Living during such a technical age is miraculous, don’t you agree? Space flight, life-saving medical technologies, 3D printing, mobile phones, indoor plumbing for goodness’ sake! 😁
It’s all pretty wondrous when you think about it. And, okay, maybe inventing websites don’t rank super high on our list of miracle inventions. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have their uses!
Church websites, for example, are a great tool for engaging its community and reaching out to potential parishioners. Looking at it that way, it’s easy to see how church website design can be very important indeed.
Your church website is your virtual front door, your engaging welcome sign, and sometimes your only chance at a great first impression. So, whether you’re creating your first site or revamping your current one, this article is for you.
We’ll go over some must-have website features, talk about the dos and don’ts of design, and delve into a few great Christian web designs that are sure to inspire.
The Benefits and Features of an Engaging Church Website Design
If you think websites are only for businesses, then – think again! Your site is just as important — if not more so — because it can assist with the work you’re doing. Here are a few of the benefits a well-designed church website has to offer:
- Allows seekers to find out more about your church;
- Offers easy access to information, events, and resources;
- Introduces your values, style, congregation, and ministry to others;
- Provides an effective and efficient way to spread the word about your mission;
- Enables an alternative way to collect donations;
- Creates a central location for all of your media (videos, podcasts, blog posts, sermons, etc.)
In today’s technological age, your church’s website may be your only chance at a great first impression. Does yours say, “Welcome, we’re glad you’re here to join our interesting and engaged community!”? Or does it make people take a step back? While every church website is unique, these features should be non-negotiable.
Must-have website features
1. An easy-to-navigate layout
Unfortunately, website usability often gets ignored when it’s working well. But don’t let that stop you from giving it the attention it needs! You can even say that website design should reflect physical church layout: easy to navigate, intuitive, and logical. 🤓
This allows site visitors to quickly and easily find what they need. Neglect this feature and you’re sure to have a lot of frustrated users on your hands — at least until they get fed up with your site and head somewhere else!
2. A catchy appearance
Remember the early days of Myspace? That chunky, blocky look with (more often than not) incongruous backgrounds and photos? Well, the old Myspace look is to teach what the corset is to fashion — dead and never coming back (not if we can help it, anyway).
Today’s website designs are all about smooth, clean, and modern look.
3. Great media
If your visitor wanted to read a solid block of text, they’d pick up a book. Great websites don’t just include quality content — they also make use of great media. Videos, pictures, and even audio can help break up written content and make your website easier and more appealing to use.
4. Relevant content
Church websites have two groups to cater to: current members and those looking to find out more about your church. It’s important to offer all the relevant info for both parties. Be sure to include things like:
- Service schedule;
- Location;
- Provided ministries;
- Contact information;
- Upcoming events.
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16 Cool and Creative Website Design Examples
Now you’ve got an idea of the “why and how” of church website design, so let’s look at some examples. We’ve collected 16 of the best church websites and grouped them according to a design feature that they excel at. We also give a shoutout to other cool elements that we love.
Eye-catching background images and videos
Central Baptist
The Central Baptist site boasts an awesomely dynamic homepage with bold and beautiful colors. We love the background pictures that evoke a range of positive emotions and the color scheme that immediately helps the site stand out.
We also like the:
- Straightforward typography that augments the visuals
- Clear CTAs (call-to-action) spread throughout the page
- Strong logo that mimics the feel of the site
One*
We love the personal vibe we get from One*. With potent welcome text, a cozy and personal background image, and a great color scheme, this homepage is a winner all the way. It balances sleek modernity with welcome accessibility.
We also like the:
- Gorgeous color scheme
- Balance of text with visuals and white space
Nations Church
Background videos are a great way to hold a user’s attention — and Nations Church uses that to their advantage. We love the energy of these bite-sized video clips and the bright background that immediately floods us with feelings of happiness and comfort.
We also like the:
- Well-thought-out typography
- Easy navigation of the site as a whole
- Prominent CTA inviting readers to join the congregation online
Planetshakers
Big, bold, and beautiful: that’s the design that Planetshakers went for. Their background image is the perfect match for a Christian church that describes itself as “passionate, vibrant, and powerful.”
We also like the:
- Bold menu design and placement
- Three-dimensional elements of the site
- Responsive design that takes mobile viewers into account
Smooth menu design
Renewal
The navigation menu on the Renewal site came as a surprise, but it’s grown on us big time. We love the way the menu has been integrated into the site. 😍 It’s unique and efficient without losing any functionality.
We also like the:
- Color scheme bursting with bright hues
- Thoughtful typography that makes info easy to read
- Animated elements that make the site more dynamic
Flatirons Community Church
Who would have thought to replace the main page of a site with the menu? Flatirons Community Church! We love the non-standard structure here that gives the whole site a fresh and modern feel.
