With new church visitors increasingly checking online first, what should a great church website offer?,,,
With many people checking out churches online before they visit, Elim’s third digital masterclass asked how to create an effective website. Here are some highlights.
20 essentials of a good church website
Basic info – include basics such as your church’s name, location and service times and make this easy to find.
The experience – describe your services, worship, kids work etc. Show who attends and what your building is like.
Links to media – give people access to recordings of things like sermons. People can listen and decide if your church is right for them.
Links to policies – include policies on safeguarding, privacy and more. Knowing proper procedures are in place helps people feel safe.
News and blogs – fresh, regular news can show the diversity of church and how God is speaking and changing lives.
Giving opportunities – allow people to give online and show how their money is used.
Events information – create a digital calendar so people can sign up for events and use databases like ChurchSuite for ticketing.
Life groups – people want community, so list your life groups, giving information about them and the option to sign up.
Kids and youthwork – reassure parents by including information about your activities, team and the fact they are DBS-checked.
New Christian resources – to help people exploring faith, include invitations to events like Alpha and videos and guides.
Prayer requests – let people submit prayer requests online, and then make sure you pray through them.
Outreach work – information about community work and outreach shows you have a heart for your area. Include an option to sign up to help too.
Discipleship resources – include information on how people can get baptised, seek the baptism in the Holy Spirit etc.
Your beliefs – people want to know what you believe so include a statement of faith or links to organisations like the Evangelical Alliance which explain it.
Missions and charities – list the organisations you support to show your church’s heart and that you’re living out your faith.
Team information – let visitors get to know your leadership team and how things run so they feel familiar with your church before they arrive.
Teams and get involved – list your teams and volunteer requirements to show how people can get involved.
Invitation to faith – help people make a decision about faith by including infor- mation such as who Jesus is and how to become a Christian.
Stories of life changes – include stories from a range of people in church to bring your congregation to life for visitors.
Get in touch – include a contact form and links to your social media. Create two-way communication and a space fo2r people to ask questions.
From Direction Magazine issue 239
