What should a church website include?

A church website has one job before all the others: answer the question a visitor is actually asking. Everything else on this page is worth having, but if you get the first thing right and nothing else, you are already ahead of most churches. Here is what to include, working outward from the essentials.

The one thing every visitor wants first

When a newcomer lands on your site, they are almost always asking the same two things: when do you meet, and where? Put your service times and address where they are visible the instant the page loads, on a phone, without scrolling or tapping. Add a one-tap link to directions. This single detail does more good than any other feature you could build.

If a stranger cannot learn your service time in ten seconds, the rest of the site barely matters.

The essential pages

These are the pages that earn their place on nearly every church site:

• Home: service times, location, and a warm one-line welcome, all above the fold.
• About and beliefs: who you are, what you believe, and what a first visit is like. Newcomers read this before they ever walk in.
• Service times and directions: the practical details, plus parking or subway notes and what to expect.
• Sermons: recent messages, audio or video, so people can get a feel for your teaching.
• Events: what is coming up. An events list frozen last Easter reads as a closed church, so only keep this if you will keep it current.
• Giving: a clear, trustworthy way to give online.
• Contact: a simple form and a real email address, not a maze.

The features that matter more than pages

How the site behaves matters as much as what pages it has. These are not extras; they are the difference between a site that helps and one that quietly works against you:

• Mobile first. Most of your visitors are on a phone. The site must be effortless there, not merely shrunk to fit.
• Fast. Visitors should be able to read service times and use the navigation quickly, including on a slower phone connection.
• Editable by your staff. If the office cannot change a service time without a developer, the site will fall out of date. This is the feature that keeps a site alive.
• Findable. Correct information in Google and Maps, so searching your name actually turns you up. More on this in the local search guide.
• Accessible. Readable text, real contrast, and keyboard and screen-reader support, so everyone in your congregation can use it.

Nice to have, when you are ready

Add these once the essentials are solid and you know you will maintain them:

• Bilingual content, often English and Spanish, run from one dashboard.
• Livestream or recorded services for people who cannot attend in person.
• Online giving and event registration beyond a simple link.
• An email newsletter signup to stay in touch between Sundays.

The copy-and-paste checklist

Bring this to your next meeting. If you can tick the first group, you have a working church website:

• Service times visible the moment the page loads, on a phone
• Address with a one-tap link to directions
• A one-line welcome that sounds like real people
• About and beliefs, and what a first visit is like
• A giving link that looks trustworthy
• Clear contact details and a real email address
• Loads fast and reads well on a phone
• Someone on staff can edit it without calling a developer
• Correct in Google and Maps

Deciding what you actually need

If this list has you weighing scope against budget, the guide on how much a church website costs breaks down the price of each level, and how to build a church website step by step walks through putting it all together.