5 things your church website must have:

Posted June 3, 2016

A church website can be one of the most powerful tools for attracting new visitors. Today we’ll discuss the top 5 things your church website must have:

1. Address:

The #1 piece of information a visitor will be looking for is where you meet. This should be easy to find and placed on the home or landing page. Don’t hide the address in the footer, but rather try to place it somewhere with good visibility. This is also a good place to communicate if you won’t be meeting on an upcoming Sunday or if you will be meeting at a different location.

2. Service Time(s):

If you have more than one service, such as having both a traditional and contemporary service, make sure you specify how the services might vary from each other and list times.

3. Description of worship service / Statement of faith:

Church services vary greatly in length, worship style, theology, etc. Figure out the best way to communicate some key aspects that help make your church unique. Consider highlighting specific areas, like if you offer Sunday School or childcare, youth group, small groups or service projects. In most cases, the home page is not the best place to go into great detail for these programs; however, you should provide an oversight of what your church offers. Although not always necessary, a statement of faith can provide great insight into your church’s specific beliefs.

Consider tailoring your home page to visitors and having specific resource pages for current members. This will help prevent your home page from becoming over crowded with information that doesn’t pertain to a first time visitor.

4. Visually Appealing:

On average, websites should be updated every 1-2 years to remain relevant with current internet trends and functionality. This doesn’t always mean a complete overhaul of your site, but you should at least consider updating some key areas. Make sure your website is user friendly and easy to navigate.

5. Contact / Leadership:

The fifth and final area your church website must have is a contact and leadership page. Websites are an amazing tool because you can provide a lot of information for viewers but some may still have questions. You should provide an easy to use contact form or directory of church leaders so that both members and visitors know who to contact regarding specific areas and needs of the church.

I recently walked Lakeview Church in Maryland through this very process. Check out the end result here: www.lakeviewchurchmd.com.

This is in no way an exhausted list of what your website should feature, but these are the top 5 things I believe your church website must have. Is there something I missed? Comment below with your suggestions and what you look for in a church website.