Basic Elements of a Church Website

This page outlines what should be considered the minimum requirements for a church website. Make sure your site isn't missing something!

1. Sunday services

Every church site should contain basic information about the Sunday services. As a minimum people will want to know the start times and whether there are children's groups or a creche.

Make sure that this information is up-to-date, and provide the details for special services (e.g. at Christmas) well in advance.

2. Explanation of the Christian Faith

Let people know what the church believes, in simple jargon-free language. If you don't fancy writing your own explanation then at least link to someone else's.

An attractive way of explaining the difference which Christianity makes is provide the testimonies of a few church members. If you do this, then get testimonies from a range of different people (e.g. a teenager, a young mum, a middle-aged couple, etc).

If your church runs an Alpha-type course where people can investigate Christianity for themselves, make sure you create a page about it. Then link to it from your other pages about the Christian faith.

3. Street Map

Show where you are so that people can come and find you! If you are trying to reach your local community then people probably know the area, so you just need a map with a few streets around your church building including other local landmarks (e.g. pubs, supermarkets).

If drawing your own map is too hard, then link to an online street map.

4. Contact details

It is easy to provide contact details for your church minister and church office (if you have one). Let people know their phone number and e-mail address.

This article came from hosea.co.uk (closed January 2004)