We also like the:
- Intriguing background videos
- Clean and minimalist church site layout
- Easy-to-access content for both new and active members
Sojourn Collective
An easy-to-read menu is one of the best church design ideas. Sojourn Collective puts all the necessary information in an accessible location so that users can find exactly what they need when they need it. The dedicated locations section is an especially nice touch.
We also like the:
- Thoughtful background videos
- Vibrant yet professional color scheme
Awesome color schemes
Zion Church
The bright, saturated colors on Zion Church’s homepage offer an instant mood boost that’s perfect for energizing and engaging users. We love how the color scheme connects various elements on the site for greater consistency and style.
We also like the:
- Homepage calendar for upcoming events
- Interactive typography
- Embedded video links for the latest sermons
MTN Church
Black and white as a color scheme? Why not! It sure works for the MTN Church website, especially when contrasted with color images. We like how the black and white perfectly captures the atmosphere and mood of the page.
We also like the:
- Modern and powerful logo design
- Balance of white space, text, and visuals that doesn’t overwhelm the page
- Embedded Google map displaying the church’s location
The Well Church
We love the juxtaposition of bold red with subtle pastels on the Well Church site homepage. Add in the gorgeous black-and-white typography and you get an interesting and memorable look that still reflects the nature of this Christian church.
We also like the:
- Varied typography that’s both beautiful and functional
- Menu design that saves space for a more modern look
Clear and coherent layout
Newlife Church
Blocks of text aren’t often a great design choice, but the Newlife Church site designer knows how to use them. This site uses a great layout to turn heavy sheets of text into intriguing design elements.
We also like the:
- Interactive “Connect With Us” menu
- Animated content that makes the page more dynamic
- Bold, saturated colors and simple typography
Nations Church
Wait a second, Nations Church again? 🤨 We can’t help it — we love the intuitive structure of their site. Dividing the info into thematic blocks not only makes the site more navigable but also creates a lovely appearance.
We also like the:
- Easy-to-access locations drop-down menu
- Unique location of the menu mid-page
- Dynamic scrolling calendar of events
Rock Church
There’s a lot of info on Rock Church’s homepage, but it all flows well thanks to the thoughtful typography and contrasting backgrounds. We love the simplicity and effectiveness of the whole setup.
We also like the:
- Vibrant and energetic background image
- Minimal content that allows the user to choose when to delve into a topic
- One-of-a-kind menu design
Stylish typography
Colonial Heights
Typography can help create information blocks by using different fonts, colors, and sizes. Case in point: Colonial Heights Baptist Church. They’ve created a great, well-organized design with nothing more than white space and words.
We also like the:
- Prominent CTA banner at the top of the page
- Vivid color scheme
- Embedded events calendar
Central Church
The Central Church has a lot to share on their site, but luckily, they’ve also got the layout down to an art. We’re amazed by how they use blocks of color and typography to create such a unique, beautiful, and functional homepage.
We also like the:
- Responsive menu design for different screens
- Easily accessible broadcast schedule
Redrocks Church
Powerful typography helps emphasize key points on the Red Rocks Church site while still matching the church’s compelling and emphatic style. The weight, size, and color of the font selections all play important roles in the site design, making this one of our favorites.
We also like the:
- Clean and well-structured layout
- Dedicated locations section at the foot of the page
- Strong color scheme that mimics the church’s name
Beautiful, right?
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3 Common Reasons That Church Website Designs Fail
Visiting a poorly designed website is like going on a bad date. 😱 It’s uncomfortable, embarrassing, and leaves you with a strong desire to dash for the nearest exit. We’re not trying to shame all the bad websites out there, so we aren’t going to name any names. Instead, we’ll talk about general church web design don’ts that feature prominently on a few sites we’ve seen.
1. Bad typography choices
There’s a reason everyone jokes about Comic Sans — typography matters! Our first site seems to have forgotten just how important font is, though and the result is a bland, unappealing page that’s not fun to read.
Unfortunately, this site also chooses an incongruous background image and welcome text. Even more unfortunately, it lacks any kind of hierarchy as well — a problem that might have been solved with some quality typography.
The weight, color, size, and style of your font do matter from both a functionality and an aesthetic standpoint.
2. Unappealing design
When it comes to site design, a little style and effort can go a long way to making users feel comfortable and engaged with the site. Our second site is the exact opposite of the sleek and modern look that most people want these days.
