I graduated from seminary in 2006 and was shortly thereafter appointed to my first church as the Minister of Business and Administration. (I bet you didn’t even know that business and administration had to be ministered to!) Seriously, how fancy does that title sound? At 24 years of age, I was really into titles. I have since learned that titles aren’t nearly as important as I originally thought. These days, rather than being cute and silly with titles, I prefer to just stick with the basics. Banker. Doctor. Pastor.

Overseeing the website was one of the responsibilities I inherited in my first role as a pastor. This church kinda had a website. You remember when businesses and institutions kinda had a website? The internet (and our ability to communicate over it) has come a long way over the past 11 years.

The tools for online communication are always changing. Fads have come and gone. Having an app for your church was a fad that continues to limp along. Now many of these mobile “apps” are simply a portal to a mobile-friendly website. Various social media platforms rise and fall in popularity. It can become overwhelming as you attempt to effectively share your story online.

The need for a well designed website is one piece that has not changed.

At Pro Church Tools, Brady Shearer shares that nearly half of all people say a website’s design is their number one criterion for determining the credibility of an organization. Wow! The website is the cover by which your book is judged these days. Similarly, 94% of people cite poor web design as the reason they mistrusted or rejected a website.

For local churches specifically, 46% of church attenders said that a church’s website was important in choosing a church to visit. Therefore, the number one goal for a local church in developing a web presence has to be making it intriguing and compelling for the visitor. Technology gives our society the opportunity to immediately “check out” whoever and whatever we want at any time.

I would even say that nearly all people who are looking for a church will look at the website before ever thinking about showing up in person. This might not apply to friends, neighbors, or co-workers who are invited and actually attend with a regular church goer. When people are looking for a church, however, the web is the first place they turn.

At 801South, we recently redesigned our website. I say “we” but the truth is that our incredibly dedicated volunteer, Kim McGee, has given hundreds of hours serving as the 801South web developer. Kim (along with Ryan Devenney, the 801South Music and Media Director) has given tremendous thought to the potential impact our site can have on people who are not yet a part of the 801South community. I am so grateful for her efforts! Kim carefully considers how she can design the site to make it more compelling, intriguing, and helpful to all who visit the site. She’s a pro!

The site Kim has put together is an incredibly useful platform that serves the purpose of being a front door to people who come across it. Like all of our online efforts, the new site will always be a work in process. Check out the latest iteration for yourself at 801south.org.