Media Outreach

Looking to add a bit more pizzazz to the content on your pages? One way to spruce up a page is by creating graphic links, instead of just regular text links. By using graphic links, you can create buttons and clickable images that make any link jump off the page. Here is how it is done:

1.*Create a .JPG image with some text (e.g. “Click Here”) inside a “bubble”. Be creative and make the background colors of the “bubble” really stand out, but not so much that the text becomes unreadable.
NOTE: Be sure to make the background color behind the “bubble” the same color as the background of the content areas on your site, so it blends in. Also, be sure the image is not any larger than 200-300 pixels wide. Anything larger than that is overkill.
*Microsoft Paint can be used to create basic images, but a photo editing program is recommended.

2. Upload the finished graphic file (“button1.jpg” for example) into the *Image Library.
*Located in the Admin. Panel on the Web Site tab.

3. Now, in edit mode, go to the page where you would like to place the graphic “button”, and open the editor for the content area. Place your cursor where you would like to insert the image and click on the “Insert/Edit Image” button. Inside the Image Properties window, click on “Browse Server” to choose the newly uploaded file from the Image Library, then adjust any settings of the image until it looks right in the Preview window.

4. At the top of the Image Properties window, you will see a tab labeled “Link.” Clicking on this tab will display the same basic link options when creating a regular link, only now they will apply to this image instead of just plain text.

5. Click ‘OK’ and see your newly created graphic button drop into the page.

6. Save your content to see your new button in action!

As you can see, adding buttons and graphic links to your page can give an otherwise drab content area new life.

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faithHighway is growing by leaps and bounds. This means there is a lot more work to do and the need for more people to do it. Amber Brown is the recruiter for faithHighway. She is involved in some marketing, but primarily her job entails: recruiting at colleges, reviewing resumes, conducting interviews, and assisting is hiring new employees.

Amber is married, and while they do not have any children, they are the proud parents of two French Mastiffs. Amber graduated in 2003 with a degree in Marketing from Texas A&M University.

Amber’s favorite verse is Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (NIV). This verse reminds her of the hope and future of faithHighway. She has worked at faithHighway since May of 2005 and seen tremendous growth and improvement in that short time.

While many employees at faithHighway are responsible for convincing you, the client, to put your website ministry needs in the hands of faithHighway, Amber’s job requires that she sell people on investing themselves as employees in this company. She is encouraged to say that she has complete faith and confidence in faithHighway and supports it totally; this enthusiasm spreads to those she recruits for faithHighway, resulting in a group of people on fire for God and eager to use their individual skills to help churches worldwide spread the Gospel.

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Recently my pastor shared a quote from a great missionary that has been reverberating in my mind:

“Some want to live within the sound of the church or chapel bell,
but I want to run a rescue mission within a yard of hell.”

Despite massive building structures and a plethora of conferences and resources, since the emergence of the Information Age, generally speaking, church growth by conversion has been stagnate in America. Yet with the popularization of interactive media such as websites, podcasts, blogs, MySpace, and YouTube to name a few, at increasing highs, the Church stands at the crossroads of the digital divide: embrace technology to do more ministry to reach more people for Christ or avoid it and become irrelevant in 21st century America.

Over 200 million Americans are online with 78% of those having broadband access; the opportunity to leverage this readily accessible technology for ministry is vast. Over 60 million Americans say they use the Internet to make big decisions in their lives, and 45% of Internet users say the web helped them negotiate their way through major episodes in their lives in the previous two years (Pew Internet). Harris Interactive reports that seeking spiritual answers is the second highest online search activity (35%), ahead of finances, gambling, and dating, second only to pornography.

Today, the number one medium used for communication is the Internet. As one of the most significant influencers in our lives today, to have an impact in your community, you need to be where the people are, speaking the language and using the tools of the day in order to relevantly engage people with your message. Just as a missionary going oversees would learn and use the language and the customs of that nation, so we too must use the most effective means possible that we might reach our world and connect people to one another in the Information Age.

In our culture, your virtual presence is just as, if not more important than your physical presence. It is what creates the first impression on new people, shaping their perception as to the relevancy and quality of the ministry they could receive at your church. It gives people a sense of who you are, allowing them to build familiarity before pulling into the parking lot, and hence, it is a powerful tool to attract more first time visitors to your church.

Volumes can be written on this subject but won’t be written here (deep sigh of relief). With a website from faithHighway, you already have some of the key components with quality design, ease of navigation, and interactive tools (media center, e-invite, streaming, resource libraries, etc.). Another component is the relevance of content: below are some helps and tips gathered for publishing content to best connect with the first time visitor (this is by no means exhaustive, but a good start!):

- Geared towards visitors: be lighthearted/humor; welcoming and inviting; use fresh neutral language not Christian jargon; share experiences; informative but not “preachy”
- Power of story: include member testimonies, relatable info about the staff
- Emphasize relationships: pictures of people, not buildings; experiences, not programs (if have pictures of building, be sure to have people in/around/in front of the structures/rooms)
- Contact info that is easy to find, complete, and print friendly; also, be responsiveness to emails!
- News, events, and activities current and prominently displayed and accessible on the site
- Children’s ministry: clear info on safety/security policies and procedures; of course, the fun stuff too
- Your brand (logo, colors, phrases, slogan, etc.) visible and consistent throughout the site and all touch points

These are just some in a long list of help. For questions or more info on how to make your website more of an outreach tool, please visit www.faithHighway.com/service or email us at feedback@faithhighway.com. Thank you for allowing us to serve your web ministry needs and be encouraged in moving forward to reach your communities with the Gospel!

Blessings,

Anthony J Carrano, Chief Operating Officer

P.S. faithHighway is a sponsor at several upcoming conferences across the country, you can view them by visiting our website. We would enjoy an opportunity connecting with you!

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