There is no special power in a website. But churches that are intentional about outreach recognize the necessity of developing a high-quality, inviting website. Those that are serious about their Internet presence will stick to it for at least a year.

"Research says congregations that started and maintained a website over any previous 12-month period are more likely to be growing," says Bill Nix, CEO of Axletree Media, provider of the E-zekiel website management system. "The implication is that you have to start a website and maintain it over a 12-month period, and then you will probably be a growth church."

Numeric growth is a result of their commitment to their outreach strategy. But is a website that important? Is it really a necessary part of an outreach strategy?

Richard Reising, president of Artistry Marketing in Dallas, Texas, and author of the book Church Marketing 101, thinks it is. "Currently, 80 to 85 percent of people are finding their church based on websites," he says. "Websites are replacing the yellow pages as a key mode of church advertising."

The Church Search
Too bad most churches haven't realized this yet. David Gillaspey, president of Great Church Websites, says that 85 percent of church websites are poorly designed, 10 percent are merely adequate, and only five percent can be considered really good. Gillaspey is certainly in a position to know. He has personally reviewed about 14,000 church websites for his online publication, the Directory of Church Website Design, which includes 500 examples of good church website design.

Given that 85 percent of church websites are poorly designed, how is it that 80 to 85 percent of people looking for a new church find it through a website?

Reising explains it this way. A family is preparing to move to a new city. They search online for churches in their new city and they may find about 15 websites. Of these, they check maybe eight or ten websites in detail before deciding on three churches they will visit. No doubt their decisions also involve criteria not related to the quality of the website, such as denomination, location, and other factors.

The main implication is that if all the websites are equal, the family gleans the basic information it needs for its selection criteria, but may not be excited about visiting any of them. But if in the group that meets their basic criteria they find one or two dynamite websites, they are likely to be much more eager to visit those churches first. If they like what they find after visiting the church, their search is over.

New Vision Needed
Why are so few church websites really good? The problem is not so much with the website, but in the mindset of the church, says Nix. "Church administrators tend to see websites as just another form of advertising, like a billboard, giving just basic information such as the times of services," he says. "They should see their website as a satellite of the church, one that reflects the core of what they are doing."

A big problem, Nix continues, is poorly designed navigation of the site. "Think how a person would come to your site and naturally navigate," he says. Missing or broken links frustrate the visitor. Too much text on a page can give the visitor a headache, as can too many different fonts, colors, styles, and expensive graphics. "Animation and storytelling devices can be useful, but they're overused as well."

Historically, churches have not been very trend-conscious. Traditional cathedrals often took decades or even centuries to build, and they were designed and built to last for centuries. They were never intended to look "trendy." But websites are very different. High-tech communication is very trend oriented. "Some churches are using visual trends that were hot in the 1960s, such as animated, flapping dove wings," says Gillaspey. It's time to move on to images and designs that match with what people are experiencing in other areas.

Getting to sound a bit complicated? Well, yes. And this might be a clue why so few church websites are getting the job done right. It's one thing to start with the right design and keep up with design trends. But it's far more important to put in the right content at the start and then maintain it. "One of the things churches do poorly is update what's going on," Reising says. "If your website does not reflect your current activities, what you're trying to draw people to, then the message you are conveying is that you don't have much going on."

Know Your Audience
Who are you trying to reach with your website: people outside the congregation or people within? The answer to this question is key to developing the proper website. Both groups are important, but opinions differ about how much emphasis should be placed on reaching each one.

	The image presented by the website must be consistent with the reality of the church.

Gillaspey points out that these are two entirely different audiences. Visitors coming to your website may be totally unfamiliar with church, and for them "churchy" language is likely to be a put-off, and can even be incomprehensible. On the other hand, visitors from within your church may see your website as "clicking to the choir." Gillaspey says one of the best strategies he has seen is to provide two separate websites—one for reaching out and one for reaching in. The vast majority of churches have just one website, and so that one site must address both types of visitors.

Closing the outreach/inreach divide with a single website is "a bit of a trick," says Gillaspey, "but it can be done." The best solution, he explains is to have three separate web pages. One web page is designed for the outsider—someone unfamiliar with your church and maybe unfamiliar with church in general. A second page is for the average churchgoer who is familiar with the basics of the church. The third is for the committed member of the congregation who is very involved and needs accurate, timely, and detailed communication about church events.

