Web Task Force Prepares to Powerfully Reach World

by Larry Salyer

Aaron Booth, Larry Salyer and Clyde Kilough traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada, for an all-day Web development meeting July 20. The agenda called for the Web planning task force to end the day with a projection of phase one actions to increase our Web traffic and a plan for future work.

The discussion was fast and scintillating. Many previous ideas were addressed and sorted, with action steps and individual assignments posted on the wall. Some actions can be taken right away, such as editing our literature to increase our search visibility and developing new key word strategies for search engine optimization.

Member volunteers selected to participate in this meeting included men and women with experience in business ownership, project management, strategic planning, survey analysis, information management and Web design. The meeting was held in the offices of David and Jennifer Gosse, owners of an Internet search business who attend the Las Vegas congregation.

Present were Mike and Samantha Moore, of West Palm Beach, Florida, who own and operate a nationwide human resources business; Gilbert Javier, a senior program manager at Microsoft in the Seattle, Washington, area; Andy Edinborough, a Web developer/programmer from the Salina, Kansas, congregation; Ewin Barnett, an entrepreneur in the Columbia, Missouri, congregation; and Julie Zutz, who currently manages a subsidiary of Alcoa in Houston, Texas. Unable to attend were Brian Krueger, vice president for talent acquisition at Amazon.com (Seattle) and Jeff Baker, president of a fulfillment and teleservices company (Asheville, North Carolina).

This meeting was the fourth in a series of discussions with members around the United States with varying levels of involvement in Web marketing and technology. I deeply appreciate the time and energy all of these brethren have spent in moving the Church toward a comprehensive Web strategy. No doubt we will need increasing numbers of talented, experienced people to serve in these areas as we move from high-level planning to action items and growth occurs. We fully expect these efforts to catapult us into the forefront of preaching the true gospel on the Internet and offering life-changing material to those whom God calls. We recognize that we must rely completely on God's guidance and blessing if we are to be successful. (For more, see "Going Through New Doors to Preach the Gospel With Power.") UN