Every New Year

[scowling]

Yes, the burn out begins each New Year, when the Pastor wants a "fresh look". So, I redesign the site again and he asks for features that would in my mind be tacky. We have office staff that don't want to know how to run the site, and so I become the official updater.

And finally the church have never offered to reimburse me for time (and money) spent on keeping us on the web. I have withdrawn tithing, because it is costing me so much of my own time (better spent with family or doing sites that pay).

I feel unloved and unappreciated, every New Year!

[David Gillaspey]

Hi Ian,

Thanks for joining the forum, and for the post.

Your current site features a nice, clean design. Nice job.

(I'm taking an art class. Next week we'll be talking about high-key and low-key tonal values in art. Your current site would be a good example of a high-key design, with mostly whites, except for the photo, which rotates as one refreshes the screen.)

(I want to take the knowledge I gain from the art class and make an online learning module from it [this won't happen for a few months]. May I use your site's design as example of high-key design?)

I guess the first question to ask is, how big is your church? I ask only because size (number of members, or number of attenders) generally is associated with budget. Having grown up in a very small church (this was long before the internet) ? 50 members ? I am well-acquainted with how small is the budget of a small church. Larger churches, with budgets of say, US$250,000 and up, would have absolutely no excuse for not paying the cost of maintaining a site, and ought to (in my opinion) consider the web ministry important enough to make it a part- or full-time paid position.

Sincerely,

David Gillaspey
President
Great Church Websites
(and forum administrator)

[flutem3]

Ian wrote:

"Yes, the burn out begins each New Year, when the Pastor wants a "fresh look".

Hi, Ian,

Welcome to the forum. Why on earth does your pastor want a fresh website each year? Does he have any idea how difficult that is to do?
Does your pastor use a computer? I think he expects too much. It is one thing to keep a website updated. As the website editor, that is what you have set out to do. However, to redesign yearly is something that very few web sites do that I know of. I can see some tweaking, etc.

I am not experienced at this stuff like you are, but I am always looking for ways to improve the look of our website as just part of the process. But a major overhaul, which is what it sounds like he is asking, is another kind of cat altogether.

This may be super-ridiculous basic, but have you just sat down with the pastor and discussed this with him? I cannot imagine that he expects so much...or if he does, then you need to tell him that what he expects and what you can and are willing to do are two different things. Then see if you can reach some kind of compromise. Or if that doesn't seem feasible, go to your Board of Trustees or Administrative Council or whatever it is called, and get yourself on the agenda for a meeting. Have an open, honest, kind discussion with them about the situation.

I am also waiting for your answer to David's question. How big is your church and what kind of funding is available? How important does the membership consider the website? Do you have a computer literate group?
And I agree. You have a good looking site. I wish I could do that well.

I think the minister needs to minister, and you can do the website. :D
And that is my not so humble opinion.

However, if you have any question about why you do the website, you answered it yourself in the post regarding helping a woman in the UK. If we can touch just one person...well, what a glorious thing!!

Bless wishes and let us know what is happening. Welcome, welcome, welcome~~~

Carol

[scowling]

Thanks David & Carol,

Our church is one of the larger in the greater metro area of Newcastle. We have around 750 in our community and 250 of those have taken the committment on of being members. The church executive uses the website to get information to the masses quickly. We have a newsletter component, and private download area. The church was also heavily involved in a Greg Laurie - Harvest Crusade, and so we linked to the local Harvest website (that I designed). I am planning on talking to them about podcasting.

Our budget is around the $250,000 mark. They don't have a large technology budget. We have a data projector, decent pa system, and the church office has a LAN with broadband access. There's no way they would consider a full-time position. Not when I have given my time and money free-of-charge for so long.

I think the Pastor just wants his church to be ahead of the "opposition" or maybe he just wants bragging rights with his pastoral comtemporaries in the area/association.

David, if you want to use the site as an example, please be quick - as I need to change the template design soon, to accommodate the pastor's timeframe.

Thanks for your encouragement and comments. Keep up the good work.

[flutem3]

Ian wrote:

"I think the Pastor just wants his church to be ahead of the "opposition" or maybe he just wants bragging rights with his pastoral comtemporaries in the area/association.