Instead, it’s got a terrible color scheme, unclickable CTAs, poor typography, and an overall lack of hierarchy that makes it look like someone just unearthed this site from the 1990s. 😬
It’s important to consider your site design carefully; after all, if you don’t like looking at it why would anyone else?
3. Doesn’t represent your church
Your website is an extension of your church — what kind of impression is it making? For the final site on our list, the answer is not a great impression at all…
Instead of creating a dynamic and memorable site that’s going to leave a lasting impression, this church opted for inexpressive, Wikipedia-esque technology, a boring color scheme, and no easily recognizable CTAs. In addition, they’ve chosen a confusing main image that leaves us wondering if we’ve made it to the right site…
The amount of effort you put into your site will show — greater effort = greater rewards!
Creating a great church website takes a lot of work!
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Bonus! Your Church Website Design Checklist
What? You thought we were done offering advice? Hardly! Now that you’ve got some church website ideas, it’s time to get started with the building. Whether you’re going to brave website design yourself or turn it over to a professional designer, this handy checklist does help.
As seen above, color schemes and typography vary a lot between sites. The main things to remember are that your colors and fonts need to reflect your church’s personality and style and that they need to be cohesive.
Pro Tip: Learning more about color psychology and color theory can help you choose great colors. Choosing contrasting colors and the right fonts can help make your site more dynamic and interesting.
The church logo is one of the first things site visitors will see, so be sure that it’s memorable for all the right reasons. Your church logo should quickly and potently communicate the main focus, values, or other important elements of your church.
Pro Tip: Great logos are difficult to design, which is why most churches seek help from qualified graphic designers.
Whether you use stock photos or hire a professional photographer for custom-made images, take care selecting your visuals. Make sure they’re relevant to the content and fit in with your chosen color scheme.
Pro Tip: Strong images are the ones that tell a story or evoke feelings. How do your images make you feel?
Consider who’s going to be using your site and what they’ll be looking for, then organize things accordingly. Your site should be easy to navigate and have a logical hierarchy of information, or else users are going to get confused.
Pro Tip: It often helps to plan your layout on paper before transitioning to an actual website.
After your site is active, be sure to view it on different screens. Your website should look and function just as well on mobile devices as it does on a desktop computer.
Pro Tip: When it comes to responsive design, simplicity is key!
With your layout planned, it’s time to start adding content — but you can’t just throw it in willy-nilly. Great websites balance images and text with plenty of empty white space. This makes the site easier to use and more pleasant to look at.
Pro Tip: You can use negative space to emphasize important info, divide elements, and give your site a more modern feel.
Videos are a great way to interest site visitors and help them learn more about your ministry. And luckily, they’re much easier to create than you might think!
Pro Tip: Uploading a video directly to your site can slow things down. It’s much better to upload the video to a hosting platform (i.e., YouTube or Vimeo) and then embed it on your site.
Now for the icing on the cake. Include professional content to express why your restaurant is the place to dine.
When it comes to ranking high in SEO, content is king. In addition to important information (i.e., location, ministries, and meeting times), you may also want to include blog posts, powerful CTAs (calls to action), vision statements, and more.
Pro Tip: If you’re not confident in your writing skills, a professional copywriter can help you create high-quality content.
Frequently Asked Church Website Design Questions
There’s no one right way to design a church website, but there are certain elements to consider if you want your site to look great. We’ve talked a lot about the dos and don’t of site design above, so here’s a recap of what makes a great Christian web design:
- A clean and clear layout;
- Compelling images, videos, media, and typography;
- Well-written and relevant content;
- Responsive and easy-to-navigate design;
- An obvious connection to your church’s style and values.
There are two ways:
- Option 1. Build the website yourself using a dedicated website builder. This is a great choice if you’re an experienced designer or if you’re bored and eager for a time-consuming project.
- Option 2. Hire a professional website designer who can help turn your vision into reality. This is a great choice if you want a beautiful site without the stress that comes with creating it.
Just like bad news and loud opinions, it’s easy to find a website building online. Some of the most popular options include:
- WordPress
- Web.com
- Sharefaith
- Squarespace
- Ministry Designs
Some builders offer a free or low-cost way to create your site, while others can get pretty pricey. If you plan on designing your site yourself, be sure to do your research before picking a builder.
Website design prices can vary drastically from free to tens of thousands of dollars. Prices change depending on who builds the site, the price of the website builder, and any customized or additional features. Generally, you can expect a well-made, hosted, and maintained website to cost a few thousand dollars.
Aug 20, 2023
Rebecca
A copywriter with hundreds of projects under her (figurative) belt, Beka enjoys the challenge of crafting unique content. She loves writing just as some people love trolling online message boards :) — in an unabashedly enthusiastic and slightly concerning way.