8 Web Site Design Question with The City Church’s Sean Sperte

When I was looking for rockin’ church Web sites to profile and research for the Building Rockin’ Church Web Sites series, The City Church, located in Kirkland, Wash., was at the top of my list. They have one of the cleanest, rockin’ sites I’ve ever seen. It’s one of those eye candy sites I’ve talked about, but it’s functional too!

Sean Sperte from The City Church responded to my email and I’m just delighted to hear the background to the site and his thoughts about church Web site design.

I’m learning so much from the series and did with Sean’s answers!

Rock on, Sean, thank you!

Here are his answers to my questions:

1. How did your current web design come about?

We hired a freelance designer (who happened to be a personal friend of mine) and I worked closely with him to come up with a design that satisfied some primary goals. We used a hosted project management app (BaseCamp) to collaborate, and he posted layout comps while I gave input and direction — and the occasional tinkering, myself. You can view (part of) the process here:

http://www.31three.com/projects/tcc/

2. Who was involved in the design?

Primarily myself and Jesse (31three.com). Additionally, my Senior Pastor gave his thoughts and final approval upon completion of each stage of the design. And, of course, my wife had some say in the design, too.

3. Who manages it now? How?

Mostly me. The site is powered by Expression Engine (pMachine.com) so most of the dynamic portions are updated directly from inside the EE control panel. I also design all the graphics. The audio archive and calendar sections are managed by church staff personnel (audio engineers and administrators, respectively).

4. What is your goal or purpose for your web site?

We have three primary goals: 1. Inform; 2. Equip; 3. Enable.

Those goals are applied to three primary audiences: 1. Members (”Jerusalem”); 2. Potential members and local residents (”Judea and Samaria”); 3. The world (”ends of the earth”).

5. What should web sites accomplish or do for churches?

At the very basic level, a church website should act as a contact point for general information about the church. Information such as
address, service times, phone number, pastors’ bios, etc. must be made available to the public.

Additionally a church website should serve as an active communication channel for members — as well as potential members — through email and other branch, online applications. Beyond that, a website can help reinforce the ministry’s brand, provide downloadable resources, act as a staging point for campaigns … the possibilities are endless.

The scope a church website has is only limited by the vision for it, if that makes sense.

6. What do you see the future holding for church web sites?

The most obvious trend is the utilization of blogging and community-driven applications. As more and more churches embrace both the technology medium itself (the web) and the community driving it, the popularity of blogs being used as a ministry will continue to grow. I see some potential disadvantages to this, mostly because the “emotional” nature of blogging, but that’s for another discussion.

Another popular trend is podcasting. Podcasts and preaching go together like peanut butter and jelly. By taking advantage of
podcasting, any church can essentially become its own on-demand radio station, publishing content as regularly or seldom as it may. The potential that this new medium has could rival television for certain markets and demographics. I’m excited to see the technology evolve — even in its infancy it shows great potential!

7. Any advice for other churches seeking to design/redesign their sites?

The first step is understanding. While it’s not necessary to have all the technical knowledge (HTML, CSS, Flash, FTP, etc.), church leaders must understand there is more underneath a website than just looks and content. I like to say that a website is like a cake; it takes proper collection and application of (good) ingredients by a good baker who knows what they’re is doing. The same way you wouldn’t hire a McDonalds employee to make a wedding cake, you cannot call upon your receptionist or administrator to create your website.

Along those lines, my most common suggestion for churches requesting advice for website design/development is this: Hire professionals. (And by professionals, I mean to include even “secular” professionals.) It’s well worth the money, so long as the right firm/person is found.

With that in mind, I’d like to mention the first place I refer people to for finding professional help is Godbit.com and AuthenticJobs.com. Both websites are run by people I know, trust and respect.

8. Other thoughts, ideas, ramblings appreciated too …

Oh I wish I had the time to continue along these lines! I could spout off my opinions on this topic all day! :)

[Thanks, Sean! Your answers are as awesome as the site you helped create!]

[ See the previous posts in the Building Rockin’ Church Web Sites here. ]

November 7, 2006 · Filed Under Church Marketing, Rockin' Web Sites, Web Site Design

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Comments

One Response to “8 Web Site Design Question with The City Church’s Sean Sperte”

  1. David Russell on November 10th, 2006 8:53 pm

    The City Church website is easily the greatest church website on the w3. Period.

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