Five reasons why you need a website for your church

In the developed world, having a church website is a given. Most of us instinctively know this.

But why? Why are church websites important?

Having or not having a website can be the deciding factor of that new visitor deciding to stay and become a member. The shocking reality is that many first-timers think: “They don’t even have a website, why should I stay here?” Or: “They don’t seem to strive for excellence and don’t have the basics in place. If they cannot do that, how will they care for me?”

Here are five reasons church websites are important—and corresponding takeaways for building your site.

1. Church websites establish credibility

Together with her husband Apostle Theo, Dr. Beverley co-founded Christian Family Church International in September 1979. Christian Family Church International Johannesburg is one of the largest churches of its kind in Southern Africa, with more than 1,400 churches in association. A couple of years ago at the Annual Forum, Dr. Bev made this profound statement: “Having a website for your church establishes credibility. No one takes you or your church seriously if you do not have a website. People are less likely to partner with you financially and give in to your cause.”

Google churches in your area (or any city), and open a few of the results. Just try it.

What impressions do you have before you even read a word? You probably regard some churches as being more established or relevant just based on how their site looks.

Now, churches aren’t about pretty websites. They’re about worshipping the Lord, fellowship, and spreading the gospel.

But a well-designed website communicates a certain responsibility and care, and it forms an impression that the church takes itself seriously.

When you see a well-made church website, you immediately think, “This church cares about excellence. I bet they care about doing ministry well, too.”

Takeaway: Have a professional-looking site for your church, it is a tremendous help to establish trust and credibility. At ChurchWebApp when you host with us you get the website for free!

 

2. Your church website is an evangelist!

Your website is your best evangelist! It’s an advertisement that will help people that are searching to find a new home. Ps Fred Downing Jnr. From Christian Family Church Bethlehem said: “For us having a church website is not only crucial but also a necessity. Over the years our website has directed a lot of people that were searching online to our church.”

Having a website is like having an evangelist center stage, who is shouting loudly to tell people about your church 24/7, without ever taking a day off. It’s a brilliant method of directing new people to you.

People will poke around. They will search online for churches in their area and go take a peek to ‘see for themselves‘.

They’ll look at your What We Believe page. They’ll look at your Bio page. They’ll look to see if you have a ministry for children or youth. They’ll check out your small groups.

They’ll try to find sermons to watch or listen to. All of this happens BEFORE they visit your church for the first time!

In short, they will try to form an impression of your church in just a few minutes. And that’s not necessarily bad. Some people will ask, “What can this church do for me?” (not so good), but others will ask, “Can I genuinely grow here and join this church’s mission?”

Takeaway: Your website will help new people locate you. Our automated SEO (Search Engine Optimized) technology, will automatically rank your website with Google so you will appear at the top of a search result.

 

3. A website will grow your tithes and offerings

Are you leaving tithes and offerings on the table? If you don’t have a website with bank details and an option to give online, you are!

49% of all church giving transactions are completed with a card nowadays and 60% of church-goers are willing to donate their tithings digitally (Nonprofit Source). With a church website, you can allow others to donate when it’s convenient for them online.

At ChurchWebApp, we’ve integrated the technology to include a secure portal that collects payments digitally on your website & mobile app. All you have to do is provide us with your existing payment provider’s transaction URL. If you do not have an existing pay-gate provider, we recommend that you sign up for Cheerful Giver, their service is brilliant. They cover all the payment options and you can even receive text SMS giving! They will give you an Online Pay URL and WhatsApp QR Code, that can be used to receive money online.

We also share your bank account information so people can do EFT’s and deposits into your account.

Takeaway: Don’t leave tithes on the table due to the complexity of having a secure, online payment option. We’ve already integrated the technology needed so you have peace of mind while you grow your income

 

4. Church websites encourage engagement

After someone has visited your church, your website is still a helpful resource.

In fact, whether they’re first-time visitors or regular attendees—even if they’re part of your church’s communication group—they may still turn to your website.

When they do, it’s because they want to engage.

• An announcement in the service catches their ear. “I’ll look into that on the church website.”
• Something in the sermon really moves them. “I’ll go online later and listen to that again.”
• They want to grab coffee with the pastor. “I’ll contact them online.”

Often when someone wants to get more involved, their first thought is, “I’ll look online.” Sometimes the most plugged-in members will look to the church website.

And when they land on your website, they expect information to be up-to-date, as all credible websites are. (And as a new person eager to get involved, the less I have to chase down information myself, the more likely I am to jump in.)

In the internet age, we are conditioned to look online for just about everything. That is why you need a church website.

Takeaway: Get a church website that keeps itself updated. That’s how ChurchWebApp works. It takes the work you do every week—like creating bulletins or keeping a calendar—and automatically pushes it to your church website. You have total control, but you don’t have to write a line of code.  

 

5. Affordable church management system

Church Management systems are often costly, and expensive because they require dedicated servers to run on. Backups and failover are needed and complex software to make everything work. This dramatically increases the cost.

We’ve created our own church management system that runs on top of your website, to eliminate these costs. You can manage your members beautifully, record and track attendance, log financial transactions, allow people to reserve a seat, and handle check-ins at the door.

Members can also update their information, see their previous attendance or tithe & offering history.

Takeaway: Run our Church Management System inside your website to dramatically decrease cost and bring some excellence to your church! “Your members will love you for it.

Want to know more about all the amazing website features and functions? Click here!