Websites Can Regress
Nothing in ministry lasts forever. The best leaders move on, programs die or are neglected until they no longer serve their original purpose. Necessary funds dry up. Priorities change.
I have assisted various parishes and communities to create mission-focused websites for at least 10 years. I have trained the in-house website managers on how to maintain the sites and in some cases, I have maintained them for a while myself. But things change. New pastors come in, communication directors and/or website staff change and the original vision/mission for the website is often lost or discarded.
Ups and Downs of Ministry Websites
Returning to see a well-maintained and/or updated website that I once worked on makes me very happy. However, that is not always what I see especially two or three years later. Quality control of images, text and design features is gone. Sometimes, a cookie cutter template has replaced an original design which is not terrible, but not great either.
Some of the websites have outdated content. Some have become in-house bulletin boards which mostly offer opportunities to donate or volunteer. And some have so disrupted the design structure that the website is (and I cannot say this any other way) a mess. Ouch!
It hurts to see that a community or parish has abandoned or neglected the quality website that we worked so hard to create. Sometimes In my disappointment, I ask myself “Why bother if that is what is going to happen to your work?”
Why I Bother
Every time I have an opportunity to work with a parish or a community on a new website, I have the joy of helping them envision how they can best serve their many publics online, how they can tell their stories in ways that attract and invite others to join them in carrying out the Gospel message. It takes a lot of effort to design and write in ways that focus on the other first. We all struggle with that.
Often we only think about what we want others to do for us. It is even harder to sustain looking outward over time, but I believe that doing it for a while is better than never doing it. Each time I work with a client, I learn new things, new ways of reaching out beyond our comfort zones and I share those insights with you my readers. Many of you have been able to use those insights to improve your own online ministries.
You could say that like the sower in the parable, I sow seeds. Some fall on rocky ground, some grow a little and then die, and some flourish. I am just the sower. What happens after the seed lands is in the hands of others. I give them what I can and then let go.
What We Learn Lasts Longer Than What We Have Done
So to all of you who have had similar experiences either with a website or some other work that has fallen by the wayside, I know how you feel.
What keeps me going is to focus on the opportunity I had to create something beautiful and meaningful. I think about what I learned. Often the opportunity to use that learning comes in unexpected ways in the next project or years later. I believe and I can testify that the good we do does come back to us in time and in ways we never imagined.
Your comments are welcome.