
Why Your Church Website Is SO Important

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 24 hours you will have heard about the fact that Facebook AND Instagram went down. It was global and intermittent. But it happened.
Facebook and instagram users be like:#FacebookDown #Instagramdown pic.twitter.com/eK5UPCERSh
— KezComedy (@ComedyKez) March 13, 2019
You know that I love the power of social media. I love what it can do for churches. Facebook has been, and is, an incredible vehicle for the gospel to reach out into communities online.
But with this outage it proves to me yet again, that the humble church website is still the vital ‘home-base’ that every church needs.
What that means is that your website your home. Nothing can take it down, unless there is a local server outage, or you forget to pay a bill somewhere (I recently heard of a church that forgot to renew its domain and wondered why it’s website was down, but that’s another story.)
But even then when something goes wrong, (and it will) you can get it back up pretty fast.
You need to treat all your social channels as rented ‘outposts’ of your church. An extension if you like (A very valuable one too!). But they will always be rented. Your church will never own the platform on Facebook, Instagram, or any other social channel for that matter.
Everyone running to Twitter because Instagram is down #InstagramBlackout2019 pic.twitter.com/nGxb50aUsa
— ..::Abbi::.. (@xpetcheetox) March 14, 2019
You will always be renting space there. As good as the social channels are.
My advice to all churches is. To push to grow your influence on social. Go for it! Reach your community. But don’t ever take it for granted. They may not be there in the future.
The metaphor I like to think of is that your church website is your church in conversation with your community and that social media allows your voice to amplify further (but don’t be that megaphone!).
Focus on building your home base. Point everyone back to your home base. Because there is no place like home.
I wrote this post five years ago, but it’s still as relevant today as it was then. Read ‘What The Best Church Websites Do’
Totally agree, Steve! The church’s website should be the hub of it’s communications.
Great to hear from you Paul!
This is on point Steve! There’s no place like home sweet home.
Indeed Jeremy!
Yep, I’ve heard it said many a time that Your website is “the front door to your church.” Having a strong online presence allows you to promote God’s love and reach people who may otherwise be unwilling to listen via any other medium.