Your church website is often the first point of contact for a potential visitor.
Is it welcoming?
Does it clearly explain your beliefs?
Are the worship times & locations easy to find?
As you examine your website, keep in mind these nine areas that will help you create an effective church website.
1. Your Statement of Faith
A statement of faith or “What We Believe” section is a must-have on your church website. Share your doctrinal beliefs in a welcoming, yet clear way so that potential visitors know what they can expect to hear during your sermons.
2. Service Times
Only offer one service each week? Consider making your service time prominent on your home page. But if you offer multiple service times, you can have a dedicated page showing the times.
3. Staff pages
Introduce your visitors to your pastors and other church staff. I also like to see headshots and bios of the team when I’m searching for churches online.
4. Youth Ministries
Families with kids will often search online to learn more about youth ministries. List the ages, programs, and special events available for the youngsters. Don’t forget to include bios of your ministry team—parents like putting faces behind the folks who are working with their kids.
5. Contact Information
Make it easy for people to contact your church office. You can include a contact form or email address, but a phone number and your church office hours is also a nice touch.
6. Media Section
We’re living in a high-tech world and your church website can help you encourage your attendees all throughout the week. Make copies of the sermons easily available online, plus you can also offer a podcast so people can receive new sermons on-demand.
7. Live Streaming
Have you ever been sick on Sunday and wished you could be at church? Thanks to the blessing of live streaming, your shut-in church members or members who are traveling can still “attend” with you. Talk with your A/V team to see what needs to happen to make this an amazing ministry.
8. Calendar of Events
You’ll discover that an online church calendar isn’t only helpful for visitors. Your members will use it, too!
9. Mobile Responsive Design
Many older church websites do not have mobile responsive designs which not only makes it tough for visitors, but it also can hurt your website’s search engine optimization.
Want a professional review of your church website? We specialize in helping nonprofits grow online. We’re happy to take a look at your website and give you some practical tips and ideas. Contact us today to learn more about our website reviews.
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