of learning curve.

Again, thanks for the dialog!

The solution is to fit the CMS to the design…create a unique infrastructure that fits and adapts to the design and flow that is created.

I absolutely agree that a leased CMS is costly…I know of churches that are spending over $300 a month (translate that to almost $4000) a year. It just doesn’t make sense. There are some GREAT leased services out there, I just don’t think their costs can be justified.

I think the learning curve is small…sure it’s there but any company worth it’s weight will walk you through it.

I don’t think any church should build a website without a CMS or someone on staff that has the experience and knowledge to make changes. If you do you’ll end up with a site that is announcing the Summer Picnic 04 in May 09. It’s a fast path to an outdated website both through content and presentation.