Take me to the recommendations, please!

Ever heard of the term, “there’s a 1,000 roads that lead to Rome?” There’s a more gruesome version of that saying regarding cats, but I think you get the point.

I believe there’s 1,000 ways to build a church website.

But… which is the best way?

When you find yourself facing a ton of options, it could be easy to experience decision paralysis. This guide was created to help you navigate the decision process of creating your church website.

1. Determine your “why”

It’s easy to feel the deep desire to have a nice church website that pulls new people in and engages the church body.

A website for the sake of having a website is not enough.

Your church website is often the first door that someone walks into of your church

That’s just one reason to help you determine why a church website could be necessary and so beneficial.

Consider: What reasons to build a church website come to your mind?

2. Clarify a time & resource budget

You may be a small to medium-sized church. Some have more financial resources and some have more time resources, and some have none of those. (P.S. for you ministry leaders who wear a lot of hats, the work you do is meaningful, even if it’s not seen or praised.)

How much time can you allocate to managing a church website?

Time is a valuable resource. And I think we all want to manage our time as wisely as possible.

There are things people add to their church website like blogs, sermons, updates, calendars, etc.

Consider: how much time can you set for updating and managing a church website?

Am I a set-it-and-forget-it kind of person?

Do I want to update the site often to keep it fresh and engaging?

Do I have an idea of what to put on the page, or should I use something that just asks for my church’s information and then puts it on the page automatically?

How much money can you allocate to paying for a church website?

They say that time is money, and… money is money. Do you have a budget that allows you to pay for a church website? If so, how much?

Some builders are free, some cost under $15 a month, and some can make it seem like there’s a hole in your pocket.

How much value can a church website add to your local church?

3. Aventure A: I want to research it myself

Now that you considered the reason on why to make a church website and created some clear boundaries on time and money for it, it’s time to see what options are available.

Are you okay with using a website builder that wasn’t specifically created for churches? If so, your horizons expand and complexity grows. Some make it where you do not have to be a designer or developer to get your site up and running.

Here are some Google search ideas:

• "Free church website builder"
• "How to make a good church website"
• "Free ministry website"

Type something like that into the Google searchbar and see what pops up.

3. Aventure B: I want some recommendations

Let’s be honest for a second… There are so many church website builders and resources that feel like they’re from the early 2000s website era. They may be great, but they do not feel modern.

Church website builders I recommend are based on these criteria:

• It has to be beautiful, simple and intuitive
• It has to be created specifically for churches
• It has to be fast
• It has to be something I’d personally use
• And, it has to be and affordable

Melos.Church

(fast, free, low maintenance)

The fastest and simplest way to build a church website for free. So fast that you can create it in minutes… even on your phone. I designed Melos so that you don’t have to be a designer or developer. All you need to do it add your church’s information, and we’ll organize it beautifully on the page. Melos is minimal but immensely powerful. Sign up today.

Nucleus.Church

(amazing tools for your church, ~$49/mo, beautiful)

One of the most beautiful and intuitive church website builders. They also have many other apps to help resource your church, such as their free Launcher feature to help you engage your church community with next steps and their private Prayer feature. They have giving, people & messages, and a media library of creative church resources.

Canva Websites

(beautiful website templates, simple editor, intiuitive)

Oddly enough, I would recommend Canva over the other church website builders that aren’t listed. Why? It’s a one-stop place for all things ministry media, as well as their website editor is just so simple. It’s a drag and drop with no frills. They have beautiful templates, so you don’t have to think of what to add; just edit it. And, I’m under the impression it could be just ~$20/yr to host your site with a domain name bought from Canva. Note: if you bring your own domain, you’ll have to pay for Canva Teams per month. Otherwise if you buy a domain from canva, I think you don’t have to pay per month!

4. Try it out

Once you’ve chosen a builder, try it out for just one month. The beauty is that if you don’t like it, you can try another.

I hope you found value in this post and that it was a friendly guide to help you build your beautiful church website to help resource, inform, and engage your church community.