When was the last time you were frustrated by your church website ?

A client told us recently about a woman who sent a call out through social media, asking for recommendations for a local church. “Our family just moved to Denver and we’re not sure what church we’ll attend. Any suggestions?” Her online community provided several suggestions, complete with links to local church websites.

Our client shared his displeasure because none of the suggestions directed this woman to his church. In fact, a quick Google search for “church in Denver” revealed his church wasn’t even in the first 10 pages of search results! Upwards of 90% of search engine users never navigate past the first page of results.

Before MonkDev started working with this church, this pastor’s congregation was losing opportunities to grow their community because of an unremarkable website.

This anecdote raises a larger question, “What is the role of the church website?” In a time when 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine, a church website that effectively communicates to the different people groups within a church community lifecycle is crucial.

After reading this report, you will learn:

Does your website create ministry movement? 

Churches need to see their website as a tool to create ministry movement online.

The first step in this process is to attract new visitors by providing them the information they need: directions, worship times, and information about staff. The site then serves as a catalyst to transition new visitors into regular attenders by engaging their interest areas and providing connection points through group opportunities.

From there, attenders become committed members when they can invest in a small circle of relationships, typically through small group opportunities.

The best church websites easily provide ways for people to get involved, especially in smaller group environments.

Finally, committed members bloom into mature disciples as they’re given the opportunity to serve others in the congregation and the throughout the world.

7 church website questions your church can't ignore 

As your team makes decisions about your church website, ministry movement cannot be overlooked. Ensuring movement means your church will broaden its reach, deepen member engagement, and increase discipleship opportunities within your community—all online.

This report investigates seven questions your team needs to answer before making your next church website decision. These questions are based on talking to hundreds of church leaders and listening to their deepest needs in a website, including:

1. What's the true cost of open-source? 
2. Is the CMS easy-to-use? 
3. Is the CMS mobile-ready? 
4. What are the multimedia capabilities of the CMS? 
5. What are the other technical capabilities of the CMS? 
6. Will the CMS be able to scale with our congregation as we grow? 
7. What happens if something breaks? 

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