• Are there any burned out light bulbs you need to replace?
• Are there any areas that need some touch up paint?
• Can you see any cobwebs in any corners of the ceilings?
• Is the parking lot clean and in good repair? Do the stripes need repainting?
• What do you see when you look around your bathroom?
• Is there anything laying around that needs to be thrown away or stored?
• What do people see when they look on the stage from week to week? Are all the chords and wires well managed? Water bottles? Trash?
• Are the windows clean?
• What do your kids and youth room look like? Is it time for a fresh look?

To sum all this up, I recommend you walk through your facility when no one is around and take time to look at everything with a fresh pair of eyes and see what everyone else sees and see how  you can enhance that experience.

Photo By: aimhelix

This is an industry standard for website editors. Basically it means whatever it looks like in the editor, is exactly how it will look like on the published website. Although WYSIWYG is the standard for websites, I would not say it is the standard for most other things.

Think about the McDonald’s commercials, that Big Mac looks large, tasty, and fresh. Have you gotten a Big Mac lately ? They might be tasty, but you can barely see the meat and the look NOTHING like they do on any of the pictures inside McDonald or the commercials. We have gotten used to this, and most the time are fine with it. But if you think about it, you are let down whenever something doesn’t look like what was promised.

Enter Church websites. I know most churches want to be “cutting edge” but if you are not a cutting edge church then your giving a false impression. And the trust that you built with the website, is lost when people come to visit. When creating a website for your church, try your best to match what is seen on the website with what will be seen on a Sunday morning. I would even ask someone that doesn’t attend your church to check out the website and then come on a Sunday to make sure your giving a good impression.

If you are a family oriented church, show families. Do you focus on missions ? Show pictures of your mission trips. Are you mostly one ethnicity or another ? Show that… God has placed a distinct fingerprint / personality on every church – do not be afraid to show that. Even if your muscles aren’t as big as you want them to be….yet.

pic by jcoterhals

I found myself in the middle of the office today with a few male co-workers discussing how our hair is all falling out. When I was a kid or about 10, the older ladies (the blue-hairs) at my church loved my hair. They always would tell me how thick and great it was. Those days have long since passed. My friends say I’m the man with the “fivehead” where my forehead should be. Thanks guys.

I probably shouldn’t make a big deal of it. It really doesn’t bother me that much. But some days, I just wish it looked thicker. Why? In today’s world, appearances do matter. If they didn’t, I would probably show up to work in a bathrobe, flip-flops and would stop shaving altogether. But looks matter.

Your website looks matter too. Studies indicate that people will make a snap judgment often within the first 7 seconds of landing on the homepage of your site about who you are based on the look of your site. If the visual design is appealing, BINGO! You’ve done your job. If you neglect how your site looks, those first 7 seconds will likely become the last 7 seconds someone is on your site.

Now, I don’t think I’ll ever be the guy who wears a toupee. I don’t know if that’s me. But, I do care enough to cut and style my “do” a way as to not call attention to my ever-thinning locks… Maybe your church needs a new “do”? New cut and style? I don’t know your site, so I can’t tell you. I do know that the way I take care of my looks says a lot about how seriously people should take me. What is your church website saying about how seriously you take your ministry?