We wanted to know what church communicators need out of a CMS (content management system). We thought and thought and thought. And then we asked some of the best and brightest communicators we knew: "What do you need most?"

Turns out church communicators aren't shy about voicing their opinion. We love that. There was a lot of wisdom in their answers. Gold nuggets we wanted to share with you.

We distilled the most-requested features and needs were and put them in an easy-to-read list below. Check it out.

What Church Communicators Need From a Website Solution

Need #1: Easy-to-use CMS

"We wanted to have as many pages as we wanted. Easy navigational setup was a must. We also wanted a template that was easy-to-use but provided a polished web presence. None of our staff are HTML coders! Our church also needed online giving—our previous host could not do that." Rachel Allen, Central Bible Church

Need #2: Strategic website alignment with mission

"We had no purpose, direction, or mission with our old site. We wanted to work with a partner who had a strategy component we needed that element to better think through the purpose of our website." Don Wamboldt, Worship Center

Need #3: Control over events

"We are so community-driven, we needed more control over our ability to coordinate events." Eric Wafforde and Alison Aars, Highland Park United Methodist Church

Need #4: Flexibility to edit content

"The most crucial need we had was being able to edit our site as-needed. We wanted something we could edit and keep up with ourselves. We didn’t want to be spending a lot of time on the website and miss out on ministry opportunities." Myke Wilkerson, True Vine Church

"We needed a design overhaul and also wanted easy-to-manage content. I need something I can tweak on my own without having to contact a web developer." Greg McIntyre, Wilmot Centre Missionary Church

"Keeping content updated on our site is difficult because our current system isn't easy to use. I need the ability to have several leaders within our church update their own content. People aren't doing it now because the system is too difficult to use. Even when they do update content, our people are having issues with the design and layouts of the pages." Mike Galvin, Holy Family Episcopal Church

Need #5: Multimedia integration

"The way our site looks and the ability to edit and use video are my main concerns." Mark Davis, WestWinds Church

"I wanted a solution that would be intuitive, fluid, and easy for people who have other responsibilities and aren’t web programmers or content managers. We wanted a solution that offered a wide range of features and designs that allowed flexibility and graphic elements in stills, slideshows or video." - David Skidmore, Diocese of Milwaukee

Conclusion

It's clear church communicators have specific needs when it comes to a CMS. What needs do you and your team have? Simply put, what makes you happy when you're creating, managing, and updating content for your church website?

If you do nothing else: Take a look at how Monk Development helped Eagle Brook Church navigate the same challenges listed above.