One of the best ways to create a great church website is to learn from what others have done. You don't have time (or the money) to reinvent the wheel!

Here are our favorite church websites of 2024, along with the 5 things they each have in common.

Our Favorite Examples of Great Church Websites

Here are our 4 favorite examples of great church website designs:

Example 1: Meta Church, NYC

Wesbite: https://meta.church/

Why we love it: Immediately when you land on Meta Church's website you see a great example of multimedia use. The video shows the local community of their neighborhood in the Upper East Side, NY. To me, this being one of the very first things I see, means this local community is important to them.

Secondly, you'll notice the menu options are clearly visible and accessible. If I wanted to plan a visit or watch online, I could easily do that by selecting the buttons accessible just underneath the video. The other menu options such as Who We Are, Events, Resources, and Give are easily accessed in the top right-hand corner.

Is it Mobile Friendly? Yes! The video remains visible and the menu options are easily accessible via a hamburger menu!

Takeaways: Smart use of multimedia, easy navigation, and mobile-friendly

Example 2: Mariners Church, CA

Website: https://www.marinerschurch.org/

Why we love it: Mariners Church's website is another great example of multimedia use. When you get to their landing page, you'll see a nice picture of baptism with an inspiring text overlay stating, "Inspiring people to follow Jesus and fearlessly change the world." The menu options are easily accessible in the top right-hand corner. You can also easily listen to the most recent sermon as it is clearly visible just underneath the inspiring text. This is a great example of call-to-action placement.

As you scroll down, you'll see tons of photos of the local body. Towards the very bottom, you'll see a heading titled "Our Stories"; I thought this was really cool. As a new visitor, you can hear testimonies from members of that local body. Their website overall gives off a very warm and friendly impression.

Is it mobile-friendly? Yes!

Takeaways: Excellent use of multimedia with testimonies, easy navigation, and mobile-friendly.

Example 3: King of Kings Church, NE

Website: https://www.kingofkings.org/

Why we love it: King of King's website is a great example of visual consistency. You'll notice as you scroll through their website, the repeated use of digital cards to display important information like service times, recent blog posts, ways to get involved, and locations. This is such a great way to display important information in a visually appealing way.

They also use a few emphasis elements such as the three red arrows emphasizing a new heading, or the icons listed above their locations.

Is it mobile-friendly? Yes! I would argue that this site leans towards being mobile-first.

Takeaways: Visual consistency, intentional emphasis elements, and mobile-friendly

Example 4: Ocean City Church, FL

Website: https://www.oceancitychurch.org/

Why we love it: You don't need to be a mega church to have an good website. Ocean City Church's website is a great example of all of the design elements we've discussed today. When you get to their landing page you see a nice image of their church building and a button to Plan Your Visit.

Something you should know about Neptune Beach is the parking situation can be a challenge. In order for parking not to detour potential visitors, they've strategically placed an arrow (emphasis element) directing viewers to more buttons for Gathering Info and Parking Info. Strategically placing important information in a way that's easy to locate and clearly visible is crucial.

As you continue to scroll down, you'll see an Instagram icon (another emphasis element) directing viewers to check out their social media platform. This is such a great way for guests to get a good feel for the atmosphere and community of a local church before even walking through the doors.

Is it mobile-friendly? Yes!

Takeaways: Instagram media is epic, easy navigation on all devices, and intentional emphasis elements.

5 Best Practices of Church Websites

When it comes to the overall design and layout of the above examples of church websites, each one of them shared the following key elements...

1. Visual Consistency and Branding

A consistent color scheme, font, and overall website design are essential for a great church website. With the exception of the church's logo itself, the colors, font, and design elements make up a church's branding identity online. In fact, reusing design elements in web design is actually good!

The more you use an element, the more familiar the website becomes to those visiting it for the first time. This is not only good for potential first-time guests but also encourages easy navigation for members. Which brings me to the next attribute...

2. Easy Navigation for Users

Not only is it important that your website content is visually appealing, but a great church website must be easy to navigate. People will typically visit your church website with a specific goal in mind like accessing service times or reviewing the church's mission or beliefs.

A cluttered or hard to navigate website negatively affects the first impression of your church. As the first touch point for most visitors, it's essential to have clear and simple menu options that are easy to navigate.

Pro Tip: Placing calls to action for event registrations, online giving, and connect forms on the Homepage of your website highly increases participation and engagement.

3. Smart Use of Multimedia

This is one of my all-time favorite church website design elements! Multimedia goes such a long way if you do it right.

Just a quick side note... Please don't use stock images on your church website! 

The images on your website should really encapsulate the overall atmosphere and community of your local body. When a visitor checks out your website for the first time, how great would it be for them to be greeted by the same warm and friendly faces they'll soon meet in person?

Another great use of multimedia is video. Video content is certainly here to stay and can be used to your church website's advantage. One of the best ways I've seen it used is when a pastor pre-recorded a welcome video that was set up to play when you first accessed the website. You immediately feel as though you've already got that first "awkward" introduction out of the way. I've also seen churches use this as an opportunity to share video testimonies of some of their members.

4. Intentional Emphasis Elements

Thoughtfully incorporating emphasis elements like circles, arrows, underlines, or highlighters (to name a few) can effectively guide visitors to important information, as well as create overall brand awareness with commonly used elements.

Circles and arrows can be used to emphasize specific buttons or clickable links. Underlines are a traditional way to emphasize text or headings. Similar to underlines, highlighters can emphasize important text or information, but with the added color make it stand out even more. These are just a few examples, but overall, these kinds of elements can make your church website seem more casual and approachable.

Pro Tip: Be sure to use them sparingly as using too many can quickly clutter up your website having the opposite effect on visitors!

5. Mobile Responsiveness

If you've skimmed over everything I've said so far in this article, it's time to dial in (pun intended). Mobile-friendliness is the gold medal of website design.  According to Statista, 55% of all website traffic now comes from a mobile device. In short, you're saving all of your website visitors from having to do the "pinch and squeeze" to read through your church's mission statement.

Pro Tip: Search engines like Google prioritize mobile-friendly websites in their rankings. A responsive design can improve the website's visibility in search results, attracting more visitors.

Other Features You Need

Whether you're building a new church website or trying to make your existing page better for your members and guests, here are other features that will make you site better better:

• Fast Load Times: Use a reliable hosting service to ensure your website loads quickly
• SEO Optimization: Use SEO best practices to improve your search engine rankings and make it easier for people to find your website
• Social Media Integration: Integrate your social media accounts to keep your website visitors engaged with your church’s activities on other platforms
• Event Calendar: Include an up-to-date event calendar to keep your congregation informed about upcoming church events and activities
• Sermon Archives: Provide an archive of past sermons with options to listen or watch online
• Ministries and Groups: Highlight different ministries and groups your church offers, providing details and contact information for each (think like a digital bulletin board)
• Regular Updates: Keep your website updated with the latest news, events, and sermon series
• Clear Information: Display your church's address, service times, and contact information clearly  

The Best Church Website Design Elements

So what do all of the best church websites of 2024 have in common? They're visually consistent, easy to navigate, display images or videos of their local body, use emphasis elements for church branding, and are mobile-friendly.

Does your church website have any of these design elements? If not, use this as an opportunity to update your current setup and take your church website to the next level! 

For more inspiration check out some of our other blogs on church website design below:

• Best Church Website Builders for 2024 
• The Truth About Free Church Website Templates
• The Best Church Website Design? It's Mobile
• Increase Church SEO: 7 Best Ways to Improve Your Church Website
• The Best Church Website You Can Design in an Afternoon 

Matt Church Engagement