Creating Your Church Website - Part 1
Did you know that here in Australia we have 14 million internet users? In a country of 20 million or so people that's a lot. When you consider that a simple website can reach any of those people and costs less than a yearly ad in the yellow pages (in some cases it can cost nothing at all) it's an easy and important way for a church to express itself. The web is an opportunity that we should be taking advantage of, both as individual churches and as a whole.
In this series of short articles I want to talk about three ways that a church can utilise the internet through having its own website.
1. Advertising
“The Internet is becoming the town square
for the global village of tomorrow.”
- Bill Gates
In the old, pre-internet days (as long ago as 1985) where did people find information? Popular sources included libraries, newspapers, friends and neighbours, and the lady at the post-office who always seemed to know everything about everyone. In those days, if you were new to a neighbourhood (or to Christianity) and wanted a church to go to you would most likely use one of these sources to find out more info about what was available in your local area. Today, there are 14 million Australians who access information online.
The most simple website your church can have is one that provides information on who you are, where you meet and how people can get involved. Essentially, advertising your church to people who want to know what it is about.
For example, see the website of the church I am part of, Ocean Grove Baptist Church.
That's it. One page. Simple, but it's got all the essential info a casual searcher could want.
Every church should have at least this level of website. Every church. There is no excuse.
The absolute best way to create a website like this is to get a professional to do it. If you've got the funds, spread the love and pay someone to do it properly. If you ask around you'll find the right person for the right price, you're only asking for something simple here so it shouldn't cost you an arm and a leg.
Otherwise, someone in your congregation or a friend of a friend might be able to donate the time and skill required to make the site, That's good too, if you can find it – and if the freebie is of suitable quality.
If you absolutely can't do either of the things above, it is okay to do this level of website yourself. Luckily, this is the easiest to set up of the three types of site I'll talk about. Most people who can use Word and know how to save files around a computer can set this sort of website up.
A great resource to check out is your local neighbourhood centre or Tafe college. These places often run computer short classes where you make a website from a template– a pre-made site that you adjust to suit your needs. There are plenty of free templates available online at places like Open Source Web Design.
Doing it Yourself
Before we go any further I will say that anyone who is into web design will hate what I am about tell you, because it in the hands of the amateur it invariably produces bad website design. But to them I say: even a relatively bad website is better than none at all. And to the amateurs I reiterate: please consider getting a professional to do the job. Oay, everyone happy? Let's continue.
A good place to start is something like a church brochure or flyer, if you have one. This will often have things like the church logo, the name and contact details of the church or pastor, and the address and details of where you meet. If the brochure is made in a word format, that's even better. Did you know that from Word you can save a html document? That's a file that will work on the internet, in a web browser.
Otherwise, you can start from scratch in a new document.
Either way, here are some tips of things you should include:
- Church name and logo
- Time and place of your service
- Contact name and phone number if someone wants more info or needs to talk
- Contact email address.
As far as design tips go:
- Use a simple font, and use only one or two fonts on the page
- Use a consistent colour scheme – try matching your logo
- Keep it short, don't ramble on
- Make it look as good and as polished as you can. Take your time.
Things to avoid:
- Flashing or spinning logos or text.
- Large images that are not of anything specifically to do with your church.
- Lots of bright colours.
By using only these things you can create what we might call a “bare-bones” website. Even though it's nothing fancy, it means that at the very least, when people are looking for information on your church, they can find the bare bones, and will know how to contact you for more info if they want it.
Once you're happy with your design, save the page as html. Congratulations, you should now be able to click the file and it will open in your web browser.
The Next Step
After creating your website you'll need to put it onto the internet so that other people can access it.
This is done by putting it onto a computer that is permanently connected to the internet and is configured so that other people can browse through its files using a web browser. This computer is known as a “server” and there are several ways of getting your website onto a server.
Most internet service providers (the company you have your internet connection through) will offer free website hosting for small websites. You should contact them if you're interested in this.
Otherwise, you can buy your own domain name – so you could get mychurch.com for instance – and also buy your own hosting space at a server, and put the site on there. Again, if you go in this direction the host you go through will give you detailed instructions and help on how to get your file onto their servers. Try searching the internet for hosts or looking in the Yellow Pages for someone local. Domain name registration and website hosting together should cost between $150 and $300 per year.
Once your site is online and working, make sure you get as many other sites to link to it as you can. This is very important so that search engines and other people know your site is online.
If your church is part of a denomination or union there will often be a corporate website that you can put a link on. Also try online directories and lists of churches like Ministry Blue.
The lesson here is that every church at the very least should have a basic website with essential information, so that searchers on the internet can find them.
Of course, the internet is a powerful tool that is useful for a lot more than just a simple advertisement.
Part 2 - Building Community
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