Keep It Going
The reason churches opt for one website is usually the expense, not so much for the website itself, but for the ongoing website maintenance. The entry cost of starting a website is reasonably low, but keeping up with the maintenance and design trends requires a constant input of time and skill. The need for continual maintenance and updating is perhaps the biggest problem with church websites, says Gillaspey. While some churches are big enough to have an ongoing staff of graphic designers or information technology personnel, most churches rely upon volunteer help. Gillaspey says this is fine if the church is blessed with technically talented people who are willing to spend their spare time keeping the church's website current.

But what about the church that doesn't have this expertise? Nix says there are basically two choices. The first option is to hire a programmer/designer to create a custom website for you. The advantage of this approach is that you get expertise for both setting up the website and maintaining it. The downside is cost. A custom-designed website package has an initial cost of $2,500 to $5,000. Also, Nix says you'll be dependent on the programmer's schedule. "You may e-mail him a content update, but it may or may not happen by the time you want it to," he says.

The second option is to use a website template program, analogous to off-the-shelf software. This type of program is called a content management system. There are many such offerings on the market. Nix's company, Axeltree Media, offers some 500 template solutions through its E-zekiel product, and will also do custom design to modify these templates. The advantage is that these templates are designed for the non-technical volunteer to easily change the content. Content updates do not require any programming. Getting started with E-zekiel costs just $25 to $100. Monthly hosting costs are about the same for either system—approximately $20 to $140 per month. (Editor's note: your church magazine's parent company, Christianity Today International, markets the E-zekiel system under the name ChurchSiteCreator.com.)

An Accurate Reflection
Regardless of the group you are trying to reach, you will likely depend on outside expertise to some degree. Reising says the challenge here is to make sure your church's spirit, personality, style, and values are clearly communicated. "You can end up with a real cool website," Reising says, "but cool is not really who you are. On the other hand, you can be really cool, but end up with a traditional image that doesn't reflect your ministry." The image presented by the website must be consistent with the reality of the church. If not, visitors will sense the disconnect between what they observe in person versus what they saw at your website.

Gillaspey also recommends a thoughtful analysis of the specific groups you are targeting with your website. The actual demographics of your congregation should help you shape your website design. If you want a broad-based appeal, your website should reflect this with powerful visuals showing people of all different ages and backgrounds together in worship, work, and play.

Nix says it is helpful to take a broad-based approach and break it down into specific areas of your website. He recommends creating picture albums of various church activities—a youth camp, or an adult trip, as examples. A website can also be a place for distributing sermons via audio and video. Some pastors, Nix continues, have the equivalent of an online journal for thoughts of the day or current or upcoming events.

"At the very least, churches should have online the equivalent of all the information and pictures in an 8-1/2 by 11-inch brochure that's handed out at the door," Gillaspey says. "But we try to take it a step beyond." Some of the best "next level" features that Gillaspey has noticed include a well-done biography and pictures of the pastor and key staff. Include not simply the video of the current sermon, but also a selection of the pastor's best, perhaps under various categories, such as inspiration, dealing with grief, etc.

"Many websites have virtual photo tours of the church, which is all to the good," Gillaspey says. "But many websites lack people. The camera is ubiquitous in our society, so there should be a lot of people pictures." Some churches have long histories and this can always be an interesting feature. Here, again, include people photos along with images of the church building.

Personal testimonies—stories of life before and after conversion—can be very interesting features, Gillaspey continues. Some churches also feature a weekly "front page" story on a newsworthy member.

Many little things can enhance a website, and are easily overlooked, Gillaspey continues. For instance, many websites have directions or maps on how to get to the church. But they don't have mass transit schedules, which would be helpful for those who don't drive. Another example is that of the regular church member who has become disabled and cannot attend church. The website can keep him updated—not just with current sermons, but with personal messages conveyed from the church staff or other members.

"In designing your website," Gillaspey says, "the main thing to remember is that the church is not a building but a ministry."

Thomas G. Dolan is a freelance writer who writes on a variety of business topics.