Every Monday I post one of The Basics. The Basics are simple steps every church can take to grow. They are the same steps that led my church from 87 people in attendance to over 700. These steps have helped my church see hundreds of people saved and baptized in just a few short years. Most of these steps you can take this week without even having a board meeting. These are The Basics.

The year is 2015. I point that out because many churches are still operating like its 1985, and they’ve yet to receive their AOL disk in the mail.

That’s right, many churches in America don’t have a website. As many as 45% according to a 2012 study conducted by Duke University.

Now, I’m sure that number has decreased some over the last three years, but I believe we can safely assume that 30-35% of churches don’t have a website.

That absolutely baffles me. Here’s why. Roughly 280 million Americans are Internet users. That’s 87% of the United States population.

If your church doesn’t have a website by now you either;

1. Think Technology is the Devil
2. Don’t Know Where To Start
3. Think it’s Too Expensive

If you think technology is the devil, there’s not much I can do help you. However, if you think its too expensive or don’t know where to start, let me offer you some suggestions.

Clover – Clover is the company we’ve used for the past several years. They may be a bit expensive on the front end, but the ease of use and support you get with them is unparalleled.

Cost – Initial $1000, Monthly $20

Faith Highway – Faith Highway builds you a site using the WordPress platform which makes your site easy to use and update.

Cost – Based on your needs and church size

Bridge Element – Bridge Element is similar to Clover in that it has its own custom church management system. This makes it easy to edit the website from the backend.

Cost – Initial $0, Monthly $29

SquareSpace – SquareSpace is for the church that’s looking to be a little more creative with their website. They make incredible looking sites at very affordable prices.

Cost – Initial $0, Monthly $18

These are just a few options out of hundreds. Once you do some researching you’ll be surprised to find how easy getting and maintaining a website is these days.

You don’t even have to break the bank to do it. So, what are you waiting for? Pop in that AOL disk and get started. You’ve got mail!

Does your church have a website? What company do you use?