Before most people visit your church, they visit your website. They do it quietly, usually on a phone, often late at night. In a minute or two they decide whether to come on Sunday. Your church website is the first greeter most guests ever meet.
The good news is that a great church website doesn't need a big budget or a tech team. It needs a clear plan, a few honest words, and someone who keeps it current. This guide walks you through all of it, whether you build the site yourself, hand it to a volunteer, or bring in help.
How to build a church website
How to build a church website in seven steps
Most church websites go wrong in the same place. They start with design and fill in the words later. Flip that order and the whole project gets easier.
1. Start with the guest, not the church
Write down the questions a first-time guest is asking. When are services? Where do I park? What do I do with my kids? What should I wear? Will I fit in? Your website's main job is to answer those questions in under ten seconds. Your members already know the answers.
2. Plan five to eight pages
Before you open a website builder, write a simple sitemap on paper. For most churches, it looks like this:
- Home: service times, address, and one clear "Plan a visit" button.
- Plan a Visit: what to expect on your first Sunday.
- About: your story, your beliefs in plain words, and your staff.
- Kids and Students: what happens, how check-in works, and how kids stay safe.
- Sermons: recent messages to watch or listen to.
- Events: only what's coming up, kept current.
- Give: one simple, secure way to give online.
- Contact: email, phone, address, and a short form.
Fewer pages that stay accurate beat dozens of pages nobody updates.
3. Write the words before the design
Write each page in a shared document first. Use short sentences and the words you'd use over coffee. Say "Sundays at 9 and 11. Kids are welcome at both." instead of "Join us for a time of worship and fellowship." Once the words are done, design is mostly arranging them well.
4. Choose a church website builder
Pick a platform your team can edit without calling for help. There's a full comparison in the next section.
5. Gather real photos
Take photos of your actual people on a normal Sunday: the greeters, the kids' room, the lobby, worship. Real photos of your church beat polished stock photos every time. Guests want to see who they'll meet. Ask permission before you post faces, and get written permission from a parent for anyone under 18.
6. Design for phones first
Most guests will see your site on a phone. Check every page on one before you launch. Service times and the address should show without scrolling. Buttons should be easy to tap. Text should be readable without zooming.
7. Launch, then name an owner
A website isn't finished at launch. Decide who updates it, and put a recurring reminder on their calendar. A 15-minute check each week (times, events, staff, the home page) keeps your site from quietly going stale.
Make sure your church owns its domain name and every website account, in a shared church email, not one person's personal address. When a volunteer or staff member moves on, the website stays with you.
Church website builders
How to choose the best church website builder
There's no single best church website builder. The best one is the one your team will actually keep up to date. But before you compare anything, look at what you already pay for.
Many church management, online giving, and church app platforms include a website builder or a website add-on in some of their plans. Pull up your current subscriptions and look for "website," "sites," or "web pages" in the plan details. You may already be paying for a builder that connects to your calendar, sermons, and giving, and it costs nothing extra to use it.
If you don't have one, or yours doesn't fit, here's how the common options compare.
| Builder | Good for | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Squarespace | Most small and mid-size churches. Clean templates, and volunteers can learn it in an afternoon. | Sermon libraries and church-specific features often need workarounds or add-ons. |
| Webflow | Churches that want a custom look, fast pages, and full control over SEO. | Harder to learn. Usually set up by a designer, then edited by staff in its simpler editor. |
| WordPress | The most flexible option, with a plugin for almost anything. | Needs regular updates, backups, and security care. Best with someone who knows it. |
| Wix | Easy drag-and-drop editing for a first website. | Easy to get cluttered. Check the phone layout of every page. |
| Church platforms | Builders made for churches, with sermons, events, giving, and church software built in. | Sites can look alike. Ask what happens to your domain and content if you leave. |
A few questions settle most decisions:
- Who will edit it every week? Choose for that person's comfort, not the designer's.
- Do you already have one? Check your church management, giving, and app subscriptions before you add another bill.
- What does it need to connect to? Your giving platform, church management software, sermon podcast, and calendar.
- What's the yearly cost? Add the plan, the domain, and any add-ons. Check current pricing on each builder's site.
- Can you take it with you? You should own your domain and be able to export your content.
For the churches I build for, I usually recommend Webflow when a church wants a custom design and Squarespace when it wants something simple a volunteer can run. Either way, the church owns the site and every account.
Church website essentials
10 essentials every church website needs
Use this as a checklist for your current site or your new one. If you can check all ten, you're ahead of most churches.
- Service times and address at the top of the home page. No scrolling, no clicking, no hunting.
