Web Ministry: Design and Hosting Services

Generally speaking, there are two major components to launching a website: design and hosting. You need some way to design your website using Web-authoring software and you need a place to host (or house) the webpages that make up your website.

Design Options:
Today’s website development technology allows you to create a website without knowing much about HTML code or other Web-authoring scripts. These content management systems (CMS) make it easy for you to add text, photographs, graphics, and other multimedia components to build a dynamic website. First up are the Open Source CMS programs that are free to download and use to design your website. These include:

• Drupal
• Joomla
• Plone
• Web-Empowered Church (TYPO3)
• Wordpress

Each of these programs varies in its degree of difficulty to master and its flexibility with dynamic content. Some provide online support and how-to manuals or tutorials. All (with the exception of Wordpress) will require a hosting service to publish your webpages to the Internet. Generally, you will need to register your domain name and set up email accounts, but these may be included with the hosting service you choose (see below).

There are a few popular Web-authoring software packages you can purchase that may require a bit more technical know-how and may not be as easy to use; however, they are industry-standard programs that many people use to create webpages and upload them to a host server. These include:

• Adobe Dreamweaver
• Microsoft Expression Web

Compare prices of these popular software programs with TechShop’s discounted rates.

Next up are the Web or template-based CMS programs for website design and development that are very easy to use and require little or no technical experience. Generally these also include hosting, domain name registration and email accounts in the monthly fee for the services. Options here include:

• ACS Technologies Extend Platform
• E-zekiel
• Connecting Members
• Clover Sites

Pricing ranges from as little as $12 per month (E-zekiel) to more than $100 per month depending upon the services and options you select. Most allow you to upgrade as your Web ministry needs expand. To explore a more comprehensive list of CMS solutions for churches, visit the Great Church Websites page and select the “Choose a CMS” tab.

Hosting Options:
If the website design option you choose does not include hosting, then you’ll need to secure this from a reputable service. Most hosting services will also provide domain name registration and email accounts. Key things to look for when selecting a hosting service for your church’s website are:

• Reliability or “up” time at 99.9%
• Provides redundant connectivity
• High security protocols
• Server space of 1 GB or more
• Data transfer rates of 300 Mbps or better
• Allows virtual hosting of your domain
• FTP access
• 24/7 customer support
• Monthly site traffic reports

Some hosting services that churches are using include:

• Christian Web Host
• General Board of Global Ministries (free server space up to 5 MB, no support)
• Go Daddy
• Ministry Web
• Network Solutions
• Our Church
• Ready Hosting

With design and hosting services, it’s a good idea to browse other church websites and identify the ones you like the best. Then, make a call or send an email to these churches to inquiry about the website design and hosting services they use.

_______________

Suggested services are for example only. United Methodist Communications neither endorses or guarantees the reliability or terms of use and services for these suggestions nor does it benefit in any way from listing the service as an example or by subsequent use of a third party directed from this site.