Where to put the Minister

There is one thing that every Christian Web site designer should know and which few take any notice of, that is:

The Minister/Pastor/Priest is not good looking!

Now this might come as a shock to some (I am a Minister so please don't email me to complain about this comment) but when God was handing around good looks to folks he decided that the clergy were not going to be at the front of the que. I am sure there must be exceptions to this rule but they are few and far between.

So having established this important point why is it that many Churches put an enormous picture of their Minister/Pastor etc on the front page of their web sites. Are we really trying to frighten people off our Church before they have even met us!

I know I am being flippant here but I'm trying to make a point. There really are very few of us that ought to have a big picture on a web site. Pictures of people smiling and having fun are great but they should not be big and in staring you in the face when you visit a web site.

So here is my tip for using photos of your clergy on your web site.

Tell your Clergy person that they will be far more useful in your web site if they have a page dedicated just to them. This gives you the chance to put a small picture of them on a page with a description of who they are. This way people can admire their friendly face for as long as they can bear it before returning to your "mug shot free zone" home page. Link this "about our Clergy person/people" page off the contacts page or put it in the about us section but not on the front page.

It is also better to get them to look like Clergy people when they have their photo taken. What I mean is dress them in a suit or smart casual clothes or whatever they normally wear but don't let them give you the picture taken at the last Clergy person Christmas party, or the "be a clown for a day" picnic. Remember your aim is to make people use your site not have a laugh at the Churches expense. Like it or not, we should respect the Clergy and encourage others to do the same. Funny pictures, in my opinion, just make people look silly. I have seen some Clergy pictures that would make me wonder if I would buy a used car from them let alone trust them with the care of my soul.

If you would like professional help with designing/hosting etc your web site then please feel free to contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it