Behind the scenes at nac.today there is a lot of clanking and clattering going on: the site is under construction. The international news portal of the New Apostolic Church is working on its relaunch. Here is a peek behind the construction fence.
Sacha Moser is a real live wire. Sitting still, standing still is not his thing. He thinks and moves and talks and moves and moves the things he is working on on the fourth floor of an industrial building in Zurich’s Schiffbau district.
The founder of an award-winning advertising agency based in Zurich, Berlin, and New York is currently working on a project that means a lot to him: the relaunch of the news portal of the New Apostolic Church International. And it’s high time.
Maximum reach and relevance
It has been almost ten years since nac.today was launched in January 2015. Since then, user-centred content has supported the communication of the Church leadership with the members and brought the brothers and sisters all over the world closer together. The offer established itself immediately. No other New Apostolic medium has such international reach and relevance.
Almost 3,200 texts, videos, and picture galleries have been featured on the news portal since then and have been read millions of times. This is because the content is also disseminated—sharing is explicitly permitted—via social networks, the websites of the Regional Churches, and even congregational newsletters.
Users and experts have their say
The design of the website was beginning to look and feel a little tired. No wonder, ten years is half an eternity in the Internet age. Under the leadership of its new head Simon Heiniger, NACI Communication Services has therefore set out to relaunch nac.today and brought Sacha Moser on board with his international team of experts from design to programming.
Above all, users were consulted. Interviews with representatives of all New Apostolic cultural groups explored the wishes and needs of the Regional Churches around the world. Finally, readers and viewers themselves were questioned in a survey. Within hours, around 600 subscribers to the newsletter seized the opportunity to have their say on the design and conception.
More than just a pretty face
The result: priority has been given to making the site more user-friendly and making it easier to find articles. And of course, the website is getting a fresh new look, adapted to both small and large screens, including a dark mode feature. This is standard today. But that is only the beginning. New functions are planned too. Users can have articles read to them. Surveys can be integrated into articles. There is a quote of the day. Playlists play New Apostolic music from streaming services.
And anyone who registers free of charge will receive articles and videos that match their reading habits in addition to the latest articles. The newsletter provides weekly overviews. And an optimised search engine will help you find what you are looking for in the NACI media.
Always up to date
The new nac.today will go live in the next couple of weeks. The exact date will be communicated the usual way, via nac.today. NACI Communication Services is keeping its finger on the pulse.
This can also be seen on nak.org, the official publication of the New Apostolic Church International. The mother of all official New Apostolic websites underwent its second relaunch in 2021 and is constantly developing. For the first time, the Guide For Ministers is available there. And the Liturgy of the New Apostolic Church will follow this year still.
Two forms of media, two points of view
In any case, the distribution of tasks is clear: nak.org is the official website of the New Apostolic Church International. It publishes official statements, doctrinal texts, and other authoritative information of the New Apostolic Church International.
nac.today presents New Apostolic Christians and other interested readers with many interesting and useful facts on six days a week. The magazine helps tailor content to the needs of the user, and explains background information.
Photo: insta_photos – stock.adobe.com