What Would Jesus Design?

Over the last several years, I’ve been approached by various religious organizations looking to develop their web presence. Developing religious sites is a rewarding job, but inevitably I feel one crucial question arise at the start of each project: What would Jesus design?

It’s really a fair question. When you’re in charge of developing a web site that represents a group’s belief system, there’s a certain level of pressure to ensure the content and images employed relate the origins and principles of that religion to the site’s audience.

The first – and ironically, the largest – religious organization to approach me for their web needs was the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue Committee, a New Jersey-based Catholic group that oversees a statue of the Virgin Mary that has apparently "shed tears" in several locations throughout the world.

I’m a very objective person, and so when I first heard the story of the statue, I wasn’t sure if the project was legitimate. A Google search result fixed that – there’s over 36,000 sites referencing the statue and it’s origins! Today, the group’s web site (http://www.pilgrimvirginstatue.com) has attracted thousands of visitors from hundreds of countries throughout the world.

I’m fascinated by the many ways people celebrate their faith. One of my favorite examples is Deborah Hampton (http://www.deborahhampton.org), a music minister who preaches through song. Deborah came to me in need of a site that would explain her type of ministry and offer sample songs for visitors to hear. The site has a professional, calm atmosphere that sets a great tone for her services.

When developing sites for commercial entities, the success of a site is measured in sales. In working with multiple religious organizations, I have concluded the benchmark of success is the ability to inspire the same feeling of unity in the believer, across the board. At least, I’m pretty sure that’s what Jesus would do.