BOTH/AND

You Do Not Need Everything Before We Begin

We can begin the initial website setup after your Basic Information form is complete. You do not need to assemble every photograph, biography, or page before that work starts.

Photographs and parish information often take time to gather and approve, so please begin collecting the items below as soon as possible. Missing essential material may delay the homepage, internal review, or launch.

Your Project Upload Folder

We will provide one private parish-specific Google Drive folder for website materials. Use that folder instead of sending photographs and documents across multiple email threads.

The folder contains places for Logo and Brand, Homepage Photos, Clergy and Staff, Page Content, Migration and Existing Website, and Other Approved Assets.

This is a working project folder, not a public media host or the parish’s permanent archive. Keep the original files. Do not change access to “Anyone with the link,” and do not upload passwords, payment information, private pastoral records, form submissions, recovery codes, or other sensitive information.

We normally keep the folder available through 30 calendar days after launch. The parish will receive a handoff reminder to download anything it needs before the working folder may be deleted.

Start Gathering These First

Two Homepage Hero Photograph Options

Provide two strong, high-resolution, horizontal photographs for the main hero area. We will choose the option that works best with the selected design, text placement, responsive cropping, and supporting photographs.

The best hero photographs usually:

• Show real parish life and recognizable people rather than only an empty building.
• Feel welcoming, truthful, and current.
• Leave enough space around the subject for responsive cropping and readable text.
• Are sharp, well lit, and large enough for a full-width display.
• Have permission for website publication, including appropriate permission for identifiable children.

At Least Five Supporting Photographs

Provide at least five additional high-quality photographs showing a representative mix of parish life. Additional useful photographs are welcome. We may use only the photographs that best support the final content and design.

• Worship or a procession photographed respectfully.
• The priest or clergy interacting with people.
• Fellowship across generations.
• Children, young adults, families, and older parishioners participating naturally.
• Service, education, hospitality, or community life.
• Useful first-visit landmarks such as the church entrance.

Choose distinct, current parish photographs rather than several nearly identical images. Demo-parish and unrelated stock photographs will not be used as substitutes for local parish life.

Logo and Basic Identity

• The best available parish logo, if one exists. SVG or a large transparent PNG is preferred.
• Official parish name and preferred shorter display name.
• Current address, public phone number, and social links.
• Any established colors or fonts the parish genuinely needs to preserve.

If the parish does not have a logo, the website will use the approved parish display name as text. A new logo is not required.

Current Worship and Visitor Information

• Current regular service schedule.
• Parking, entrance, accessibility, childcare, clothing, or arrival information that would help a first-time visitor.
• The people who should receive the Contact and visitor-engagement forms.
• The current public calendar ICS link, when one already exists.

Gather During the Build

These items do not necessarily block the initial setup, but they must arrive by the content deadline established for the project:

• Priest photograph and short biography.
• Additional clergy or staff photographs and biographies when included.
• Parish history, ministries, giving, visitor, or other approved page content that cannot be migrated.
• Donation-platform link.
• Approved external links for sermons, livestreams, videos, galleries, bulletins, PDFs, and other files.
• Final private form-routing recipients.
• Names and email addresses for approved website users.
• Corrections or additions identified during the migration review.
• Analytics and Search Console ownership or access information.
• Domain, registrar, DNS, hosting, calendar, and email-provider ownership information. Share credentials only through the approved secure method.

Begin Planning Parish-Specific Page Content

The website designs provide useful structure and sample prompts, but sample content does not describe your parish. Begin gathering accurate answers for the sections your website will use. A short, truthful answer is better than polished generic language.

Create one clearly named document in the Page Content folder for each relevant page or section. Identify the person who can verify the information and the person authorized to approve it.

Parking and Arrival

• Where should visitors park, and is overflow parking available?
• Which entrance should they use?
• Are there accessible spaces, ramps, elevators, or seating considerations?
• Are any entrances difficult to find or locked at certain times?
• How early should a first-time visitor arrive?

What to Expect at a Service

• What will a visitor encounter, and approximately how long does the service last?
• May visitors sit or stand as they are able?
• What should visitors know about clothing, candles, venerating icons, or receiving blessed bread?
• What communion guidance has the priest approved for public presentation?
• Who can answer questions before or after the service?

Inquirers and Catechumens

• How should someone begin learning about Orthodoxy at this parish?
• Is there a current inquiry class, catechumen class, reading group, or meeting process?
• When and where does it meet?
• Should someone contact the priest before attending, and which public contact method should be used?
• What language has the priest approved about reception into the Church and the catechumenate?

Children and Families

• How should the parish explain that children are welcome in the service?
• Is there a nursery, cry room, changing area, or childcare? Do not imply that one exists when it does not.
• Is Church School or another children’s program offered? When, for which ages, and during what part of the year?
• What should parents know about communion, fellowship, safety, registration, or supervision?

Fellowship and Parish Life

• Is there coffee hour or a meal after services, and are visitors welcome without registering?
• Which ministries or recurring gatherings genuinely help someone become connected?
• Which activities are current and have someone responsible for keeping the information accurate?

Parish Council

Decide whether the website should use a dynamic photo grid, a simpler static page or section, or no public Parish Council page.

• The dynamic grid requires a current photograph, name, and role for every member.
• The static option can use approved text and a current list without individual photographs.
• Choose the dynamic grid only when the parish can provide the photographs and keep the entries current. Approved website users can update the council entries when membership changes.

Giving and Practical Participation

Provide the approved donation platform or giving link the parish wants to use.

Do not wait until final review to explain that sample wording is inaccurate. Every parish-specific statement must be supplied, corrected, or explicitly approved before internal quality assurance.

File Preparation

• Use descriptive filenames, such as pascha-procession-2026.jpg or fr-john-smith-headshot.jpg.
• Put each file in the most relevant folder.
• Keep original-quality photographs; we will prepare appropriate website copies.
• Include the person’s name and role with every clergy or staff photograph.
• Identify the intended page when a document or photograph has a specific destination.
• Tell us about any required credit, copyright limitation, child-safety concern, or publication restriction.
• Do not upload a large unsorted archive unless we specifically request it.

Deadlines and Launch Readiness

We will identify the materials required before homepage construction, the final content deadline before internal review, and any missing item that blocks launch.

Generic sample copy, unverified local instructions, and placeholder, stock, or demo-parish photographs will not be published as though they describe the parish. If a required photograph is unavailable, we will either delay launch, use an approved no-photo layout, or omit an optional section.

Material supplied after the agreed content deadline may move the schedule, be deferred until after launch, be entered by an approved parish user, or require separately scheduled work.