FLC Website — Part 1

1. FLC Website — Part 1 Brent Jacobs November 14, 2006

2. FLC Website Statement of Issue Faith currently has an excellent website, but it needs a thorough review and possibly redesign to ensure that we are maximizing its potential. Comment: As with Faith Alive, it looks like a small church website, but needs to look like the large church that we are.

3. Initial Activities: (March-July 2006) • Brainstorm what should really be on the site (March – July 2006) • Information for Potential / New Members • Basic Schedule info (service times, brief explanation, etc) • Information about Faith Lutheran church • Activities • Programs • History

4. Initial Activities: (March-July 2006) • Brainstorm continued • Information about LCMC • Information about what it means to be Lutheran • Theology • Principles • Guidelines • Offering • Norms • Etc. • Other

5. Initial Activities: (March-July 2006) • Dream what could be there if possible • Current Weekly activity schedule • Other • Review other sites out there • Attractions • Distractions • Negatives

6. Benchmark Websites • Benchmark with other web sites – how do we compare • Community of Joy, Glendale, AZ www.joyonline.org • Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, CA www.saddleback.com/flash/default.htm

7. FLC Website • Formulate initial plan for changes/improvements (August 2006) • Gather suggestions from council and members • See what is possible. Work with • Keith Bauer – internet possibilities and limitations • Church staff – capabilities, commitments, etc. • Formulate final plan and present to council for review and approval (January 2007)

8. Goals • More than just a photo album • God-ly, not “Gaudy” • Attract goats without repelling sheep • Useful content to • Attract • Inform • Guide • Encourage

9. FLC Website • Need a section to respond to current events, and educate • i.e. DaVinci Code • etc.

10. FLC Website • Define/ Explore How a website is • Designed • Launched • Loaded • Updated • Changed • Managed • Protected • Etc.

11. Website Want List for New Folks • Welcome / invitation • New worshipper sign-up / interest / contact link. • Church • Address • Phone • worship hours and styles • Congregation characteristics • Size • How many kids, middle age, families, elderly • Demographics • Attendance

12. Website Want List for New Folks • Pastor list / pictures • Staff list / pictures • List of groups / activities • Description • Point of contact • Pictures, etc. • Answer question “Why go to church?” • i.e. Why IN church, not just “belief”, or “spirituality”, • Provide discussion regarding “I’m spiritual, but not religious” • Link to David's sermon:  Why go to church? 

13. Website Want List for Active Folks • Weekly activities and contacts • i.e. Choir sign-up / interest / contact director link. • Announcements from each Sunday • Sermons • Last 4 (?) • Series • Selectable / Requestable • By Date • By Subject / Title • By Pastor • Upcoming events and points of contact • Online listing • Weekly e-mail “This Week At Faith……” • Subscribe / unsubscribe online

14. Website Want List for All • Foundation • Explanation of Lutheranism • With links • Explanation of LCMC • With links

15. Website Want List for All • Foundation • Foundational • Discussions • Sacraments – overview and discussion • Checklists • Review lists, etc • Stewardship • Background • Summary • Guidelines • Financial status (??)

16. Website Want List for All • Growth • Verse of the day • Devotions each day • discussions • Services: • Weddings • Baptisms • Funerals • Other

17. Website Want List for All • Programs • Kids activities, schedule of when kids get involved in • confirmation studies, • communion, • etc.  • Lets get away from "word of mouth" communication

18. Website Want List for All • Input page for • Comments • Suggestions • Business stuff • Shopping links, etc.

19. Care and Feeding • How will the website be managed? • Hands-off? • Periodic volunteer modification? • Periodic church staff modifications? • Periodic professional modification? • Extensive professional service? • Regular office staff activity? • Combination of periodic professional, staff and regular volunteer inputs? • Other?

20. Care and Feeding • What resources are available / desired for professional maintenance? • What resources are necessary for volunteer input?? • Training? • Level of knowledge? • Equipment?

21. Care and Feeding • What resources are available for regular input/maintenance? • Office staff? • Volunteer? • Professional?

22. Need for Media Staff Member • Delayed webcast of a service (9:30??) requires someone to tape and upload to website shortly after service is concluded • As sanctuary projector becomes integrated into services, someone needs to be in charge of operation and coordination • Website needs to be continuously updated (at least Monday – Friday) • Could a new half-time staff person do this

23. Need for a Professional Website Designer • The needed changes to the website require a professional level of expertise or at least a professional consultant to work with volunteers • Time and cost estimates • Schedule for making changes

24. Features • Is website OK for now? • Does it need to be spruced up? How much? • General re-organization to enhance usefulness • More info, • More useful information

25. Features • Special graphics and animation? • Sound files • Video files • Security features? • Links / cooperative arrangements with other websites / services?

26. Visibility • What is Faith Lutheran Church's visibility to those searching the web?? • Lutheran churches Albuquerque • Churches Albuquerque • Congregations, Albuquerque • LCMC Albuquerque • Weddings Albuquerque • Funerals Albuquerque • Youth groups – Church – Albuquerque • Churches New Mexico • Lutheran Churches New Mexico

27. Visibility • How can visibility be enhanced / improved?? • Need input from Keith Bauer here • What appeal priorities do we want to have?? (Who do we want to reach, and how???) • Need input from council, pastors……

28. Features • What’s missing??? • Bulletin Board? • Need inputs • What shouldn’t be on the website?? • Commercial content? • Rants? • Need inputs

29. Action Plan

30. Original Website Questions • The FLC website is basically a one-person operation (many thanks to Keith Bauer) – we also have a youth website – Jeremy Rodriquez • What is the purpose of the website • Website content – need a thorough review by all members of the Council to determine completeness and identify areas for improvement • Solicit suggestions from membership (survey) • What percent of our members can access it (see survey results) • Traffic statistics – who is using it • Can it be found by search engines?

31. Original Website Questions • Add Council member pictures and emails addresses (?) we can use a church email address for each councilor to protect individual private addresses – reflecting capability of server will forward message • “Meet Our Staff” provides a great example of how a Council page could be constructed – staff could tell us how much “junk” email they get if that is a concern • Move toward a “delayed” webcast of one or more church services • Youth website • Staffing – does Keith need help and, if so, how do we go about supplying it

32. Original Website Questions • Benchmark with other web sites – how do we compare • Community of Joy, Glendale, AZ www.joyonline.org • Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, CA www.saddleback.com/flash/default.htm • Overall design of FLC website – do we need to make some changes – many areas lack design appeal • Sermons and FA on website, what else is needed • Amazon.com and other links on church website – source of income for youth or other projects

33. Original Website Questions • Need to allow plenty of lead in time as some changes will take time to effect – start early • A redesign will require expertise in this area – could utilize volunteers to assist Keith or to just do the work themselves