Website for a church plant, before there is much to show
A church plant website has to answer four questions with certainty: what this is, who is behind it, where and when it meets, and what happens next. Vagueness is the main failure. A dated first service beats "launching soon" every time. The Basic package at $1,200 fits this stage.
What does a church plant website need on day one?
Four certainties: what this church plant is, who is leading it, exactly where and when it meets, and what a visitor should expect the first time.
A named leader with a photograph and a short honest paragraph does more than a mission statement. People deciding whether to attend something new are assessing whether they trust the person, not the wording.
What if we do not have a location yet?
Say so precisely. "We are meeting in homes in the Innsbruck west district while we look for a venue, and we will announce the venue by March" is honest and answerable.
"Coming soon" with no date reads as abandoned. A visitor cannot tell the difference between a plant preparing carefully and one that quietly stopped.
Should we build a big site now or start small?
Start small. Two or three pages that are completely current beat eight pages with empty sections, and a plant's circumstances change fast enough that large sites become inaccurate quickly.
Pages are added later as there is something real to put on them. Nothing about starting small prevents growth.
What about the domain and email?
Register the domain in the name of the church plant, not a founder's personal name. Domains registered to individuals are lost when those individuals move on, and church plants see more turnover than established congregations.
Hosting with email is $15 per month and covers up to ten addresses, which is more than most plants need for several years.
What should a church plant budget in year one?
Roughly $1,200 for the Basic build, $15 per month for hosting with email, and $10 to $20 per year for the domain. That is about $1,400 across the first year with nothing further owed.
Build time is 2 to 4 weeks and needs about 4 hours from the plant: a kickoff call, editing the supplied draft text, and gathering photographs.
A plant that cannot fund this is better served by a free builder maintained by a willing volunteer than by waiting. Register the domain in the plant name either way.
Work in this area
Frequently asked questions
Do we need online giving from the start?
Usually not. Early giving in a plant is relational and often in person. It becomes worth adding when support arrives from outside the immediate group.
Can we use a free website builder to start?
Yes, and for a plant with a willing volunteer that is a reasonable first step. Register the domain properly either way, so nothing is lost when you move.
What if our name might change?
Settle the name before registering the domain if you can. Changing a domain later means redirects and losing some accumulated visibility, which is avoidable friction.
How do people find a new church plant?
Mostly through people, not search. The website's job is to convert someone who already heard about you into someone who shows up.
How soon should the site exist?
Before the first public service. Anyone who hears about the plant will look, and finding nothing costs a visit.
Talk it through first
A short call costs nothing and usually clarifies whether this is the right next step for your organisation.
Get in touch