Church websites are an essential part of local churches’ public profiles to their communities. Indeed, in some parts of the world, church websites draw more people into face-to-face church activities than any other method. Church sites outnumber all other types of Christian sites by a ratio of 5 to 1. Church sites could therefore be powerful outreach tools. However, research reveals a discouraging picture:

• most church sites are written purely for their members, using ‘religious insider’ content style and religious language.
• many do not create a sense of welcome to outsiders or include any material that they would perceive as relevant to them.
• either they do not provide any hint about the life-changing Gospel; or else they present it in heavy-handed terms which may be ‘too much, too soon’, a counter-productive ‘Bible-bashing’.

Strategies for effective church sites include:

• a natural informal sense of welcome, even humor, throughout the site.
• lack of insider ‘churchy’ language and jargon.
• photos showing not only the church building exterior, but also interior shots including people; these will help prospective visitors feel the church is familiar even before they first visit the physical building.
• church members photos and profiles, some prominently displayed on the home-page. These may not be full testimonies in the normal sense. Instead, they may be introductions to some real church members with background to their lives: hobbies, jobs, pets and other personal details.
• Bible explanations for pre-Christians.
• Online leading to face-to-face support for recovery from life problems (divorce, alcohol/substance abuse, bereavement etc.)
• Age-specific content (children, teens, seniors)
• clear directions with online map to find the church, where to park, public transportation links.
• a sense of identification with the local community, in terms of secular news, photos, links; this can also draw in website visitors.