Harling United Benefice: Case Study - 11.03.10

• Visit the Harling Photo Project for an account of the website's photography service


Author of Study: The Reverend Nigel Kinsella, Rector of the Harling United Benefice

Website Address: www.walkingwithyou.org.uk

The Harling United Benefice website was a finalist at the New Christiam Media Awards 2010 in the 'Best Large Church Website' category. Three other churches shared this accolade, from which the overall category winner was chosen.

Before commencing the project as a benefice we ran a website which was not being used very much and failed to address the administrative and communication needs of the church. It was a basic but adequate website.

Clearly the first step in moving forward was realising how differently people communicate today and this was a major step for the congregation to grasp: how the world of communication has changed and the church should adapt to this. As you can imagine this created alot of resistance to change, but as is so often the case, those against such a move were unable to provide any constructive solutions to the issues involved. Their solution was “let’s put our heads in the sand and hope it all goes away”.

The church council (PCC) were keen to move forward but concerned about costs and lack of expertise in the congregation. A number suggested there was no need and it was a waste of money. I quickly realised outside help was needed.

I found the Church Website Design Project website purely by chance from a Google search. The recent projects looked very impressive. I spoke to Daniel Gibbins from the Project and we arranged to meet together. Daniel immediately struck me as a knowledgeable and professional person. Following a discussion of the churches needs, I waited for the expected high cost of construction and maintenance. I was amazed how cheap the final product was, and to be honest slightly sceptical.  It seemed too good to be true.

The costs were as he explained and I have said to him he is charging far too little for the service he offers and the quality that is provided. On the open market I would expect to pay at least 4 times what Daniel charges. He is certainly living a ministry for the benefit of Christian people.

The first task was a church day led by Daniel on website communication which was excellent, but unfortunately attendance was poor (14 members). I should have realised at this point most people were unaware of the potential of the website. The day did produce some wonderful material and all those who attended were really excited about the prospects.

Daniel visited the churches on a number of occasions and took many photographs which were of a superb quality. The whole process took 6 months and allowed the website to develop and be very unique to the benefice. As a multi-parish benefice we hold together (just) a number of different styles and understandings of church. The website helped to unite people together.

Workload for the incumbent was probably 6 full days over the 6 months. I was really disappointed with the apathy of people, however now it is finalised they have seen how it operates and are more understanding of its potential. Since launch a week ago we have had over 350 visitors, and 48 people listen to the sermon podcast and viewings from USA, Italy, and Zimbabwe. The potential is amazing.

From my perspective it was a pleasure to work with Daniel and he is adept at offering relevant and appropriate support, specific to the unique nature of the church. The website is beyond my initial expectations.

Feedback fromthe community and congregation has been very positive. A local funeral director has asked to link their website to the funeral section as it gives a positive impression to non-churchgoers. I recently presented the website to a theological college in Cambridge who were also impressed with the versatility and potential of the website. 

Rev’d Nigel Kinsella – Rector of Harling United Benefice

E-mail: info@churchwebsitedesign.org.uk