Get ready as we begin re-inventing our ministry website here at Crow Mountain Baptist Church. As technology changes and the way that people use it, we are looking in to creating a unique web presence that will take our ministry website and its capabilities into entirely new levels.
The ministry website here at CMBC has evolved over the past several years. Furthermore, we have seen positive results from it. Now it is time to take it to the next level.
Needless to say, whether you use and iPhone or an Android powered device, everyone has their favorite apps they love to use on their phone. This is why we will be re-designing our website to look and function more like an app that you have downloaded from your app store.
Then we will be looking at the overall content and structure of the website to ensure that we are attracting the audience that we want to reach.
In addition, we want to ensure that we are increasing the usability of our ministry website to every one that visits with us on the ministry website.
As most of you know, the devices that people use today are not all the same size. This is where we will be truly focusing upon the responsiveness (sizing on mobile devices) to ensure that what one person sees on a smartphone is the same as what someone may see on a tablet.
Plus we want it to be an amazing experience for everyone. After all, that’s why most people visit a website. They want quick access to what they’re looking for as well as the ease-of-use to find it quickly.
The next area of large focus will be on the colors that are going to be used across our website.
We realize that not everyone sees equally. We will be placing a high level of concentration on the colors that are utilized across the website as well as the specific types of fonts (letters) that are used across the website to achieve a cohesive feeling and make browsing our website enjoyable.
That being said, we will do our very best in attempting to make things easier to use. Of course, there will still be some that may not be able to enjoy the new changes. Sadly, this happens with nearly everything new that your tech team attempts to improve upon.
We will be working diligently on trying to develop a color palette that speaks to the ministry at Crow Mountain Baptist Church.
Some time ago, we used to have all the sermon audio listed on various podcasting networks. Then due to financial issues we decided to pull away from that option, as the hosting for the audio files isn’t cheap by any means.
However, I am considering moving us back onto the platform and paying for it myself, as I want as many available platforms to put our audio stream onto that give us the maximum outreach oppotunity.
While we certainly want to get out as much content to the public as possible, in today’s times, audio podcasting has a reach that far exceeds nearly every other form of media available.
Nearly 8 out of 10 people listen to a podcast daily. Now imagine if we had different venues of podcast that go beyond just our sermon audio to increase the listenership across the board.
So why are we so focused on podcasting again?
It is very simple. Listening to a podcast while you are doing something else is easy. Put your favorite pair of ear buds in to listen from your cellular device while you may be cooking a meal, or bluetooth it to your car audio while you are driving. There are endless scenarios in how you can listen in.
By providing more options that just our weekly video’s, we begin to open up the doors to for more people to engage with the content we are delivering.
How many different ministries do we have here at CMBC that are not getting the exposure they need or deserve? What about having a podcast for young Christian mothers, family life, college and careers, and I can go on for some time in seeing the potential of creating a unique level of audio material that could be delivered.
However, it is going to require some dedication from those who may be involved in the different areas of ministry in any of these areas.
Oh I am so glad that you asked me that! Let me be very straight forward. I have heard time and time again from many about the growth of the church and the best way to achieve that.
What’s the one thing you see in nearly every persons hands these days? Did you say a smartphone? You hit the nail exactly on the head. They are busy trying to find things that are relevant in their daily life, or that provide them with answers to questions they may have about issues going on in their life.
We cannot leave it to just our Sunday School programs, or weekly youth programs. People have issues that come into play every day of their lives.
We need a team of people that are dedicated to providing solid communications that deliver answers to those types of issues. However, it requires dedication and a solid level of commitment to delivering it.
You cannot be all excited about something one day, then be all “ho hum” the next. If you want our church to expand the way you want it to, then you need to become actively involved in providing the material(s) that it will take to get everyone on track.
Well all I can say is to get ready. Because these changes are on the map and are going to start going under the construction phase within the next week.
It’s a great time to get excited and become involved with these changes to truly make the ministry website at Crow Mountain Baptist Church, be all that God intends for it to be.