| 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 chris@browncow.co.uk
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