This may seem a strange question (from us of all people!), but it is surprising how many churches have not got a clear purpose for their online presence. 

Nowadays it is assumed that everyone must have a responsive church website. However, few consider why their church website is important, and the purpose it holds for your church and your community. 

This blog explores the purpose of a church being online and how this can help shape your website decisions. 

Why do you want a website for your church? 

This is the key question. What prompted you to think about being online? Here are some of the common reasons we hear and underneath these there can be other reasons which are less frequently vocalised. Whether shared or not, these reasons will still drive how your website is managed.

- I want a website to share with our local community about what is going on with our church 

- I want a website so that people think my church is cool/well-branded/relevant etc. 

- I want a website to simply help people find us

- I want a website because I feel like we have to have one

- I want a website to invite people along to our events

- I want a website to help our community connect online

What does this mean for how you build your website? 

The reason you want a church website shapes how you go about building your website. If you're focused on sharing with your community, are you doing this effectively? You could have an open calendar, clear directions and signs showing up-coming events etc. If you website is a resource for your community, do you have your sermons online? Are you showing your small groups, and do you have clear places to find about what's going on?

If your primary concern is your online brand, and the perception of the community outside the church, it could be worth you doing some research into how effective this is proving. In our experience, this is largely an internal perception and may not actually be having the desired affect. Don't get me wrong, branding is important, however, it's usually best that this is secondary to the primary aim of your website. 

And if you identify as one of those who has never considered why you're building a website for your church - and just feel like you have to - it would be worth just writing a few statements about why you're online and these will hold you in good stead going forwards. 

Can we help? 

We speak to a number of churches about why they are online and it would be great to talk through your purposes. Our vision and purpose and Church Pages is what drives us to provide the services we do. However, this vision was formed through many conversations and lots of sharing - so it would be great to share the journey of your online purpose with you!