Here are some samples of what I believe are some of the better designed websites. My opinion is based upon my years as a computer professional working with user interfaces as well as website design and maintenance. I wish it were possible for me to view every church website before making my determination of the best. Since that is not possible, I can only compare to those sites I have seen.
Centerville Rd., Church of Christ, Tallahassee, Florida
Link: http://www.centervilleroad.com/
This is a cleanly designed site. The color scheme is simple, only two or three colors which are placid and serene.
church of Christ in Galena, Indiana
Link: http://www.churchofchristingalena.com/
A WordPress site, I believe John Gentry has done a few modifications to the theme being used. A slideshow running on the homepage nicely highlights the featured articles. The important information along with secondary navigation is located in the sidebar.
Embry Hills Church of Christ
Link: http://www.embryhills.com/
I believe they have invested quite a bit in creating a very professional appearance.This site is very deep and very well maintained.
Hughes Road at Gooch Lane
Link: http://www.teachingtruth.org/
This is one of the sites created by Joe Botha with Church Website Design Pro (a.k.a. JSB Website Design). These are professional in appearance and design and highly functional. Several sites are using the same template but if you have something that works, stick with it.
Walton’s Chapel church of Christ- Tn
Link: waltonchapelchurchofchrist.com
A fine example of a custom designed website. To my knowledge, Lindsey Murray designed this site using Dreamweaver. If your website is really important to your congregation you cannot have a better solution than a custom-designed site from an experienced professional. It is likely most congregations will not be able to afford a custom-designed solution with website designers getting $50-$75 per hour. I have a strong feeling much of her time on this project was donated.
Some sites deserving honorable mention are listed below.
Parkview, Houston, TX
My failure to include your church website should not be construed in any way as a negative. some sites were not included in this list because they are similar to sites already included in this list. It is impossible for me to list here all the sites I like, that was not the purpose of this article. As I reflect on the improvements in software and technology over the last three or four years, it is hard to imagine where we will be in another five years (remember the shag carpeting of the 70s?). even though the technology and software will change, the principles that make for great web site design remain the same.
- Keep it as simple as possible.
- Avoid cluttering up a website by trying to use every inch of available space.
- Keep the most important navigation easy to access from every page of the site.
- Don’t include information that doesn’t serve a purpose for your audience. (This is somewhat of a grey area, but just because the ladies of the congregation have compiled a cookbook of their favorite recipes doesn’t mean it should be included on your website.)