The Presbyterian Church (USA): Getting Your Web-Game On

Starting with Vision, Moving to Mission: A Great Website is the Best Tool Churches Have Today

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Take a look at the image above. What does it communicate to you? Would you like to be there? Does that particular image communicate “church” to you?

The Presbyterian Church (USA) has for a while been a progressive marker within mainline denominations in the United States. However, like many other mainline protestant denominations, they too are struggling to survive.

All this is happening in plain site, when ironically many other non-denominational and much more conservative (law-based) congregations are thriving. In the hopes of making themselves relevant, some congregations (PCUSA too) can forget that beginning any effective campaign to outreach must first begin with a clear vision and move that work into the mission of change—all while retaining your well-loved traditions and grace-centered theology. Sound easy enough? Hardly!

One rather befuddling aspect I run into as a web designer deals with putting the cart before the horse. People stab in the dark, they find the strategy wasn’t as sound as they thought it would be, then give up.

In the midst of this, poorly designed websites are left to wither on the net. Whenever a new minister is called, there will be a flurry of revamping, but it comes across as an afterthought.

To get your church’s web-game on, I suggest you begin with vision, move to mission, then clearly and deliberately use your website to update and communicate that vision and mission, every time you use it.

Any mainline, grace-centered denomination can benefit from this, but definitely the Presbyterian Church (USA) too.