A Net Gain Awaits
Web-savvy churches are setting up shop in cyberspace

By RaeAnn Slaybaugh

From multimillion corporations to the smallest of Mom and Pop shops, businesses across the world are discovering the newest of advertising vehicles. And just like those businesses, churches too are quickly learning the benefits of getting on the Information Superhighway.

According to Pat Roth, president of Des Moines, IA-based software design company Visionary Systems, Limited, the best reasons for developing a church Web site is communication. According to Roth, not only do sites provide mass schedules, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses to potential and existing members, the best part is that they are possibly the most inexpensive and timely venue available. Churches with sites often find the amount of calls regarding general information are reduced and visitors keep on top of the calendar of events with daily updates if desired.

What's more, sites not only save churches money, but attract advertising revenue as well. Churches always have the option to sell links on these sites, a practice that really adds up in the long run. Roth cites Des Moines, IA-based St. Augustin church whose site is estimated to bring in nearly $4,000 this year in advertising revenue. Visionary Systems' package--designed specifically for churches--includes forms to solicit sponsorship on platinum gold, silver or bronze levels, each priced according to advertising perks involved.

Building your full-service station

With millions of sites available almost instantaneously, there remain some important criteria for developing one that holds the attention of a most fickle group called "Web surfers." Home pages are the first destination any browser will see so it stands to reason that catching that visitor's eye is crucial. Churches are advised to cover the obvious basics including church name, map, denomination and Sunday service times. Some churches go above and beyond, showing links to all of their members who have home pages or e-mail addresses, others include photos of staff or the congregation in action. However, churches are advised to keep images to a minimum while retaining aesthetic appeal. Overloading pictures may result in slow loading of the site, a flaw that often sends impatient browsers along their way.

Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville, AL has developed an extensive Web site--www.wbccares.org--incorporating these suggested components. Visitors can travel to any of nearly 30 different links from its homepage, all of which include detailed information about the church. Links include the statement of belief, staff information, location, weekly calendar, numerous ministries, Christian school and more.

Surprisingly, the man who now maintains the site has dual status as the Associate Minister of Music. Martin Gureasko says his "first love" is music. However, upon visiting Whitesburg Baptist's site one day, he knew it could be better. Although Gureasko says he has only been computer literate for three years, he was soon after put in charge of revamping the site. "I didn't even know what 'boot up a computer' meant three years ago," he says. "I went into this blind so I was real pleased. It was like a blind hog finding an acorn--that great southern colloquialism!"

Gureasko's story is a familiar one, Roth explains, and for this reason, Visionary Systems software is designed to assist even the most technically illiterate client. Even those with little to no Web design experience can read through the Getting Started section of the program and have a site up and running in a little more than an hour.

According to Roth, maintenance is the most time consuming part of Web site construction. Gureasko's site now requires about three to five hours per week to maintain. In the beginning, he updated the coming events on each of the site's 25-plus Web pages, a process he says began "driving him crazy." In the name of sanity, he set up a separate page for coming events and left only "static"--unchanging--information on individual ministry pages. Gureasko realizes the importance of a quick-loading page as a frequent Web surfer himself. "If I have to wait more than 10 or 15 seconds, I'm gone," he says. "It's the age of instant gratification and unfortunately, we all operate that way on the Web. There are millions of other places to go."

First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue in Bellevue, WA is another Internet-savvy church that recognized the power of the Web. Along with the most basic information--location, phone, fax and so on--visitors can browse a list of frequently-asked questions, get a map or directions, check the local weather or even enroll their children in preschool all in one trip.

Communication Director for FPCB Christine Cohn says her Web design background is limited as well. Cohn has minimal training in HTML but says the majority of her knowledge comes from diving headfirst into the unknown. "It's super easy," she says, "Basically, it's simple to just pick it up and go for it."

When Cohn joined the church in May last year, the site was established, but was very "bare bones." She gave it a facelift, adding the church newsletter and daily schedule of events--a feature she says is especially useful for those seeking the location of a church meeting. Surprisingly, Cohn says she rarely spends more than 45 minutes a week updating the site.

In the case of First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue, Cohn says the start-up costs were minimal--about $75 to $100 for the Microsoft Front Page program, and then the expense of hooking up to an Internet server. She estimates the monthly cost of maintaining the church's site as no more than $75 including server fees--a package that in the grand scheme of things is still pretty cheap, she says.