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JimDoty.org |
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FORMINISTRY ADDENDUM by Jim Doty, Jr. This is an Addendum to the Build Your Own Web Site artice. If you have not yet read it, go back and look it over first. BUILDING A CHURCH SITE ForMinistry.com will allow churches to put up web sites that are free and have no commercial ads. They do put a small
"ForMinistry" link at the bottom of the page. ForMinistry is a ministry of the American Bible Society. The most obvious disadvantage to having a site at ForMinistry.com is the long site name, which you
don't get to pick yourself. They determine the name for you. The "Basic Site" they start you with is four pages, but you can add or subtract as many pages as you choose. They have several templates,
colors, and images to choose from, and it is simple to change any of these, at least with the Basic Site. The process of going through the registration and site choice options results in a basic site with four pages
and links all ready to go. You just fill in the blank pages with text and/or images. During the registration process, ForMinistry gives you the option of choosing a paid domain name. If you want a totally free site,
just skip that page and go on. You can always go back and pay for a domain name later. Adding to your pages is a two-part process. First you upload text blocks and images to their servers. You give each text block or
image a "label" name that you can identify later. Then you go to the page you want to add to, bring up the list of text blocks or images and pick what text block and/or image you want to put on the page. This
isn't very intuitive unless you find the page of instructions. )nce you find the instructions it is simpler. They are here: If you decide to build a site at their location, print out the instructions. It
will help. Suggestions If you go with ForMinistry, I would suggest the
following: 1) Go through the registration process. Choose your denomination from the list. 2) Skip the "buying a domain name" option. 3) They will ask you for a church name and a
slogan. Use "Springfield Methodist Church" or "St. John's Episcoal Church" or whatever else you choose for the church name, and then add the slogan of your choice. 4) When they give you a choice of a single
page or basic site, I recommend you choose "basic." It will give you a pre-built four page site with a HOME page, and three sub-pages: NEWS, SERVICES, and ABOUT US. You can put announcements on the NEWS page,
your weekly service schedule under SERVICES, and any brief information about the church or a link to the world church on the ABOUT US page. You can do all of this in one to two hours if you follow the instructions once
you get your basic site up. 5) Select a Template, Color, and Image. These are easy to change later. 6) They will create a basic 4-page site. Now you can go back and add text and images to the
pages. For churches, I think ForMinistry is one of the best free options for a site host. 7) To add to the site later on, just go to the site, click on LOGIN, enter your user name and password (you create
these when you register), and you see your site but with the addition of page editing menus. Just follow the instructions page to change page content, or to add or subtract pages. Then LOGOUT. |
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November 24, 2002 |
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