Must Haves on a Church's Website?

[Lamb]

What are the Must Haves on a Church's Website?

 

[tango]

I'd expect to see details of when the church meets and how to contact the church, along with some information about church beliefs (denomination, maybe a formal statement of faith).

It's good to know a bit about the church congregation - the demographic, style of service etc - and what if any provisions exist for children at the church. If you've got a young family you'll probably choose a church with an active children's ministry over a church where your kids will be the only people under the age of about 30, all else being more or less equal. Likewise if you have a strong preference for a particular musical style, or for a younger or an older congregation, it saves a wasted trip if the church isn't what you're looking for.

I know some people like to listen to a few sermons and watch live streams of a few services before going. I might seek out that sort of thing if I was going to travel any distance to a church but for a local church (which is preferable, assuming theology is sound) I'd encourage people to just go and attend a service and see it first hand. It seems too easy to come up with one reason after another why you won't attend this Sunday when perhaps what is needed is to just get on with it.

 

[Albion]

I'm always surprised to have looked up some congregation and found there's no street address or map shown anywhere. It's as though they think a phrase like "In Downtown Pleasantville" or "Serving the Bryant Hill neighborhood" is sufficient.

 

[tango]

I'm always surprised to have looked up some congregation and found there's no street address or map shown anywhere. It's as though they think a phrase like "In Downtown Pleasantville" or "Serving the Bryant Hill neighborhood" is sufficient.

Yes, if you want to attend the church it's kinda useful to know where the church actually is. Or you could just wander around "Downtown Pleasantville" listening out for the sounds of singing. If you know what kind of singing to be listening out for, of course

 

[Lamb]

What things SHOULDN'T be on a website?

 

[Albion]

What things SHOULDN'T be on a website?

Prominent appeals for donations, sometimes complete with Paypal instructions and the like.

I have to assume that current members of the church/congregation already know this information while "seekers" want other information first, even if they also realize that joining any church will include taking on financial obligations.

 

[Lamb]

Do you like reading the history of that congregation? How about photos of the people? Which groups do you want to see a page devoted to?

 

[tango]

Prominent appeals for donations, sometimes complete with Paypal instructions and the like.

I have to assume that current members of the church/congregation already know this information while "seekers" want other information first, even if they also realize that joining any church will include taking on financial obligations.

Would you find any appeal for donations offputting? I can see why it would be useful for regulars and members who wanted to donate, although I'd agree if it's too front-and-center it could come across as offputting for people just looking for a new church.

My last church continues to list ways people can give in the weekly bulletin - if you want to give the information is there and if you don't you don't have to use it. Many of the long term members set something up so the bank automatically transfers their gift every month but there are always new people who want to know how to give.

 

[tango]

Do you like reading the history of that congregation? How about photos of the people? Which groups do you want to see a page devoted to?

Personally I don't really care about the ancient history of the congregation but others may do.

Photos of the people can give a web site something of a human touch, as long as the photos are reasonably representative of the church as a whole. It would be a shame if the only people who consented to their pictures being on the web site were a small handful, and the pictures gave the impression the demographic was nothing like it actually was.

If groups exist that are open to new people it doesn't hurt to provide some information on the site somewhere. If it's an evening Bible study, a knitting group, a chess tournament, whatever, if it's there why not list it? The link between church and chess may be nothing more than that the chess club happens to be made up of church members but if it's something going on then list it. I wouldn't expect it to be listed with the same prominence as information about the regular services and church beliefs but it can still have a place under one of the menus.

 

[Albion]

Would you find any appeal for donations offputting? I can see why it would be useful for regulars and members who wanted to donate, although I'd agree if it's too front-and-center it could come across as offputting for people just looking for a new church.

I thought of that as I was reading some of these websites, but it's only the "worst" of them that I had in mind. I remember one that was the home page of a small denomination and all that was on the page was a paragraph identifying the denomination, with contact address, and an appeal for contributions and how to do it.

 

[prism]

What things SHOULDN'T be on a website?

Balloon jumps, carnivals, raffles, "Revival in Two Weeks", etc.

 

[tango]

I thought of that as I was reading some of these websites, but it's only the "worst" of them that I had in mind. I remember one that was the home page of a small denomination and all that was on the page was a paragraph identifying the denomination, with contact address, and an appeal for contributions and how to do it.

I don't think I've seen any that would strike me as unacceptably forward, but then I haven't seen all that many church web sites overall so I'm sure there are some out there that would bother me.

I think the sort of thing you're describing, that says little more than "Twenty words about who we are, please give, give, give, give, give" would bother me. Probably enough to not go to the church at all.

 

[Albion]

I think the sort of thing you're describing, that says little more than "Twenty words about who we are, please give, give, give, give, give" would bother me. Probably enough to not go to the church at all.

Yes. And when I see that, I can't avoid wondering why someone who is merely looking for a church to join, or somewhere to worship while in town, or is curious about something they've heard concerning the teachings of a certain denomination would be attracted by a website like that. (?)

 

[tango]

Yes. And when I see that, I can't avoid wondering why someone who is merely looking for a church to join, or somewhere to worship while in town, or is curious about something they've heard concerning the teachings of a certain denomination would be attracted by a website like that. (?)

You never know, they might have heard one of the kooky televangelists and want to find out how much a ticket to heaven costs

 

[TechWiz18]

If your church live streams your service or even just posts them online, easy access to those services allows for the modern person looking for a church to do a little pre-scoping to see if the church is right for them.

 

[Lamb]

If your church live streams your service or even just posts them online, easy access to those services allows for the modern person looking for a church to do a little pre-scoping to see if the church is right for them.

Definitely! We have the YouTube link on there, but I'm not sure if the link for live streaming is available. I know it's on our Facebook page.

 

[tango]

If your church live streams your service or even just posts them online, easy access to those services allows for the modern person looking for a church to do a little pre-scoping to see if the church is right for them.

Or the "modern person" (whatever that means) could just go to the church and find out what it's actually like, rather than treating it as just another consumer product.

 

[Lamb]

Or the "modern person" (whatever that means) could just go to the church and find out what it's actually like, rather than treating it as just another consumer product.

That's not always feasible if you're moving to a new area and want to check out churches ahead of time. It's something I would do if I had to move again.

 

[tango]

That's not always feasible if you're moving to a new area and want to check out churches ahead of time. It's something I would do if I had to move again.

You can check out churches ahead of time but you can only gain so much insight from watching things on a screen. You can only gain so much from even attending a church a couple of times.

 

[Albion]

You can check out churches ahead of time but you can only gain so much insight from watching things on a screen. You can only gain so much from even attending a church a couple of times.

But can't we agree that unless there are only three churches in town, for example, it can be a very arduous task to personally observe every available congregation in action??? A good website helps both the congregation and the inquirer/new resident/new Christian...even if it cannot answer every last question.