MinistryCentral Europe
1. Purpose of This Strategy
This document defines how structural templates are designed, governed, and maintained within MinistryCentral Europe.
It exists to:
- Prevent layout drift
- Enable safe reuse
- Support non-technical contributors
- Reduce long-term maintenance cost
- Allow the platform to scale without redesign
Templates are the structural backbone of the platform.
2. Core Principle
Structure is centralized; content is distributed.
Templates define how things are laid out.
Contributors define what is placed inside them.
3. What Counts as a Template
Templates include:
- Page templates
- Section templates
- Course layout templates
- Lesson layout templates
- Reusable structural components
Anything reused across more than one page is a template, not a one-off.
4. Template Ownership
Templates are owned by:
- Web Platform Lead
- Technical Steward (for platform-level templates)
No other role may:
- Create new templates
- Modify existing templates
- Duplicate templates with small variations
5. Template Categories (Recommended)
Page Templates
Used for:
- Home pages
- Landing pages
- Training overview pages
- Help and documentation pages
Section Templates
Used for:
- Hero sections
- Calls to action
- Feature grids
- Course listings
Course & Lesson Templates
Used for:
- LearnDash course pages
- Lesson structure
- Standardized learning flow
6. Naming Conventions (Required)
Templates must follow a consistent naming scheme.
Recommended Pattern
MC-[Type]-[Purpose]
Examples
MC-Page-Training-Overview
MC-Section-Hero-Primary
MC-Lesson-Standard
MC-Course-Overview
Avoid:
- Vague names
- Personal references
- Version numbers unless required
7. Template Creation Rules
New templates are created only when:
- An existing template cannot be extended
- A pattern is clearly reusable
- The use case is documented
- Approval has been given
Templates are not created to:
- Solve one-off problems
- Work around editorial issues
- Bypass constraints
8. Editing Existing Templates
Before editing a template, confirm:
- Which pages use it
- What downstream impact exists
- Whether the change is backward-compatible
Template changes must be:
- Intentional
- Reviewed
- Communicated when impactful
9. Template vs Content Boundaries
Templates define:
- Layout
- Spacing
- Responsive behavior
- Component arrangement
Content defines:
- Text
- Images
- Media references
- Links
Content editors must not modify structure.
10. Scaling & Future-Proofing
Templates should:
- Be flexible, not brittle
- Support future content types
- Avoid hard-coded assumptions
- Minimize per-page overrides
If a template cannot scale, it should be redesigned — not patched.
11. Common Anti-Patterns
- ❌ Duplicating templates for small variations
- ❌ Creating “temporary” templates
- ❌ Editing templates to fix content problems
- ❌ Over-specialized templates
- ❌ Letting contributors work around structure
These patterns create silent complexity.
12. Escalation Guidelines
Escalate when:
- A new structural need appears
- A template blocks valid content
- Layout requirements change materially
- Performance or accessibility is affected
Templates evolve — but deliberately.
13. Relationship to Other Documents
This strategy works with:
- Platform & Technical Governance Guide
- Elementor Do / Don’t Guide
- Formatting & Style Guidelines
- Change Management Rules
It does not define content or authority.
14. Summary
- Templates are assets
- Structure is centralized
- Reuse is intentional
- Variation is controlled
- Stability enables scale
This strategy protects the platform long-term.