5 Transferable Website Concepts from Saddleback’s Recent Campaign Launch

Ready to work on something? Don’t just read this. Take at least 2 or 3 minutes and actually look at the links below. You can learn so much about how one of the most effective small group ministries is doing what they’re doing. But…you’ll learn a lot more if you’ll just take a closer look.

First, a little side-note: it pays to watch closely for transferable concepts; ideas that you can use to raise the bar in your own small group ministry. I love this line from Pablo Picasso:

“Good artists copy. Great artists steal.”

It reminds me of another great line that I heard from Rick Warren over 20 years ago:

“If you steal from one person, it’s plagiarism. If you steal from five, it’s research. If you steal from 10 or more, it’s sheer creativity. And I am a very creative person!”

Ready to get creative? Here are 5 (web) ideas that should be copied from Saddleback’s most recent campaign launch (40 Days of the Word):

1. Note how prominent the Small Group link is on Saddleback’s home page. “Small Groups: Join a small group to grow closer to Christ and other believers. Learn More” is easy to see right on their main page. Note: if it takes two or three or four clicks to reach the page on your website where I can find out about joining a group…I’m probably not going to make it.
2. When you click the link from Saddleback’s main page, it takes you to a page with a carefully chosen title: Experiencing Life Together. That’s very important. People are searching for experiences. One of the most important books in the last decade was The Experience Economy by B. Joseph Pine and James H. Gilmore.
3. Note how carefully the words on this page are chosen. Short sentences. It fits above the fold. The first sentence captures the essence of everyone’s longing for connection. The next two sentences frame the idea of a small group very succinctly. The 4th sentence is a call to action.
4. Note that the call to action directs you to Select a Small Group Type (Home, Work, Online). Don’t miss a key detail right at this spot. All three options allow you to select “find” or “start.” That is a very big development (i.e., it’s never too late to be looking for new leaders).
5. Take a look at what happens if you click on “start.” You may not be able to go further than this…but let me tell you, Saddleback has made it super easy to start a group.

What do you think? Can you make these changes? I’d love to hear your thoughts. You can click here to jump into the conversation.