Spend some time planning and talking to figure out what kind of site you want to have. Some of the questions you might want to ask are:
What kind of info do you envision, and how often will you update it? Are you just going to have an online brochure-type site with just basic contact info, service schedule, etc that doesn’t get updated often… or perhaps something people are drawn back to by ever-changing content and current, detailed information? Warning: if you let the info go ’stale,’ it can be useless. If you post the type of information that should stay current, keep it current or remove it.
Focus: Is your site focused on info for your members or on drawing outsiders in? Is it about a ministry or a tool of that ministry to teach/reach others? Who is your target audience?
Message: What are you trying to get across about your church? Beyond address and service times… Try to show what makes *your* church different, or worth visiting.
Note that visitors may guess about your ministry priorities by what areas show the most information or detail.
Work with your Church/Ministry Staff and Leaders. We’d strongly encourage anyone planning and designing a site to communicate with their pastor(s) or other leaders and staff. They’ll probably be able to provide additional good ideas for content for the site, as well as being able to tell you when something would mean too much work for them.
Be somewhat informal in your writing style, it’s more friendly and attractive. Remember, you’re writing about this great group of people you get together with to worship this amazing God.
Quality is important, but it’s not everything. The quality of your site, expressed in look, usability, spelling, working links, good html, quick loading, clear navigation, etc is important. It will get across that someone cares enough to be careful and diligent and it will make using your site less frustrating and more effective.