Building Church Websites with Drupal
Churches are not like businesses. They're not even like non-profits. Churches (and other ministries) are unique in their goals, their approach, and their challenges. In this session, Mustardseed Media Inc owner, Bob Christenson, and his Developer and Podcast Co-Host Matt Farina, will present how they build church community-style websites using Drupal on a daily basis, talking about the modules and approaches used to create successful sites.
Bob Christenson
Agenda
Churches are not like businesses. They're not even like non-profits. Churches (and other ministries) are unique in their goals, their approach, and their development environments. In this session we'll cover the following:
- Church site architecture
- Starting simple. Building for the future.
- Events (and repeating events) for Churches
- Podcasting/Videocasting your Sermons
- Church all 7 days: Organic Groups
- Moderating Community Content
- CMS vs. ChMS
- Talking to your pastor/leader about online community fears
- Your questions, answers, and concerns...
Goals
Attendees will walk away with a general overview of what elements make up a church community-style website, which modules to use to make it happen, and finally an answer to the biggest question of all: "How do I get my pastor to let me do this?"
Resources
Session leader Bob Christenson hosts a couple podcasts to get you primed:
6 Comments
Facebook vs. Drupal.
Totally agree about your philosophy of what current church websites should be like. I totally agree that Drupal is a great platform to build a church website with the features and philosophy you suggest.
However, I'm finding that Facebook is more effective at connecting people and sharing life.
To me, we must build church websites that are integrated with Facebook. People, even college age kids, don't want to go a church website to talk about life. They want to share their life on Facebook. Most often, they are already on Facebook.
We should go out to where the people are; not ask the people to come to us.
Drupal developers need to create modules that are more integrated with Facebook. Drupal-based church websites are closed loop systems. We need modules that extend our Drupal skills to Facebook. We need a two-way connection to Facebook from our Drupal website.
notes from this session
one audience member's notes:
http://interdependentweb.com/DrupalCon/2009/BuildingChurchWebsitesWithDr...
comments welcome
Video
http://www.archive.org/details/DrupalconDc2009-BuildingChurchWebsitesWit...
Recorded by Robert Nelson Vance
On the tentative schedule
Horray! This session is on the tentative schedule for Thursday. The problem is, it's a 30 minutes session (not much time to talk about all this stuff). So, please post comments on exactly what you want presented (module recipes? architecture?) since we'll have so little time.
Thanks for voting...it should be a fun session.
Community
Hey Rob, Congratulations on getting a session, though it is much too short.
I'm interested in hearing about building community through the church's website, though that may be too narrow for such a short time. I'm fine with an overall 'Why Use Drupal' session, too.
Maybe a bunch of us could get together for an after-hour discussion/dinner to talk more?
Will
Drupal Church BoF
Hey Will...
Yeah, for sure...I think we're most certainly do an extended talk about Drupal and Churches outside this session. I want to do a big G&G meetup for sure, but I think we're also planning a Birds of a Feather meetup as well. Regardless, we'll make plenty of time to talk Church Drupal over these few days.
Looking forward to meeting you and everyone else!