St Thomas with St Stephen's Website
Brief
The current site does not do a good job of introducing the church: in appearance it is middle-aged; functionally, it is not straightforward to use.
The aim is to create a new site, which better says who we are and also who we aspire to be. It should feel 'happy' and 'lively'. A picture-led design will help here. It should be dynamic: we should expect the homepage to change regularly; groups, for example the Mission Group, should be able to manage their own sections of the site.
The target audience is the informal, younger, comtemporary side of our church-life. The expectation is that this is the group most likely to use the web to find a church. In particular, we should target people living in Clapham Park and Streatham as these areas (relatively) lack churches which meet the needs of young people - contrast with Balham which does have options here.
The website should also serve the existing congregation by communicating our services, other events, and any other notices.
The website should also help those seeking to use the church building(s) for community and/or commercial use. This may come at a later stage though.
Above all, we want the website and our work on it to bring glory to our Father who loves us, and to point to Jesus who showed us the way!
Existing sites we like
Colours and design
- clean
- picture-led
- suitable for our target audience
- the colour-palette should say 'family', 'warm', 'local'
- not necessarily using the existing church logo or colours - the 'city-on-a-hill' motif from the new glass design might be more appropriate here
Ideas for images include:
- local signs (e.g. for the Clapham Park Estate)
- worship (either congregation, worship band, or both)
- sport/activity on the common (football, joggers, etc.)
- preaching
- local shops
- any iconic locations in the area
Budget
The budget is low/non-existent. The aim is to produce the site quickly and cheaply (perhaps using a stock design of some sort). Nic Long has agreed to lead on this on a voluntary basis.
The site is expected to last for a couple of years or so, at which point we may have grown sufficiently to invest in a new website(!).
Timelines
Ready for before June 12th.
(This is the target date for when the new morning service should start at St Thomas'.)