20 essentials of a good church website

With many people checking out churches online, Elim’s third digital masterclass asked how to create an effective website.

Here are some ideas...

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 information 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 for people to ask questions.
 

This article first appeared in the August 2022 edition of Direction Magazine. For further details please click here. 

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