I began my “fascination” with Nathan many many years ago while I was still working in the marketplace.
It was at this period of time that I began feeling compelled to investigate the marriage of technology and theology and in my first initial Google-round I found little except this gem: The Godbit Project. In addition to holding the keywords “Theology + Technology” their Mission Statement was kick butt.
This section in particular caught my rabid attention:
The purpose of this site is to help the Church catch up with the rest of the world in adherence to Web Standards given by the World Wide Web Consortium, the governing body of best-practices on the Internet. The majority of Christian web design agencies are using outmoded methods of coding to create websites that the rest of the world would scoff at. Basically, they are stuck in the 1990’s.
This is so common in fact, that the term “Christian” when associated with the Internet has become synonymous with “sub-par.” Without pointing fingers specifically, some of these practices include misuse of JavaScript, malformed (X)HTML, all-Flash websites, and over-dependence on tables for layout.
I was hooked. This apparently was a bunch of believers that saw more of what the web was and what it could be in terms of how the Church “does” it. I liked that. And so I followed the rabbit hole as far as it went and began “spying” on Nathan and some of his cohorts.
I never really imagined that I’d be able to connect with them or meet them physically (and we still haven’t, yet.) but it seems we’ve been able to connect online, and that’s a good a start as anything.
I had this long conversation via GooChat and I thought I might as well shoot him over a few more Q’s to share his wealth of knowledge and experience with the community.
Thanks Nathan for your time and how you’ve pushed us this far in terms of the Church and our websites not completely sucking.
😉
1. So, in 140 chars or less, who are you?
I’m a Christian, husband (new father), designer and front-end developer. Formerly an information architect. I’m finishing up a MDiv degree.
2. You’ve recently made a significant move from a “work” perspective, tell us about that.
I have bounced around quite a bit in recent years, switching jobs because of various corporate acquisitions and whatnot. Now though, I finally feel like I am hitting my stride, working as a designer and front-end developer at Fellowship Technologies. I have found it to be a great blend of left and right-brained challenges. Some days I do a lot of visual and/or interaction design, while at other times I get to write a lot of JavaScript. I feel like this keeps me on my toes, yet also helps me maintain balance.
Beyond just a blend of aesthetics and code though, FT also affords me the opportunity to work in both my passions simultaneously, web technology and theology. I think of it this way: To stay effective in today’s ever changing marketplace, we must keep abreast of all the advancements in areas of human centered design and web standards development. Contrary to that, sound theology should never change, because the Lord is the same: yesterday, today, and forevermore – infinitely relevant.
FT also encourages its employees to constantly be both learning from, and mentoring one another. This is facilitated by our use of the Scrum project management methodology. I have to say that it has been one of the single-most significant paradigm shifts in my workflow. Instead of having project focus shift sporadically, we are all working consistently toward a common goal. This is not to say that the process is inflexible. Rather, as new things arise we collectively determine their relevance and prioritize accordingly. Our workload is broken down into two-week increments, called “sprints” in which we estimate how long each task will take. This allows for a more accurate assessment of team capability. Not to belabor the point, but if those reading this interview are unfamiliar with Scrum, it would behoove you to look into it.
3. You spent a lot of time doing freelance web design, what are some of the greatest lessons learned from those periods of life?
I have learned that it is important to choose projects and clients that share in a mutual interest. For instance, if a client wants you to design a site to promote XYZ topic, but you are unfamiliar or disinterested in it, that will come across in the work. Ultimately, this is no good for you or the client. That is why I prefer to work with churches and ministries, because I feel that my seminary training allows me to be better tuned-in to their needs, as opposed to working with other types of businesses that I know less about. Helping people meet Christ is the most paramount of subject matter.
As far as tips for other freelancers, I would encourage you to get some sort of process around your own personal workflow. Find ways to keep yourself accountable to meeting deadlines and achieving milestones, lest you end up wasting time on trivial matters (Facebook comes to mind). For me, I use an application called Billings – www.billings3.com – which serves as an egg-timer, letting me know how much time I have spent on particular portions of a project. Not only that, but it allows you at any point to show the client a raw break-down of how things are progressing. Whether you bill hourly or per-project, this gives them peace of mind, knowing you are a diligent and trustworthy professional.
As a freelancer, you will inevitably hit a creative block, and will have the urge to seek inspiration from outside sources. This is all well and good, but I would warn against the tendency to look at others’ work within the same medium. For instance, I know many web designers who surf CSS site galleries, looking to glean ideas for their own work. I must say, I am guilty of this as well. However, rarely does innovation come from imitating what others have done. In constantly comparing myself to others, I should not be surprised when the net result is work that looks like everything else out there. Instead, I would encourage freelancers to go to museums, read books on other topics, or really study the nuances of the everyday objects around us. There is much to be learned from reflecting on industrial design.
4. Godbit is one of the properties that you manage and a significant community has been developed. What is the story behind that and how have you seen community change since starting Godbit?
There is a funny back story there. Godbit.com was the first domain name I ever registered. I naively thought that Google would pick up on it right away, but searching for “godbit” yielded a slew of Norwegian cooking sites, because it godbit means “a small piece of something good” in Norwegian, especially in reference to food. I had bought the domain name for ten years, and figured I would just leave it shelved, instead using the next domain name I bought, SonSpring.com as my personal site.
It was not until myself and several other Christian web designers started talking that I realized the Godbit name could still be useful. We were discussing the need for a community that featured not only visually appealing ministry related sites, but those whose code was properly executed. One of my friends half-jokingly suggested registering a domain name that played on the popular CSS Zen Garden notion – “CSS Garden of Eden.” Wanting to save us from perpetuating the stereotype that Christians are cheesy, I volunteered to build Godbit, as we know it today.
