Looking for a way to reach out to church members and people thinking of joining your church? Create your own church website.
Creating a church website has never been easier. This is mainly because many design templates are readily available on the internet to create church websites. You can use them to create a website for your church even if you’re not very tech-savvy or have any prior experience with coding.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at some of the best website builders that you can use to create a website for your church. Also, here’s a great case study of how WP-Tonic can help you build an excellent Church website that helps you build a great online community. Also, a tremendous free downloadable PDF goes into even more detail on the key things you need to understand when choosing the right online technology solution for the church’s website.
A COMPLETE STEP-BY-STEP CHEATSHEET
TO CREATING, LAUNCHING & GROWING A SUCCESSFUL MEMBERSHIP WEBSITE
Features to look for in a church website builder
Church websites are not like traditional sites you see on the internet. They often require a special functionality such as the ability to accept donations from people, display an events calendar, and set up registrations for church events.
These are some of the features you should be on the lookout for when considering a website builder for your church website:
- Ease of use. One of the most critical factors to look for in any solid website builder is ease of use. The platform you choose to go with should be intuitive to use, even for non-developers. This way, you can create your own church website and fix bugs even if you’re not very tech-savvy or have coding knowledge.
- e-Commerce functionality. A church website also requires you to have some sort of e-Commerce functionality for selling church merchandise or digital products.
- Templates for churches. Another important factor when considering trying out a website builder is the availability of church templates. A template that’s designed for creating a church website will work better than using a regular, multi-purpose template and customizing it to your use case.
- Let you host events. Event management features also are essential for any church website. You might need to host an event to gather more people, get your message in front of more eyes, or raise funds.
- Create a members-only area. Any solid church website builder will also let you create an exclusive “members-only” area where church members can access resources and registration pages. This way only relevant users will see church member information and details that the church gives out to members.
- Newsletter functionality. Creating and managing an email list is also crucial for any church website as it’s important to let users sign-up for events or for the church.
- Should be able to accept donations. Another important factor you should consider when choosing a website builder for a church website is the ability to accept donations. All church websites let users make donations directly from their websites.
Top 8 website builders for churches
Here, we’ll take a closer look at some of the best website builders for churches.
#1. WordPress.org
WordPress is one of the most popular website builders out there that’s used by almost half of the websites on the internet.
WordPress is a solid option for creating a website mainly because of the extensive support for purpose-built themes and plugins. Using the WordPress plugin and theme repository, you can browse thousands of custom design templates that let you quickly create a church website. It also lets you add any functionality you need on your site using WordPress plugins and tools. This way, you can create event calendars, set up memberships, and raise funds directly on your site without having to touch a single line of code.
While WordPress.org is completely free, it requires you to purchase your own hosting and domain for your WordPress site to run on. However, if you’re looking for a more “hands-off” approach to creating and running a church website, you can also go for WordPress.com.
WordPress.com takes care of all hosting and domain needs for you and allows you to focus on your brand side of things compared to creating and maintaining a WordPress site. All of these features come with a premium price tag with the most basic level package starting at $48 per year.
#2. Sharefaith
Sharefaith, just like the name suggests, is a platform dedicated to creating church websites.
Sharefaith specializes in offering attractive design templates for creating a full-fledged church website. This means you can pick from a huge collection of church templates.
One of the great things about Sharefaith is that it lets you view each template using the intuitive website builder. This lets you try out the template that interests you and see how it’ll look for your church website in real-time. As a result, you can see what works best for you without having to pay a single penny. In addition to this, Sharefaith also comes with the Sharefaith Giving service that lets you accept donations through your church website. This is one of the most basic yet important features of any church website.
#3. Nucleus
Nucleus is a church website builder that’s designed to help you offer all the functionality you need to create and run your own church website.
One of the highlight features of Nucleus is the “Scholarships” they offer for churches that have low budgets. This is great if you’re looking to create a professional church website but can’t afford the Nucleus payment plans. Nucleus helps you create a church website that also acts as the central hub of your church system. This way, you can invite all people to join the church using the sign-up forms on your church website.
In addition to the heaps of helpful documentation of Nucleus, there are many groups you can join to interact with other church website owners and ask them for suggestions. This is especially useful if this is your first time creating a website or using a website builder on your own.
#4. Squarespace
Squarespace is a popular website builder that also comes with some attractive, pre-designed templates for creating church websites.
