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Whether overhauling your Web site or starting one from scratch …

1. Keep it simple. Start with a short address that makes sense. You might have to pay a bit extra, but it's worth it. Look in the computer magazines for an Internet service provider that will offer you a good address.

Make navigation simple. Keep links to other parts of the site visible from the front page without having to scroll down. Make sure links are a different color from the background and text. Don't add so much information that navigating becomes a chore.

2. Keep it sharp. The Web is a graphic medium, and graphic design is a specialized skill. Web design and maintenance is an excellent opportunity to involve skilled lay people who have not yet found a ministry niche.

Is your congregation short on computer nerds? Hire a pro. You can scale down your expectations to save money, but it's better to have one sharp page than a hundred dull ones no one uses.

3. Keep it real. The church's virtual presence should not clash with its physical reality. If your church building has a particular color scheme, consider those colors for your Web site. Make sure the site reflects the church's personality. If you have a strong missions focus, reflect that proportionally in your site. If you have one lone teenager, don't depict your ministry as youth-intensive. The goal: make the Web site an extension of the church itself.

4. Keep it maintained. Don't make an initial push to put up a quality site and then let it sit forgotten. Better to have no site at all than one with the wrong pastor's name, incorrect service times, or an invitation to a fellowship dinner that's eight months past. Simplify if needed, but put up a site that's within your abilities to maintain.

Coming E-ttractions

Some new Web technologies churches are exploring.

E-commerce

Churches with established bookstores and audio ministries are looking to market their materials via the church Web site. Many churches already include links to online Christian retailers. E-commerce, however, allows Web browsers to sell materials, such as a pastor's book or a worship team's CD, without incurring traditional publishing and marketing expenses. It's a convenient tool for regular attenders and allows a church to reach a broader market.

Streaming video

With the growing availability of high-speed Internet connections, streaming video appears to be the next big thing. Even now, some church sites have short video greetings from the pastor (www.cronistalascolonias.com.ar). Look for video archives of services to start popping up. Streaming video allows potential visitors to taste the service before showing up in person. And for a fraction of the cost of setting up a broadcast ministry, churches can make services available to anyone in the world who has a fast modem.

MP3

A relatively new audio format, MP3 allows people to download high-quality audio recordings and play them back not only on the computer but also on portable players, such as the Diamond Rio or the Empeg Car Player. This will allow anyone to download sermons and listen later without being tied to a computer.

Adobe Acrobat

Computer documents today are far more standardized than they were even a year ago. Still, we've all experienced the frustration of trying to open a file given to us and finding the format garbled. Adobe Acrobat is a universal exchange program, allowing any document to be converted into a file that will retain its layout no matter what computer reads it. Some ministries are planning to use Adobe Acrobat to make their in-house curriculum and training resources available to their small group leaders and to other churches.

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