There are plenty of websites on designing websites. And even more websites on the mistakes website designers make. Let me hit a few issues I see when I browse church websites that I believe make them less effective than they could be.

Presentation versus destination. The most obvious mistake I see on most church sites is that the philosophy behind the site is a presentation of the church, versus making the site a legitimate and useful destination for the user. Your church site, as an online extension of your ministries, should be designed to encourage interactivity with people on many levels. A presentation of your mission and vision should be an element of the site--but it will not be the most important element. Most visitors to your site will want to know what is happening more than they will want to know what you stand for. They'll discover the latter as they interact with your church over time.

No ministry leader would be pleased with a church building that people passed by frequently and view as "very nice," but never actually set foot inside the door. Yet we're content that people may visit but not significantly interact with our websites. It might look cool, have all the Flash animation and links to everything under the sun, but does the site encourage people to interact with your church, dig into your ministries, and how to engage as a Christ-follower?

Even more, does the site encourage return visits? Many, many church websites fall short because of presentation-based thinking. Instead, build a destination that is constantly updated, expanding and thereby encouraging return visits by a consistent flow of new information. What good does it do to have someone visit your site once, say, "very nice," and never return? What we want in internet ministry is to develop sites that give people a compelling reason to keep coming back for more. Ask yourself, "Does my home page change often to reflect current ministries?" No? Why not?

Obtuse versus open.  A second common mistake in church websites is the use of highly artistic themeing that misses the mark in being clear, concise and open. This is often the result of using a professional design firm that works to interpret your church in an original way. Does your home page have a picture of a sky, blades of grass, a person thinking, an odd object, or a decaying door from a midwestern ghost town? Themes are great, but are often obtuse--not easily understood or clearly recognized. Far from being enticing, they are actually repellant to guests.

A simple, open church website, on the other hand, gives easily spotted navigation clues, is divided into sections like "news" and "ministries" and "guest information" that make perfect sense the first time you see them. And provocative "attention getting" graphics also have clear explanations and links to pages with additional information.

A website's theme and organization is not about causing someone to think on a new level. People surf the web to interact with other people or find information. The site should direct people efficiently to relationships or data, period. Does your site do that?

Puddles versus the ocean.  Another common church web faux-pa is "puddles of information" on a website. That is, some ministries and activities within the church are very well represented online, while others are not represented at all, or the information on them is horribly out of date. The result is little puddles of effectiveness online, while other areas of ministry which could benefit greatly from the exposure of the website go unnoticed.

Puddling I think is very common because websites in churches are often put in the hands of a specific ministry area that does not have grasp or love for the total ministry of the church. It's not that all ministries are not thought of as effective or useful, it's just that the tendency is to spend more time updating what you know than finding out what you don't.

Instead let me suggest that the church's site should represent the full breadth and depth of ministry of a church--an ocean of information flooding all areas completely. Begin with a comprehensive list of ministries and activities, and systematically ensure they are represented online. Then begin to customize, expand and enhance each of these areas on the website until it begins to reflect the total ministry of the church.

There is no telling which page of your site may be a connection point for someone new. We'd like to think it's usually the worship ministry or the Pastor's messages that draw people in, but in reality folks can come from just about anywhere looking for just about anything. It would be a shame to miss, for instance, someone interested in premarital counseling, even though your church might have a great premarital program, because it was not represented in any way online.

Assimilate versus acclimate.  Here's another area where many church sites miss the boat. Presentation-based sites often center on their church purpose or mission statement, spending a great deal of their energy and content online to explain and encourage people to adopt their mission. Having been in ministry for nearly two decades, I find that the mission of the church is best delivered from the pulpit and in person. While a mention online is important, people are just not going to dive into a life-long commitment to an ideology because of their interaction with a website--especially an ideology that is at the core a relationship.

There are folks who are into "cyberchurch" who would argue otherwise. They are simply wrong. A church website can be quite interactive, but it will never be a substitute for the powerful personal relationships that a local body of Christ has. Look at the Acts 2 church as a model and see clearly that these interactions simply cannot be replicated in cyberspace. Additionally, a total commitment to that body will not happen through interaction online. So the website should instead focus not on assimilating a guest or attender into the ministry of the church, but rather to acclimate them to how God is working in the church body and how they can participate.

In other words, don't spend a lot of time and webspace telling people what you want to do and why you want to do it. Instead, give them ways to plug-in to those ministries online, and let the process of self-discovery drive their commitment to Christ as they begin to connect with His teachings and in person with His body, the church.

Outdated versus outstanding. The core issue with most church websites is one of updating. By far the most common error churches make online is not keeping their sites current. Because a web ministry is often not a top priority for church leaders, the "first impression" for their congregation (91% of first-time guests visit you online first) is outdated or irrelevant information. Is your church website updated daily, even hourly? Why not?  Time on the internet is not measured in weeks or months. It's measured in minutes and seconds. Outstanding websites are always current.

An up-to-date and easily navigated website speaks volumes to a guest even before they set foot inside your facility. It says you know what's going on inside your own walls, and you are organized and alert. It tells them that God is doing something in your church. In design we often think of form before function. The web is the opposite--function is everything, form (beauty) is secondary.  Is your site not only easy to use, but useful? Your members and guests expect your church's site to be an accurate reflection of your impact and ministries.  What is your website telling them?

About the Author. Eugene L. Mason has more than two decades of experience in ministry communications and technologies. More...