Congregations have varying needs, resources, and technical skills, so it’s important to approach a church’s web presence with a clear strategy. In the following blog, read about how Rob Davidson of Concordia Technology Solutions had the pleasure of sitting down with Rev. Bill Johnson, a tech-savvy pastor, to discuss how churches can think more intentionally about their website strategy. 

DAVIDSON: Rev. Johnson, why should churches put careful thought into their website strategy? Doesn’t a basic site suffice?

JOHNSON: It really pays for churches to be intentional about what they want their website to do. If you don’t think it through, you might end up with a site that doesn’t actually serve your ministry or your audience well. Different churches have different goals and resources, so their websites should reflect that. In fact, there are a few distinct philosophies or strategies for church websites—each with its own pros and cons—and choosing the right one depends a great deal on your congregation and its needs. By planning thoughtfully, you can decide whether your site will simply provide information, serve as an interactive community, or something in between. That clarity will guide everything from design to how often you update the site. 

“Yellow Pages Ad” Style Website

DAVIDSON: One strategy you often talk about is the “Yellow Pages ad” style website, essentially a very simple church site. What do you mean by that, and when might a church choose this approach?

JOHNSON: I use the term “Yellow Pages ad” for the simplest, most basic type of church website. The name comes from the old Yellow Pages phone book. This type of website is like your church’s basic listing on the internet. It’s there so that if people search for a church in your area (say someone googles “Peoria Lutheran Church”), your church comes up and they can get the essential info about you.

In a “Yellow Pages ad” style site, you’ll want to include all the basic information a potential visitor might need. I’m talking about things like your church’s address, phone number, email, service times, and maybe a brief note on what your church believes. It’s also a great idea to have a section for first-time visitors—letting them know what to expect if they come to a service. Remember, some people checking out your site may have never been to a church or have not attended in years, so a little guidance can make them feel more comfortable visiting in person.

What the “Yellow Pages ad” style website doesn’t need is a lot of fancy features or constant updates. This kind of site isn’t meant to be interactive; it’s essentially a digital brochure or business card for your church: just a few pages of static information. And that’s perfectly fine, because the primary audience for this site is outsiders or newcomers looking for basic details, not your regular members. In fact, your members likely won’t visit a static info site very often—and that’s okay. The Yellow Pages approach is a solid option for many congregations, especially those with limited technical expertise or volunteer time to maintain a more complex site. 

Social Media Hub

DAVIDSON: Many churches today communicate heavily on Facebook and other platforms. Another website strategy you’ve described is using the church website as a social media hub—basically directing visitors to the church’s social media for updates. How does that work?

JOHNSON: The social media hub–style of website is essentially like a central gateway to all your church’s social media content. I often compare it to a Linktree or aggregator for a church. The idea here is that your congregation might actually have a more robust presence on social media than on your website. It makes sense in a lot of cases: if most of your members and community are already on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and so on, and you find it easier to push out news and announcements on those platforms, then your website can simply point people to those active channels. It’s all about speaking where your audience is listening. If your members are regularly on social media, it’s logical to focus your communication efforts there and use the website as a jumping-off point. In this approach, the website itself might still have some basic info (much like the “Yellow Pages ad” style), but prominently feature links, feeds, or widgets for your church’s social media pages. It encourages visitors to connect with the church on those social platforms for the most up-to-date content.

This strategy shares a lot of similarities with the “Yellow Pages ad” approach in that the site itself remains fairly simple and info focused. The big difference is it pushes your social media presence to the forefront as the way to “find out more” or engage with the church. The advantage is that if you’re already doing a great job posting on social media, you’re leveraging that content instead of trying to re-create it on a separate website blog or news page. However, there are some important cautions with a social media hub site. The first is that a successful social media presence requires … well, presence! You have to be consistently active. Nothing will turn off a potential visitor faster than clicking on your church’s Facebook feed (which you proudly feature on your site) and seeing that the last post was from two years ago.

Another thing to remember is that social media is an interactive medium, not just a broadcast channel. Using your website as a social media hub means you’re inviting two-way communication, not just pushing announcements. If a church only uses its Facebook to post “Here’s what’s happening this week” and never engages with comments or other content, it’s going to be hard to gain and keep followers, let alone build an online community. The heart of social media is being social: listening to what others are saying, commenting, starting conversations, and responding in a timely way. 

Online Community

DAVIDSON: The third approach you mentioned is trying to build a full online community on the church’s own website—essentially making the site a central hub for communication and fellowship. This sounds ambitious. What does it entail, and what should a church consider before attempting it? Is it possible to create that kind of online community without a lot of advanced technical skill or a dedicated communications staff?

JOHNSON: The full “online community” model is indeed the most ambitious type of church website, and it’s a tough one for most churches to pull off. In this approach, the church’s website isn’t just an info source or a social media funnel—it is the place where a lot of congregation interaction happens. You’re trying to make your website into the go-to communication hub for your members (and possibly others), with features like event calendars, small group sign-ups, prayer forums, sermon discussions, member directories, and so on. In theory, it’s fantastic: everything is in one place on a platform the church controls. But in practice, it can be a difficult hill to climb, and frankly, most churches aren’t very successful with it long-term. To do it well requires substantial technical know-how, plenty of content creation, and a lot of time investment to keep things running and current. It’s usually only an option for congregations that have very tech-savvy staff or volunteers and the capacity to continuously generate content and interaction.

Think about your own daily internet habits: All of us have a handful of websites or apps we visit regularly (maybe even multiple times a day). These could be social media, news sites, favorite blogs, and so on. Now, there’s only so much time in the day for consuming content, and most people aren’t actively looking to add more websites to their daily rotation. For a church to establish a successful online community on its website, it needs to create content and experiences compelling enough that members will incorporate visiting the church site into their regular routine—potentially even replacing something else they normally check. 

What I often see is churches embarking on an online community website with the best of intentions. The problem is sustainability. It’s one thing to set up all those features; it’s another thing entirely to keep them active and current week in and week out. 

Now, it’s important to say that none of these ambitious features are bad in and of themselves. Things like blogs, forums, online sign-ups, and interactive calendars can be wonderful tools for ministry—when done well. In fact, much of that same content (events, devotionals, discussions) can thrive on social media or email newsletters, where people are already tuned in. The challenge is that most individual congregations simply don’t have the sheer volume of content (or content creators) to compete with the other online destinations vying for their members’ attention. For the average church, trying to manufacture that level of content and interaction on their own site can lead to burnout and a stagnant website. In most cases, those congregations are better served by leveraging social media and other existing platforms for interaction, and keeping their own website more info focused.

Conclusion

Rev. Johnson’s insights highlight that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for church websites. Each of the three approaches discussed—the “Yellow Pages ad” style site, the social media hub, and the full online community—comes with its own benefits and challenges. The best strategy for a given congregation depends on its audience, resources, and goals. The overarching lesson from this conversation is the importance of being intentional and realistic about your church’s web presence. As Rev. Johnson noted, thoughtful planning and honest self-assessment of your church’s capabilities are crucial. By choosing a website strategy that aligns with your ministry goals and capacity, you ensure that your church’s website truly supports your mission and helps you connect with people in meaningful ways. 

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