A church website serves three groups at once: people visiting for the first time, members who want to stay connected and supporters who want to give. Each group needs something different. This guide draws on our work for Blessed Nation Ministry in Johannesburg.
For first-time visitors
Make the essentials impossible to miss: service day and time, the full address with a map link, parking and what to expect when you arrive. A photo of a real service helps people picture themselves there.
On the Blessed Nation Ministry website, Sunday service details and directions sit on the homepage, with an option to share them with a friend.
For members
- An events calendar that is easy to update, with events people can share
- Links to sermons and livestreams on YouTube or other channels
- A prayer request form
- Ways to get involved, join a group or serve
For supporters: online giving
Online giving makes it easier for members to give regularly and for supporters further away to take part. Payment gateways such as PayFast let people give by card, instant EFT and other methods without the church handling card details directly.
Explain what giving supports, confirm each payment clearly and test the whole process on a phone before you launch.
Treat personal information with care
Prayer requests and member details can be very personal. Under POPIA, information about a person's religious beliefs is special personal information, so limit who can read form submissions, store them securely and explain in a privacy notice how you use them.
Keep it easy to update
A church website goes stale quickly if only one person can change it. Plan from the start how service times, events and announcements will be updated, and by whom.