The rest, as they say, is history. I was amazed at the turn-out, from many other web-savvy Christians who simply needed a gathering point to get connected. I think of it like the “See You at the Pole” rallies. So many of us are people of faith, yet we kind of keep that to ourselves until we know it’s “safe” to divulge that sometimes contentious aspect of our lives, not wanting to upset peers who do not believe as we do. I feel that is what Godbit has gradually become, not a walled garden of exclusivity, but a place where all are welcome – with the understanding and acknowledgement that the core purpose of the community is to glorify Jesus Christ.
5. You mentioned in a personal conversation that the changes in web technology have “leveled the playing field” and is the “great equalizer.” Can you expound on that?
Some day, perhaps after I am finished with seminary later this summer, I would like to write an article entitled: “Everything I need to know about ministry, I learned from web development.” At seminary, and especially in large denominations, there is this notion that someone needs to be cut from a particular swatch in order to be an effective minister of the gospel. In web development, things are quite the contrary. It does not matter where you live, how old you are, years of experience, what your gender is, what your nationality is, your marital status, or even what you look like.
The one true litmus test of a web designer / developer is: How effective are you? If your work is both usable and aesthetically pleasing, plus your code is impeccable, then I do not really care how you came to be at that skill level. Some people are self-taught, others attended a university to study art or computer science. Still others, such as myself, have university training but not in a related field.
I think the “big-C” church could learn a lot from the way the professional web community congeals together for the betterment of everyone involved. For example: I recently wrote a chapter for an O’Reilly book on jQuery. John Resig, the creator of jQuery, is himself younger than most of us who are involved in writing the book. In churchy circles, you would rarely see an older and more experienced pastor singing the praises of a younger yet more charismatic church leader.
Yet, this type of thing is commonplace on the web. Talent is unmistakable. It rises to the top and everyone is the better for it. The Internet is the “great equalizer” not because everyone is identical. Obviously some people are better at what they do than others. Rather, it affords everyone the same initial footing. If you have a computer and can get online, you are empowered for self-betterment.
6. What are some of your greatest influencers (both people and sites)?
One of the people who has most inspired me is C.S. Lewis. He was a brilliant man with a keen understanding of how present and relevant God is in our lives. Without a doubt, my favorite quote is:
“Let choirs sing well or not at all. Otherwise we merely confirm the majority in their conviction that the world of business, which does with such efficiency so much that never really needed doing, is the real, the adult, and the practical world; and that all this culture and religion (horrid words both) are essentially marginal, amateurish, and rather effeminate activities.”
To me, this is the polite way of Yoda saying: “Do or do not, there is no try.” Basically, if you are not going to give 100% effort to do something with excellence, stay home. The church does not need more weak links in the chain (doing ministry, not being ministered-to). That is not to say everyone cannot be effective for the Kingdom, just that there are many people who are trying to operate in areas for which they are either ill-equipped, unprepared, or simply beyond their realm of giftedness. I am a firm believer that God has given us all the ability to do particular tasks for ministry with effectiveness. It is the duty and privilege of church leadership to channel people’s talents into areas where they can be most successful, both on an individual and congregational level.
Just as I should never be allowed to serve as organist in church liturgy, so some people should not be allowed to design church websites. It takes a certain degree of humbleness to say: “Okay God, maybe task XYZ is not for me. Please show me ways in which I can be effective for the glory of your name.” I went through this same struggle, in trying to discern if pastoral ministry was something I should pursue. Ultimately, I felt God laying on my heart that I should strive to be an Aaron, not a Moses.
Exodus 17:9-13
“Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose some of our men. Then go out and fight against the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill. I’ll stand there with the staff of God in my hands.’ So Joshua fought against the Amalekites, just as Moses had ordered. Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held his hands up, the Israelites were winning. But every time he lowered his hands, the Amalekites began to win. When Moses’ arms got tired, Aaron and Hur got a stone and put it under him. Then he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up. Aaron was on one side, and Hur was on the other. Moses’ hands remained steady until sunset. So Joshua destroyed the Amalekite army with swords.”
As far as which web-dev sites I read, there are the usual suspects, popular multi-author publications centered around specific topics:
– www.ajaxian.com
– www.alistapart.com
– www.boxesandarrows.com
As for Christian sites, these in particular are inspiring:
– www.churchrelevance.com
– www.collidemagazine.com
– www.desiringgod.com
– www.youversion.com
And of course, I would be remiss if I did not also mention ChurchCrunch! 🙂
7. Finally, where can we find you on the interwebs?
You can find me on my blog, Godbit, and the normal spattering of social (ugh) sites…
– www.sonspring.com
– www.godbit.com
– www.twitter.com/nathansmith
– www.slideshare.net/nathansmith
– www.readernaut.com/nathansmith
– www.linkedin.com/in/nathanwww.linkedin.com/in/nathan
– www.facebook.com/p/Nathan_Smith/502561266
Note, I don’t really “do” Facebook, but feel free to add me if you like.
[Images from Nathan’s SlideShare]
Shawn K says
This entire post was worth it solely for the Godbit link! Good stuff there!
human3rror says
godbit is awesome. 😉
Cleve Persinger says
In relation to this post, check out: http://www.churchmarketingsucks.com/archives/2009…
human3rror says
…
*sigh*
Cleve Persinger says
Why the sigh? We're on the same page — not wanting sub-par websites.
Jim says
apparently i was already following him on twitter, somehow…Great article…word!
human3rror says
he's awesome. funny too.