David, if you want to use the site as an example, please be quick - as I need to change the template design soon, to accommodate the pastor's timeframe."

Ian,

That is no reason at all to redesign a web site. What is with your pastor? Now, I know you need to talk with him.

And if you are not getting paid, why do you need to accommodate the pastor's timeframe? That makes no sense at all. He needs to have some gratefulness pumped into him so that he will know just how fortunate he is.

Some day, Ian, since you do this for a living, make a bill for what it costs to design and maintain the church website...and give it to him. Don't give it with the expectation of payment, of course, but to teach him just what the costs are. Maybe he doesn't know. And include in the costs weekly maintenance, etc. Figure out everything that you do which has to do with the church website...and don't forget research and development. And give it to him or your board.

You said you have done this for quite some time. The pastor is "used' to it. How long is a long time? Shake up the pastor and anyone else that needs a shake...gently, of course, but so you will not be taken for granted. Speak up, Man!! We can't help too much. :D Ian, that is exactly what I look like except the I wear glasses. I am green.

Keep us informed of this situation. It sounds as if something needs to move it...and it is up to you to do so.

Carol
PS I know you didn't ask for my opinion, but that's okay. I give it freely.. lol

[Bob96]

Hello scowling,
You indicate that you "get burned out every new year", particularly when your pastor asks for a "fresh look" for the website. I know how challenging and frustrating it can be to serve as a volunteer webmaster in a church. I've been doing our church's website for over three years now since I recognized that the existing one was terribly out of date and poorly designed. I had some professional experience in writing and marketing as well as being a retired minister, so I volunteered to try to help improve the website. When the young high school student and youth pastor decided that they didn't want to work with me on the project, I was left with it.

Without any previous experience in web design or writing codes, I was able to put together a presentable, informative, and current website using a WYSIWYG editor. Last year I redid the complete website in CSS, PHP, and HTML codes, changing the format and adding more content. I'm still doing it by myself, and I'm constantly trying to get timely information from the pastor and youth minister to present their services to our viewers.

We are an average church of about 100 active members who are trying to reach our community through the use of new technology in our services, but I constantly have to remind myself that it is the message that is important and not the medium, and I am only a part of the medium.

I think that you need to decide if your present position as a volunteer is one to which you have been called by God or is it one to which you would like to be hired by your church. Apparently they haven't sought to hire you nor anyone else to do this. Yet you need some help and encouragement in this ministry in which you are serving. I suggest that you get the pastor and other appropriate staff and lay-leaders together to organize a team that can give you some constructive feedback, timely content, and regular encouragement for the challenging ministry that you are seeking to freely provide to this congregation.

The primary question that you all need to have an answer for is this: "how well is your website attracting outsiders and non-believers to Jesus Christ?" When you have somewhat of an answer to that question, then you should be ready to work together as a team to improve this ministry for the glory of God and the increasing effectiveness of your congregation's ministries.

I don't have a team to support me in our congregation, but I am constantly seeking to improve this medium of communication so that I can share the gospel with more and more viewers. Here is the address of my website if you care to examine my ministry: http://creekwoodbc.org. May God bless you with effectiveness in your ministry as you give Him the glory.

[David Gillaspey]

David, if you want to use the site as an example, please be quick....Hi Ian,

I've already made a screen shot of your current site. I look forward to seeing your new design, also.

Sincerely,

David Gillaspey
President
Great Church Websites

[GuruGreg]

scowling,

I agree with Carol (flutem3). You need to sit down with your pastor and have a talk. He clearly does not understand the kind of work you are putting into the site, and at the same time he is being very demanding of your time.

Im my experiences, most pastors do not have a good grasp on the needs of a church website. That should be your expertise, and you should be dictating what should be done when. Let him be responsible for providing most of the content for the site, but when it comes to redesigns and major changes, they should not just be done because he wants them. Your expertise needs to be trusted.

At my church, we've been using this arrangement for a little while, and it seems to be working nicely. I can work on the site and make changes as needed to improve things, but I don't have any hard deadlines or anything (as no volunteer webmaster should).