Most churches feel a need to have a website, but very few seem to know why they need a website. We frequently get blank looks when we ask our clients what they want to accomplish with their website. Those “blank looks” appear to stem from confusion about how a website can help a church with its goals. In order to help alleviate that confusion, we’re going to take a look at the top reasons for a church to have a website.
1. COMMUNICATION WITH MEMBERS AND POTENTIAL MEMBERS
You need something more than a quick note tacked on at the end of the service to keep your members informed. That’s the number one function of a website, to communicate information. The best websites keep that information organized and easy to read. We use tried and true designs and layouts to ensure your church’s information can be easily found. That information is available to all who come to the website, including people looking for a church home.
2. EXTEND THE CHURCH’S REACH
Most church’s have some type of marketing plan in place to help them bring their message to those who wouldn’t otherwise hear it. A website is a terrific tool to help extend that reach. Think about it, your website is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Most people use the internet to find whatever information they are looking for. It’s faster and more convenient than the phone book or calling an information line. If you don’t have a website, then your church is not reaching out to where most people are looking.
3. MARKET THE CHURCH’S SERVICES
Yes, “marketing” sounds like a large corporation out to make money, but think about all the services your church provides. Perhaps you have a food pantry or clothes for those in need. You may offer counseling services or support groups for those who are hurting. All those services are wonderful and provide a tremendous benefit to those who use them, but how do people know to use them? Those services have to be marketed in some way, and a website is one of the best ways to do it. You can provide all the details of how to use the service. There’s no limit to how much information you can put up about the services when you add it to a website.
4. MAINTAIN CONTROL
You have full control to update and add the information that is important to your church, and you don’t have to worry about policy changes that limit how you can use it. It is your site after all.
