From editorial director of news Kate Shellnutt: I spend a lot of time on church and ministry websites. I’ve seen a lot of fancy features—countdowns to service times, professionally edited videos, buttons to give your tithes, and trendy sermon-series graphics. But there’s often one thing I’m looking for: contact information. I just want to know how to call or email someone.
 
I’ve gotten good at clicking around to find what I need if there’s not a clear contact page—going through the “about” page to find staff listings, scrolling through FAQs, or even seeing a pastor’s info show up on the announcements. But sometimes it’s not anywhere. Even leaders’ personal websites will leave off contact information or just put an automated form. If I’m desperate to try to reach someone, I’ll guess—I’ve gotten ahold of more than one big-name Christian speaker by trying firstname.lastname@gmail.com.
 
I may have complained about this particular internet-era journalism pet peeve before (I know, I know, at least we’re not working from the Yellow Pages and a Rolodex anymore), but just in case you’re putting up a website and want a reporter or neighbor or congregant or potential ministry partner to reach you: Don’t make it so hard on us.