Church for the Nations

Church for The Nations is known for its passionate worship, relevant teaching from God’s Word, and focus on the least, the last, and the lost. Through the years, this church has become a refuge for those who are hurting.

Nearly a decade had passed since Church for The Nations last redesigned their website, and we were thrilled when they approached us for this project. CFTN was in the midst of a rebranding, making this the perfect opportunity to showcase their new identity, with a special emphasis on the inviting color scheme they had adopted. CFTN sought a modern website that reflected their updated brand, but were equally determined to enhance the ease of connecting with the church. Having switched to Rock RMS, a robust church management system, CFTN was only utilizing its features for managing finances and check-in processes. They recognized the untapped potential within Rock RMS and wanted to explore additional functionalities to further improve their church operations and engagement with the congregation.

While implementing the brand identity was a straightforward process, our central focus rested on frictionless connections between church members and the church. Our approach began with an in-depth exploration of Rock RMS (ChMS) documentation by the team, charting out a plan for the integration of key features within the website. The overarching objective was to forge a cohesive link between the ChMS and the website. Our strategy involving linking to the ChMS and leveraging an Application Programming Interface (API), we could effortlessly retrieve information from the ChMS and present it on the website.

In our pursuit of making church connections effortless, we meticulously mapped out user journeys for various interactions (such as prayer requests, event registrations, and joining a serve team) on a whiteboard. This exercise aimed to identify the most efficient flow for members to connect. Harnessing the capabilities of the API, the website's calendar seamlessly synchronized, allowing us to display events throughout the site, simplifying the registration process. The calendar featured customizable filters catering to specific audiences such as kids, youth, or adults. Additionally, these filtered events seamlessly integrated onto each respective ministry page. To further enhance user experience, we introduced MyCFTN, a feature detailed below, providing a direct link to service opportunities, prayer requests, and communication with the church, all accessible from the main website.

With the integration and streamlined connectivity to the church successfully implemented, our focus implementing the brand and aesthetic elements. The newly adopted brand featured elements like circles, low poly patterns, and slanted lines, all of which were strategically incorporated into the website. These design elements, along with the introduction of Sea 2, were immediately visible as users scrolled through the pages.

To optimize user experience, we restructured the content hierarchy, prioritizing simplicity and ease of navigation. Instead of overwhelming visitors with an exhaustive menu, we distilled the main navigation down to three key area we learned visitors would seek: Experience (information about visiting the church), Watch (access to on-demand and live services), and Give. Additional options were discreetly tucked away in a side panel, recognizing that not every area needed to be prominently displayed.

Rather than having an extensive website with numerous pages, our focus was on ensuring each page served a purpose. Every piece of content was crafted to inform, with the ultimate goal of guiding visitors toward opportunities to connect by the end of each page. Whether it was downloading the church app, attending a Press Play (new members class) or signing up to serve, we strived to provide clear calls to action, encouraging deeper engagement.

We introduced Next Moves on both the homepage and menu, featuring the top 7 areas to connect: Press Play (new members class), Baptism, Serve, Classes, Outreach, Prayer, and Missions. This approach empower members to promptly engage and take action in their preferred area of interest with ease.

With the website's structural framework in place, our attention turned to our content strategy. Given that the existing content was almost a decade old, extensive changes were necessary to accurately reflect the current identity and direction of CFTN. This phase proved to be the most challenging, involving the creation, refinement, and multiple rounds of editing to ensure the content not only authentically represented CFTN but also strongly reinforced the church's mission and vision without compromise. Our approach involved simplifying content without compromising clarity.

We launched CFTN Now, featuring a single, convenient link that enables members to effortlessly access items highlighted in announcements and popular items like the connect card, sermon notes, past sermons, and more.

Our final touchpoint was the creation of the ChMS's public-facing website – the hub for connecting with the church. While the main website was designed to cater to new visitors, while MyCFTN focused on current members, providing a seamless method for them to engage effortlessly with the church. MyCFTN boasted a distinct theme—clean, simple, bright, with splashes of Sea 2.

Leveraging the power of Rock RMS with its C# capabilities, we tailored numerous custom plugins to seamlessly integrate Rock's features into the theme. Our announcement plugin strategically displayed vital information for current members, such as upcoming Baptisms or Press Play (the new members class). With targeting, announcements were tailored based on individual profiles. For instance, Baptism announcement were exclusively shown to members yet to be baptized. This precision allowed CFTN to deliver pertinent information only when it truly mattered.

To improve the existing check-in process, we developed plugins that seamlessly integrated the new theme, displayed important announcements to parents, and regularly verified information to ensure its accuracy.

With MyCFTN, registering for an event or expressing interest in serving on a team has become remarkably simple and effortless. MyCFTN stands as the central hub for connecting with the church, offering a digital space that effortlessly keeps members informed, facilitates prayer requests, allows easy updates to family information, and more.