Let’s get started!

OK, so you’re ready to move up to a Web portal. Here are the steps to get there:

First, understand your congregation and their needs. Create a task force to determine what to include on the site. Have them recommend the items for the site after surveying and talking with your congregation, leaders and community members. You need to know what you want on the site before starting the work.

Assign a project manager to lead the charge. If you expect your current staff to simply work on it when they have time, it will never get done. They are already too busy to give this the priority it needs.

Lay out the design for the site. If you have an internal creative department, use them. You may want to hire a Web design consultant or firm to help with this, as well.

Contact vendors to see how they can help. You should contact your ChMS vendor first to see what they can do to help you and then add other vendors as needed.

Create a project plan with milestones. Don’t try to put everything on the site all at once – it will overwhelm you and your constituents. Roll out parts of it at a time. Do it step by step over time. Follow the plan, working with your vendors and your design consultants.

As you complete parts of the site, plan campaigns to launch it to your constituents. You may want to plan sermons or small group discussions, create marketing collateral, publish it in your newsletters and even do giveaways to promote the new site and get your congregation to start using it.

As you complete one section of the portal, start work on the next section.

Finally, review your Web portal continually for fresh content. You should update it frequently, removing old information that is no longer relevant. Keep it fresh and people will make a habit of checking it to see what’s new.

Perhaps it’s time for you to change your church Web site to a dynamic Web portal.

Cindy Streett  is the enterprise project director for ACS Technologies, a provider of church software and solutions. Streett has extensive experience using and implementing technology in large church operations to facilitate communication and other vital ministry goals. For more information, visit www.acstechnologies.com.