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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