A grocery store doesn’t go through the trouble of planning a big sale––with markdowns, promotions, and increased inventory––only to hope it goes unnoticed by the neighborhood. They want everyone to see the value in their groceries, understand their unique blend of food products, and keep coming back for years to come.
Just like that grocery store, you don’t develop your church’s mission, write your sermons, and invest in your congregation only to hope it stops growing and doesn’t attract new members. Your church website (which is a great investment in and of itself) should be a powerful tool for increasing attendance at your services. To utilize it to its full potential, make sure your church leaders are attentive to these 5 church website essentials:
5 Must-Haves for Church Websites
1. New Here Page
With modern technology putting so much information at society’s fingertips, your church website needs to be online and attractive to visitors. Know the path you want a new member to take, and make sure the information you provide is what people want to see when they visit your website.
We have learned that these are the most important things to a new visitor:
- Service times
- Church address
- Parking information
- Childcare information
- Any special instructions
- Dress code suggestions
- Traditions or unique practices your visitors should know
Eagle’s Landing incorporates these elements onto its page well:
2. Compelling Visuals
Churches with fantastic visuals attract the eye and give your church “the edge” when new visitors might be browsing multiple church websites at once. Show your congregation proudly in nice photos, or invest in a welcome video that briefly explains your mission and why a visitor should join you this week. Be intentional in your design, color schemes, and the quality of the graphics you include on your site––after all, this might be the only impression someone gets of your community. Unless they come and meet y’all in person.
Black Rock Church is a great example of visuals used in an attractive way. Starting with the homepage, the rotating photos show multiple realistic snapshots of their service and their community. The colors are friendly without being too busy or distracting from the ministry’s message and the “I’m new!” button.
3. Church Beliefs Clearly Described
What particularly does your church stand for? What makes you unique that your visitor could connect to? You should make your church’s beliefs easy to find on your website. Not only will this allow potential new members to connect with your mission instantly, but it will be a constant reminder to your current members of what their church stands for. Your beliefs are at the core of your ministry––and they also serve as the core motivation bonding your church into a family. Make this a visible and recurring theme on your church website to captivate people who might fit your ministry and motivate those who already are members.
4. Current Information
Even if one of your members is ‘active’ in your database, they may not attend each and every Sunday service. The more often they skip, the more likely it is they will feel a little uncomfortable in the next service––or a question of, “What if I missed something important?” Answer their question before they ask it. Take the stress out of it by using your website as a portal for all updates and information about previous sermons, announcements, and events. If you're in a sermon series, what can they expect to see the next time they come? Is there something special about this week’s service that would draw in someone who may be choosing between other obligations at the same time? Entice and engage them before they walk in the door.
You’ll notice that some of these questions keep active members in the loop, but they also can re-engage those who haven’t regularly participated in the community. If you make a healthy summary of what current members are getting out of recent services, you always keep the door open for increasing attendance from inactive members. Let them jump in without being confused. After all, the community never left, they should always feel welcome coming back.
5. Welcome Weekend
Word-of-mouth is a great method for your current members to invite new people to join church services or events in a personal, trusting way. While this is ideally happening year-round, creating events and services specifically for welcoming new members is a great way to boost attendance. Think of it as a special, focused campaign to gather people who may be wondering what it’s like at your church, but have hesitated because they don’t like being the “new kid in town.”
Spread the word by promoting your welcome weekend on social media, asking members of your congregation to bring others. Most importantly, make it simple for them by using church invite cards or eVites (like Eagle Brook Church’s). When talking about the event, take out any confusing words or jargon that might slip into your regular service, like “narthex,” “indwelling,” or a specific group name. Make sure nothing is abbreviated! (Some church announcements look like alphabet soup.) Make this event all about the intentional welcome.
