Navigating the New Diocesan Website: A Guide for Clergy & Lay Leaders
By Maurice L. Harris | Diocesan Communications Minister
Chances are, if you find the new diocesan website easy to use, you are neither clergy, nor lay leader, nor committee member. While parishioners and visitors have embraced the re-design happily, those involved in church administration have been quick to notice that “things aren’t where they used to be.”
Never fear. I’ll introduce several tips in this article that can help you navigate the website with greater ease. But first, an explanation.
As the Rev. Scott Gunn, Executive Director of Forward Movement, discusses in his recent blog post, church websites are “first and foremost for guests and seekers.” Problem is, the Good News of God in Christ too often takes a backseat to updated forms, reports, and policies as the line between ministry and administration gets fuzzy.
The new diovermont.org, with its simplified menu and uncluttered homepage, keeps evangelism at the surface, while providing administrative tools just beneath. While the design and navigation are significantly different from the old website (with its lengthy dropdown menus and text-heavy homepage), it’s a relatively easy layout to learn.
Resources for clergy and lay leaders are located primarily in these four places:
Clergy & Leaders Resources. Halfway down the homepage, click the Clergy & Lay Leaders button for an alphabetized list of the most common links and documents.
Summary of Mission & Ministries. From the main menu, click Missional Church > Summary of Mission & Ministries. This page contains an alphabetized list of mission and ministry organizations in the Diocese.
Networks & Commissions. Churches often have committees. We do, too, but we sometimes refer to ours more actively as networks. So, if you’re looking for, say, the Grants and Loans Committee (or any other committee), you’ll find it by clicking About > Networks & Commissions.
Governance. Looking for Diocesan Council? The Trustees of the Diocese? Diocesan Convention? You’ll find them under the main menu by clicking About > Governance.
Please take a few minutes to watch the video “Getting to Know 2.0: An Introduction to the New Diovermont Website,” and click on the Help link in the footer of the website to read the latest FAQs. It’s a huge help.
As always, if you need further assistance, please contact communications@dioceseofvermont.org.