Are the doors of your church open? Not long ago, the front door to your church was exactly that: the front door. It was the first impression guests experienced. They noticed the parking lot, the greeters, the signage, the atmosphere, and the welcome they received before the first song was ever sung.

Today, that first impression often happens long before someone arrives on campus. It begins with a Google search, and according to The Effective Church Group, approximately 85 percent of first-time guests visit a church’s website before attending a service. That means your website has become one of the most important ministry tools your church owns.

Think about yourself for a minute. What do you do when you’re looking for a new restaurant, a doctor’s office, or even another church while travelling? You Google it first, then you visit the website.

It’s no different for the people you’re trying to reach. 

It’s likely that they know more about you, good or bad, before they ever pull into your parking lot.

These folks are looking for answers. Where are you located? What time does church start? What should I wear? What do they believe? Is childcare available? Can I watch a service before I visit?

That information should be on your website. And if those answers are difficult to find, visitors don’t usually call the church office.

They leave.

A church website shouldn’t simply exist because every organization is expected to have one. It should exist in an effort to serve people, to build clarity around your church or ministry, and ultimately remove any uncertainty before someone steps foot into your door.

Your website should help  visitors feel informed before they ever walk through your doors. It helps members find resources throughout the week. It should allow people to register for events, submit prayer requests, give online, and take their next step in faith.

In other words, your website is a ministry.

Sure, your website looks great, but design alone isn’t enough. A beautiful website with confusing navigation is still confusing. A modern homepage that doesn’t answer basic questions still creates friction. Clarity is key and a successful website helps people quickly find what they came looking for.

Do you have a plan for your website? As your church grows and changes, your website should reflect it. Ministries evolve, events come and go, and information changes over time. If ministry names have changed, announcements are outdated, or last year’s events are still live, visitors are left sorting through information that no longer serves them. That’s more than a website issue. It’s a stewardship issue.

And if we are to be good stewards of the communication tools we have, we must regularly give our attention to them because it’s one of the primary ways your church welcomes people into your community. This is especially true for the church’s website.

If your physical lobby matters, your digital lobby matters too.

That doesn’t mean every church needs an expensive custom website. Many healthy churches faithfully serve their communities with simple websites. The point here is not about having the freshest design. It’s making sure your website clearly communicates who you are, what you believe, how someone can take their next step, and how they can get involved.

Here are questions to ask yourself:

If the answer to those questions is yes, you’re moving in the right direction. Your website will never replace the local church. But it can invite people into it. Today, the front door to your church is often digital long before it’s physical.

Make sure it’s open.

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