Does design matter ? Does it matter what your website looks like ? YES. It matters…. I had a comment on another post in which the commenter gave us (Media Outreach) a F for our “First Impressions” posts. First Impressions is where when have contracted an outside company to have random people review random websites and then give their “First Impressions” and grade the website based on several criteria. The last website that was reviewed was given a very poor rating, because the website gave a bad first impression. So my question is this… why do you think design doesn’t matter ? I don’t like to get all “biblical” when it comes to design and graphics and impressions, but the truth is design matters. God created us, he designed us with purpose and a destiny. Design is inherently implanted within our spirits dna, design mattered to God… thus it matters to us.
Let me look at this in another light in case you still disagree. Would you let trash fill the entrance to your church ? Of course not… why ? Because it would leave a bad first impression. Pastors would you come and preach w/out shaving or wearing clean clothes ? No… you wouldn’t… why ? Because every pastor (and God) knows that man looks at the outward appearance (1 Sam 16:77). That is why web design is important for churches. I can go into what Christ did to meet us where we were at (took on human form… not a donkey or an alien), or where Paul tells us to become all things to all people. But I will save that for another post. So… wadda think ?
pic by asobitsuchiya
August 7th, 2009 at 1:22 am
Design does matter. Aesthetics do matter. Profoundly. And for many aspects of a place of worship more important than its website.
They do not, however, grant those with a critical eye the license to "school" a congregation of fellow believers before the watching world.
Let's follow your sense of mission to it's logical conclusion. Instead of stopping at web site design, let's have our mystery shoppers, our panel of experts, review the ushers, the sermon, the music, the architecture, the seating, the carpet, the congregation's physical appearance, the lighting the children's programs, the bulletin layout, the pastor's attire, the pastor's wife, the acoustics, the refreshments, etc. Let's take it upon ourselves to offer the world an impartial, unflinching, expert opinion about the "experience" offered at random churches–random churches readily identifiable by the details offered in our reviews. You could start a new "Zagat's" guide to places of worship.
Speaking generally (i.e., NOT targeting an actual church body), I can say with some learning and a pile of arrogance that the vast majority of protestant churches in the USA fall far short of the aesthetic standards (including architecture, music, ritual, vestments . . . ) historically observed by churches of the Anglican tradition. It would not be difficult to assemble a panel of experts who would concur. It does not follow from these facts that it is sensible for me, a follower of Christ, to apply such understanding in a public critique of a particular church.
I stand by the grade I assigned. The grade was not given on account of a disagreement about the importance of aesthetics. It was assigned because of the unedifying manner in which you chose to make use of your aesthetic aptitude.
August 7th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Matt.. thanks for your response. I am not sure that you read this post … in it I made clear… that these opinions are not ours. We have hired an outside company to call random people and show them random websites and asked that THEY grade them. THEY being people that have absolutely no connection to either Media Outreach or faithHighway.
The mission of "First Impressions" is to allow pastors and churches to hear "from the horses mouth" how they websites are making impressions on first time visitors. Until your comment I have only received very positive and grateful comments and emails from this series of posts.
Your "lets follow your sense of mission to it's logical conclusion" comment is just plain silly. That might be your leaning and your "logical" conclusion… so I will let you own that one. We are simply allowing pastors to see what "outsiders" think about their website when they see it for the first time.
I still think, in reading your comment again, that you are assuming that either Media Outreach or faithHighway assigned this grade to this churches websites. Please re-read the post… it clearly states that we hired an outside company to call random people and ask them to give their "first impressions" of the website.
I am not sure how I can make it any clearer to you then what I have already stated.