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Welcome… or not?

Welcome… or not?

Your church’s website can be a wonderful tool for evangelism and sharing the good news. It can attract newcomers to your congregation. Most churches report that all newcomers now have checked the website before visiting and have chosen which church to visit based on the website.

So what about the church websites that have led them to visit elsewhere? Can your website actually drive people away? It surely can! Here are some things that make your website unwelcoming:

  1. Hide or omit the street address so people cannot find the church.
  2. The service times are not clearly visible.
  3. There is no mention of when church school happens and which ages attend.
  4. Nursery care options are a mystery.
  5. All of the information is coded for church insiders (“The ECW will meet in the Narthex and the J2A Class will meet in the undercroft”).
  6. The website has not been updated since… last Easter and it is Christmas.
  7. Some of the links go to pages that are no longer active.
  8. The “Newcomers” link tells how to pledge but not what to expect if you attend.
  9. A smart phone will not bring up a useful version of the website.
  10. The images are all of buildings, not real people.

This is, of course, just a beginning! There are resources available out there in book and electronic form. Check out www.churchmarketingsucks.com and thomrainer.com/2014/11/01/top-ten-ways-churches-drive-away-first-time-guests for starters.

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