Choosing the Best Church Web Hosting

Church web hosting can be a very good tool for any ministry – yet it has been overlooked for far too long by the majority of churches who may not believe a website can strengthen their congregations’ faith.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

A good church website can function as a wonderful way to reach more people and expand the broad range of your ministry to people who may have otherwise never had a chance to benefit from it.  In addition, church web hosting can provide a way for members to keep up with events and news on a regular basis.  Some churches have taken it to a new level entirely, providing online sermons to allow non-local individuals to still partake in the faith. 

The Challenges Inherent in Church Web Hosting
When you decide to bring your church into the new millennium and benefit from church web hosting, you'll immediately find a great many challenges standing in your way. None of these challenges are insurmountable, but you need to plan accordingly. 

The first challenge is that some members of your congregation may be resistant to the idea of a website. Some members may not even have internet access. For this reason, it’s important not to provide too many exclusive features to website visitors only. It can disenfranchise those who do not have access, or willingly want no part of it.

Striking a Balance with Your Website
With your website, you'll not only want to keep your current members informed, but you'll want to attract new members as well. This can be a difficult balance to achieve.  Outsiders, so to speak, will not be particularly interested in a particular parishioner's life, for instance, and members do not want to sift through promotional messages each time they come to the site.

The key is to find the right balance for your site.  Your website should be attractive, yet very easy to navigate.  You want your congregation to easily find what they are seeking – whether it is the scripture of the day, church events, or member news.  Simultaneously, the website should encourage potential members to learn more – which can be achieved through creating “about us” and “join our fellowship” pages easily linked to the home page.  With clear, easy navigation, you can strike that appropriate balance for your members and potential members.

 
Church Web Hosting: Finding the Right Provider
Depending on your ultimate goals with the site, most church web hosting can be accomplished through a simple shared server plan, costing no more than $20 a month. Oftentimes, these plans can be found for much less, with many prominent hosting companies charging only $5 per month. 

Make a list of the things you know you want to do with the site and then see which company matches up cleanest with that list.  For example, if you want to have an interactive feature, or perhaps create a forum on your website, you will need a church web hosting company that can give you that backend support.   You will also want to ensure that your church web hosting can offer the appropriate security, especially considering that religious sites are the target of unscrupulous hackers. 
Read our reviews of the more popular church web hosting companies and find out which one sounds right for the plans you have in store for your church.