Websites

The church website is still one of the most useful ways to draw in new visitors and reach the community. While social media gets most of the press these days, it's important to revisit your church website from time to time to make sure that it's meeting your needs and matching up with your goals for both inreach (within your church) and outreach (into the community).

Church websites are important business. Aside from word of mouth, they are the next most popular way for people to hear about your church. If your site doesn't have current information, locations and times for services, along with mission and doctrinal statements - plus a host of other ways for people to connect - chance are you might be losing potential visitors. Below, I've rounded up 10 articles from around the web that offer fantastic advice on how to improve your church website. Your church website truly is your digital front door and can't be ignored.

We've written many times here on ChurchTechToday about cloud computing, first known as SaaS or web-based software. While many church management software systems began as desktop, or installed software, most offer some kind of hybrid options these days, or have gone even completely cloud-based to be accessible anywhere, anytime via the internet.

So you want to connect with your church online. It seems so easy, just about everyone is already there, and you’d really love to feel engaged with your congregation. There’s just one problem… creating and maintaining an online community can be very tricky, not to mention overwhelming. Here are a few rules for you to follow to create a thriving community that wants to engage with you:

Planting a church is hard work. In the early stages, a small group of people handles the brunt of the workload. Sunday set-up, child care, budgets, communications, you name it. Resources may be low, but solutions are still necessary. Thankfully, technology can help ease some of the burdens.

The core of a missional community is a group of believers who live and experience life together like a family. In a physical family, who live under one roof, keeping in contact amidst all the busyness can be a challenge. Extend that family beyond your household and keeping contact can prove problematic. Technology is a great way to unite the relational and organizational needs of a missional community. When applied strategically, it can deepen your relationships by keeping you informed about life issues and needs.

When Jesus said “go and make disciples of all nations” his followers listened. And, we’ve been in the business of making disciples ever since. But in recent years social media has changed the playing field. The word “go” and the phrase “all nations” are no longer restricted to physical travel and national borders.

As we roll into the new year and close out 2015, we look ahead to make improvements and growth for the upcoming year. Because technology is constantly changing and updating, our church website may not be up to current design and functionality standards. If you are missing any of the features mentioned below, you should seriously consider upgrading to a more modern design and content management system (CMS). Here is a set of features you should include in your church website's New Year’s resolution list.