Today’s post was written by Rajeev Varatharajan, Founder of Fresh Aesthetics, a company who specializes in creating compelling websites for churches of all sizes. Some of the ministries he’s worked with are Hillsong, C3 Church Oxford Falls and Planetshakers.

Unfortunately there is an incredible disconnect between what people want to do on church websites and how we design them.

When we look at the top ten things people want to know from Grey Matter Research to help you see what people actually want to do next on Church websites we see information like service times, directions, location and activities offered rated the highest.

However when we compare this to the majority of church website designs (one big slideshow plus 3 smaller boxes) that are currently online, the gap in what people want and what churches traditionally focus on is too wide. We’ve designed many sites in the past 4-5 years that followed this exact formula. The focus for churches is to use websites as a marketing tool for the next big event rather than using it to tell their story for new people and help current members find the information they want.

Compare your church homepage with the below list of things people want to know and see how close you are. Are you closer to an event calendar or a story telling platform that engages people into their next steps?

Top ten things people want to know

1. Check to see the times of services: 43%
2. Check what activities are offered: 29%
3. Look for a map or directions to the church’s location: 28%
4. Watch streaming video: 26%
5. Listen to streaming audio: 26%
6. Check to see what the church’s religious beliefs are: 22%
7. Request prayer: 18%
8. Downloading a podcast: 15%
9. Checking what denomination or group the church belongs to: 15%
10. Send a message to the pastor or leader: 12%

Click here to read the full article.

Your partner in ministry,

Nelson

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.