Squarespace offers extensive customization for just about anything including custom fonts, images, and animations. It also lets you upload audio or video files easily which is important if you want to upload and publish church sermons on the website weekly. Another great thing about Squarespace is that it lets you add multiple users as contributors to your church website. This way you can control permissions and actions on your church website for registered church members.
#5. Weebly
Weebly is a simple and intuitive website builder that lets you create any website including church websites.
It features a fully customizable interface that lets you make changes to Weebly’s pre-designed templates in any way you like, without having any prior knowledge of coding. Using the e-Commerce functionality, you can accept donations on your church website and use the App Center to add advanced features to your site. For instance, you can add an audio player to your website so users can listen to sermons directly from your church website.
If you decide to go with Weebly’s PRO plan or higher, you will have access to the membership features. This lets you create an exclusive “members-only” area on your church website that makes it easier to offer information to your church members.
#6. Ministry Designs
Ministry Designs is yet another purpose-built website builder that specializes in creating church websites.
You have the option to choose from various responsive church-designed templates that look good across all devices. The best part about using Ministry Designs is that they offer extensive training materials and an expert that guides you through each step of creating your own church website.
Additionally, you have access to all the features you need to effectively run a church website including the ability to upload sermons, showcase a calendar, and build an email list for your church.
#7. Tithe.ly
Tithe.ly is a popular church website builder that has a huge community of supporters who support the church world going digital.
Using the platform, you can quickly create your own church website that has all the important features such as calendars, sermon uploads, and building email lists. Other than being an easy-to-use website builder, Tithe.ly lets you create an app for your church. This way, you can easily manage events and accept donations for your church using the app. With more than 25,000 active churches using Tithe.ly, it’s a great option if you’re looking for a purpose-built church website builder that packs everything you need to build a church website.
#8. Wix
Wix is a popular website builder that features some of the best pre-designed templates for creating amazing-looking church websites.
Wix features fully responsive and customizable templates for church websites that help you quickly get started with creating your site. This also makes it much easier for non-developers to quickly create a professional-looking church website, without having to touch a single line of code.
Additionally, you also have access to all the “standard” church features such as a “members-only” area, a bookings page, and event and team management features.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are the best website builders for churches in 2022?
A: In 2022, the best website builders for churches include WordPress, Ministry Design, and 8 other top website builders for churches.
Q: What should I look for in the best church website builder?
A: When choosing the best church website builder, you should consider factors such as ease of use, church-specific templates, drag-and-drop builders, integration with church management software, and the ability to accept donations through your website.
Q: Are there any free website builders specifically designed for churches?
A: Yes, there are free website builders available specifically designed for churches. These builders may offer free plans or free trials, which can be a great option for churches with limited budgets.
Q: Can I find church-specific templates with these website builders?
A: Absolutely! The best church website builders offer a wide range of church-specific templates that are designed to make it easy for churches to build their online presence.
Q: Are these website builders easy to use for beginners?
A: Yes, many of the best church website builders are designed to be user-friendly and easy to use, even for beginners who may have little to no experience with website building.
Q: Do these website builders provide web hosting and a free domain?
A: Some of the website builders for churches may include web hosting services and even offer a free domain as part of their packages or plans. It’s important to check the specific offerings of each builder.
Q: How can these website builders help churches?
A: These website builders can help churches by providing them with the tools and resources they need to build a beautiful website, connect with their church community, and effectively communicate their message online.
Q: How do I choose the best church website builder?
A: To choose the best church website builder, you can consider factors such as features and functionalities, pricing, user reviews, and whether it meets your specific needs and requirements.
Q: Can I find a list of the 10 best church website builders of 2023?
A: Yes, you can find a list of the 10 best church website builders of 2023 by researching online or referring to relevant articles and reviews.
Q: How do I build a website for my church?
A: To build a website for your church, you can use a website builder specifically designed for churches. These builders usually offer drag-and-drop functionality, pre-designed templates, and easy customization options.
Conclusion
Creating a church website can be intimidating, especially if this is your first time creating a website of any sort. While church websites require some additional functionality that a normal website won’t need, you can quickly create a full-fledged website using a solid website builder.
Deciding on a website builder solely comes down to your budget, your level of tech-savviness, and what you’re looking to achieve.
Also, be sure to check out our round-up of The Best Drag and Drop WordPress Website Builder?.
Do you know of any other great website builders for churches? Let us know in the comments box below.
