Justin R. LesterFounder & AI-Ministry Strategist, TheoXTech · Pastor. Professor. AI Strategist.

Your Website Is Stuck in 2005—Let’s Fix That

21 Jan 2025 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:00

Justin R. Lester argues that many church websites are outdated and inward-facing—designed for members rather than newcomers. He says a church website should prioritize what a first-time guest needs to see within 10 seconds: where the church is located, when services meet, and what to expect when attending. He advises removing member-only bulletin items from public pages and adding outward-facing features: a short ‘what to expect’ video, a pastor welcome video, and a clear "Plan Your Visit"/RSVP button to capture guest information. The overall thrust is: make it easy, clear, and personal to encourage new visitors to come.

Questions this video answers

January 21, 2025

1) Where you're located; 2) When you meet (service times); 3) What to expect when they come to church.

Chapters

Your website is the first thing people see. So why does it look like the bulletin board from 2005? See, most of our churches are stuck in the past because your website looks like it's only for your members. Real talk. If your website is full of member updates, membership flyers and ministry flyers, you're missing your point. Because let me tell you, your website is not for your members. It's for the people who haven't walked through your doors yet. Here's what every guest needs to see within 10 seconds of coming to your website. Number one, where you're located, number two when you meet and number three what to expect when they come to church. Save it. That's it. Don't put the choir anniversary in the usher anniversary on the website. That's the details that need to go into your membership for me. So you want to take your church to the next level? Here's some stuff to do this Add a short video showing people what they're going to expect when they come to church. Add a video of your pastor welcoming guests to your church. Put a plan, your visit button on your church so people can RSVP so you get their information. Make it easy, make it clear, make it personal. That's where you get started. Make your church outward facing because you want people to come that are.