- A "Plan a visit" page. Parking, the front door, how long the service runs, what to wear, and what happens when you walk in.
- Clear information for parents. What kids do, how check-in works, and how you keep them safe. For many families, this is the deciding question.
- Real photos of your real people. Faces and moments, not empty rooms or stock photos.
- What you believe, in plain words. A short summary first, with the longer statement linked for those who want it.
- Recent sermons. Many guests watch one before they visit. Keep the latest few easy to find.
- Simple online giving. One clear button, a few taps, and a secure page.
- Events that are actually current. A past event on the home page tells guests nobody's paying attention.
- A fast, mobile-friendly, accessible site. Readable text, strong color contrast, descriptive image text, and pages that load quickly on a phone.
- Easy to find on Google. Your church name, city, and "church" in page titles, plus a claimed and current Google Business Profile with the same times and address as your site.
Hand your phone to a friend who has never visited. Open your home page and ask them to find your service times, address, and what to do with kids. Time it. If it takes longer than ten seconds, start there.
Church website design ideas
Five church website mistakes to avoid
- Writing for members instead of guests. Insider names like "The Loft" or "Kidmo" mean nothing to a visitor. Say what it is.
- A home page that tries to say everything. Six sliders and ten buttons means nothing stands out. Lead with times, location, and one next step.
- Out-of-date information. Last Easter's banner or a staff member who left a year ago quietly says, "We're not paying attention."
- One person holds every login. When they leave, so does your website. Keep accounts in the church's name.
- A design that doesn't sound like you. A template is a fine start, but change the photos, colors, and words until it feels like your church.
Why your church website matters
Why a good church website matters more than ever
It's tempting to treat the website as a chore that sits behind real ministry. I'd gently push back. A good church website is one of the ways your church loves people.
It's the new front door
Most first-time guests check your website before they ever pull into the parking lot. If it's clear and warm, they arrive already feeling welcome. If it's confusing or outdated, many simply won't come, and you'll never know they almost did.
It's hospitality
You'd never invite someone over without telling them the time, the address, and where to park. A website that answers those questions is the same kindness, offered before you've met. Clarity is a kindness.
It helps your people invite
Most guests come because someone invited them. A clear website gives your members something easy to send: "Here's where we go. It tells you everything."
It gives your staff time back
When the website answers the common questions, your office fields fewer calls and emails asking them. And a site that's easy to update means nobody loses a Saturday wrestling with it.
For more on this, read why church communication matters more than you think.
Church website designer
Build it yourself or hire a church website designer?
Plenty of churches build a good website themselves. Here's an honest way to decide:
- Do it yourself if you have a staff member or volunteer with a few free weeks, a simple builder, and someone to own updates afterward. Follow the seven steps above and you'll be in good shape.
- Get help with the hard parts if the site exists but feels tired. A refresh (new look, clearer words, a real "Plan a visit" path) often does most of the work of a rebuild.
- Hire a church website designer if you need a new site, your team is already stretched, or nobody has time to keep it current.
Whoever builds it, make sure your church owns the domain, the accounts, and the content. That one rule protects you from almost every website horror story.
Where I can help
Designing church websites is part of what I do at Grayhaven. I write the words, design the site on a platform your team can edit, connect your sermons, events, and giving, and hand you every login. A refresh starts at $1,000 and a new site at $2,500. If you'd rather your site stay current without anyone on staff touching it, Website Care keeps it up to date each month. See church website options.
Church website questions
Common questions about church websites
What is the best church website builder?
The one your team will keep up to date. Squarespace fits most small and mid-size churches. Webflow gives more design and SEO control. WordPress is the most flexible but needs regular care. Church platforms include sermons, events, and giving out of the box.
How much does a church website cost?
Start by checking your church software, since some plans already include a website builder. Otherwise, doing it yourself costs the builder's plan fee plus your domain each year. Hiring a designer costs more up front. At Grayhaven, a church website refresh starts at $1,000 and a new church website starts at $2,500, with optional Website Care for $150 a month.
How many pages does a church website need?
Five to eight is right for most churches: Home, Plan a Visit, About, Kids and Students, Sermons, Events, Give, and Contact.
How long does it take to build a church website?
A refresh takes about three to four weeks. A new site takes about six to eight. Most of that time goes to writing the words and gathering photos, so start those early.
Should we use a church website template?
A template is a fine starting point. Swap in your own photos, colors, and words, and remove any section you can't keep current.
See your website the way a guest does
I'll look at your church website, social media, and Sunday screens like a first-time guest would, and send you a one-page report with three quick wins. It's free and yours to keep, whether we work together or not.
Get a free check-up →