I have been reviewing and creating some church websites. I wanted to share with you a minimal list of the 6 “must have” pages for your church website. If you’d like to read about what information to include on your website from a young mother’s perspective, read that article here.
Home Page
This might seem obvious, but I have recently reviewed a few sites that only have a scrolling set of images or sometimes even just a menu list as their home page.The home page is the first impression that you make to someone that is looking for information about your church. Generally, in the first 10 seconds a visitor has already come to a conclusion about the mission and core value of your church. Understand that the primary point of the home page is an introduction, and then point to other information about your church.
Visitor
This page surprisingly is often forgotten. It is definitely a “must have” page for your church website. This page should be about how and when to visit your church. It should include things as simple as your address, where to park, which door to enter, and where the nursery is and what time they are available. Other things to include are what to expect and a little about your community’s culture. I really just want to know; how do I dress and can I sip on coffee during the service?
I know that I might get some feedback on calling them visitors. Feel free to change it to guest, friend, creeper (ha-ha), or whatever fits your church’s culture and mission best.
About
Yes, you do need to have a page that explains what your church is about. This can also include your contact information or you can make that a separate page all together. This page should include beliefs, ministry focuses of the church, and just some basic information about your history. Unlike the visitor page being mostly about the physical building, this page should be about the people. What are you known for in the community? If you are known for amazing operatic lead worship, this is a great place to mention that! More seriously though, explain the heart of your people and where they have been and where God is leading them.
Along with the About page, be sure to talk about your staff. I have a much easier time leaving my children with a teacher or nursery worker when I get to see their faces and know who they are beforehand.
Ministry
This page, even though it is a must have, can be really simple or it can be complex. Utilize media story telling by explaining the ministries of your church. It could have videos or pictures to show the church in action. It also informs potential members on how they are going to connect and serve. Talk about your local missions, internal ministries like Life Groups and Sunday School classes, and don’t forget to share your outreach missions and ministries. How do you impact the local communities and partnerships you might have across the globe?
This not only helps with potential visitors but it also helps highlight ministries that your current members can get involved in.
Sermon
Please include access to your sermons on your church website. This is such a great tool to outreach to and also nourish your community. The church body meets only 1-3 hours a week, so having access to sermons allows the message to echo during the remaining 165 hours that week. This can help potential visitors quickly know if they not only agree with, but are going to, dare I say, enjoy the preaching. It can also allow the young mother that wasn’t able to pay attention the opportunity to go back and listen to what she missed; or the homebound and out of town members to be able to listen to that week’s message. Sermon access is simply a vital tool.
It is also a good idea to have featured sermons or key messages of a series if you are currently in the middle of one.
Giving
Yes, I know you might be saying that this isn’t a must have, but the stats say that it is! Over 49% of church attenders give online, and over 67% of giving happens Monday-Saturday! Whether or not you agree with online giving, you should at least do your research and consider everything before not including this option. One more stat to just consider, 59% of givers that are 66 or older have given online. So it is not just the young whipper-snappers.
Conclusion
If you have read this far, I am proud of you. That means that you really want to leverage technology on your website to make the most impact. There are other pages that you might consider adding, but this gets you off to a great start. If you would like my help, reach out to me, even if it is just for a quick question.
Comment below with a link to your website; I’d love to see it!
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