Guide to a Successful and Informative Church Website

The time has come for every church to have a website, both to attract new visitors and prospects, and to keep the current attendees and members informed. Unfortunately, many congregations (even larger ones) do not yet have a web presence, or have an extremely basic website. Here is a guide to starting a church website:

1. Do not use "free" hosting. This is just unprofessional, especially because you will probably have outside advertising on your church's website. If you have someone in the church who can design the website, all you need to is to purchase the domain and hosting service. If you do not have someone who is skilled at this, there are all-in-one packages available for churches that make it easy for anyone to update the site, from the pastor to the church secretary or a member. Make sure the design is attractive and professional-put your "best foot forward."

2. Have a lot of pictures. We live in a visual age. People visiting your website looking for a church home will want to see what your church looks like, what your nursery looks like, and what your youth group looks like (depending on their ages and needs).

3. List the service times. As someone who has looked for a church home online before, I can tell you that there is nothing more frustrating than being unable to find the church services and times on a church's website. Make sure the services and times are accurate and updated, and be sure to list your contact information in case someone has a question.

4. Post a list of available ministries. This will help out seekers who may be looking for a children's ministry or a senior saints' group. People are happy to be able to find out what a church has to offer before they attend.

5. Include your doctrinal statement. Many Christians choose a church based on what the church believes-there are a lot of different beliefs out there, even among Protestants or Catholics. Make it easy for those visiting your website to find out exactly where your church stands on important issues.

6. Give information on the Pastoral staff. It is nice to see pictures of the pastor and his family, and also to be able to read about what training and experience the pastor has. Another good idea is to post some of the pastor's sermons on the website, so visitors can listen and get an idea of what type of preaching style he has.

7. List links to other quality Christian websites. Links will help your search engine rankings, and also give people an opportunity to be guided to quality websites for themselves and their families.