We build custom websites and software, so you'd expect us to tell you every church needs a custom site. We won't, because it isn't true.
Plenty of churches are well served by a website builder like Squarespace or Wix, or by a platform made specifically for churches. Some churches really do need something custom. The trick is knowing which one you are before you spend a lot of time on the wrong answer.
Here's how we'd think about it if we were sitting on your finance committee.
The three main options
General website builders. Squarespace, Wix and similar tools. You pick a template, drag in your content and publish. The company hosts the site for you. Squarespace says every plan includes fully managed hosting, and Wix says its hosting includes security patches and updates applied automatically.
Church-specific website platforms. Several companies build website tools just for churches, often tied in with sermon media, giving or church management software. Features vary a lot from one to the next, so check each vendor's own site for what's included.
A custom website. A site designed and built for your church by a developer or studio. It can be built on a content management system or as custom software, and it can connect to whatever tools your church uses. That's what we do.
When a website builder is the right call
We'd tell you to use a builder, and not hire us, if most of these sound like your church:
- You're a small church with a simple schedule. One Sunday morning service, Sunday school beforehand, a Wednesday night prayer meeting. You need a handful of clear pages, not a complex site. Tyler Harden, writing for Lifeway Research, goes as far as saying that for small churches, the "New Here" page is the homepage.
- You have a volunteer who enjoys it. A builder is a good fit when someone in your church is comfortable editing pages and will keep the calendar current.
- You need to launch quickly. A church plant that needs a presence before its first service can get a decent site up fast on a builder.
- Your tools already cover the rest. If your giving, check-in and sign-ups live in other software and just need a link from the website, a builder can handle that well.
A clean, accurate builder site with real photos and correct service times beats a fancy custom site with a stale calendar every time.
When a church-specific platform makes sense
A church-focused platform can be a good middle ground if:
- You want sermon archives, events and giving set up in a way that's already designed for churches.
- You'd rather have templates and support built around church needs than adapt a general business builder.
- You already use that company's church management or giving software, and having everything under one vendor appeals to you.
Ask any vendor how easy it is to move your content out if you leave someday. That's a fair question for any platform, including ours.
When a custom church website makes sense
Custom starts to earn its keep when:
- Your church has outgrown the template. Multiple campuses, several language congregations, a school or daycare, a counseling ministry or a large events calendar can get messy in a template built for a simpler church.
- Your tools don't talk to each other. Giving in one place, registration in another, check-in in a third, and staff retyping data between them. A custom build can connect those or replace the pieces that don't fit. See our church software page.
- You need something the builders don't do. A custom member portal, a ministry-specific sign-up flow, a resource library for your association or a booking system for your fellowship hall and camp facilities.
- Nobody has time to fight the editor. A custom site can be shaped around exactly what your staff updates each week, so a weekly change takes a couple of minutes instead of a lost Tuesday afternoon.
- You want help with the whole thing. Writing, structure, Google and AI search, accessibility and ongoing care, from one person who knows your site.
The questions that actually decide it
Skip the feature checklists for a minute and answer these:
- Who will update the site every week? Name the actual person. If it's a volunteer who loves Squarespace, that matters more than any feature.
- What does your website need to do besides inform? If the answer is "show service times and a few ministries," a builder may be plenty. If it's "check in 150 kids and schedule 60 volunteers," that's a different conversation.
- How many tools are you juggling? Count the logins. If it's more than a few and they don't connect, that's a sign.
- What happens when that person moves on? Make sure passwords, content and accounts belong to the church, whatever platform you choose.
- Is the site accurate today? If not, the platform probably isn't the problem. A process for keeping it current is.
What doesn't change, whatever you choose
The platform matters less than the basics:
- Service times and your address as real text, near the top and in the footer.
- A Plan Your Visit page that answers parking, kids, dress and service length.
- Church terms explained for guests.
- A site that works well on a phone.
- A Google Business Profile that matches your website.
The Church of England's digital team suggests six quick tests, including asking someone who doesn't run the site to find a service time while you watch. It's UK guidance, and it works on any platform.
How we approach it
We don't push one platform. We pick tools case by case after we understand how your church runs. Sometimes that means we'll recommend a builder and point you in the right direction. Sometimes it means a custom site or custom software. When we build custom tools, Laravel is a common choice, but it isn't the only one.
You can see the websites and software we've built for other organizations in our portfolio, and we've created concept designs for churches that we're glad to walk you through.
Concept design
If you go custom with us, our monthly maintenance plans keep the site updated and looked after.
Read more on our church website design overview, or see our local pages for Statesville and Iredell County and Charlotte.
FAQ: custom church websites vs. builders
Is Squarespace or Wix good enough for a church website?
For many churches, yes, especially smaller ones with a simple schedule and a volunteer who'll keep it current. What matters most is accurate, clear content.
What's the difference between a church website builder and a general builder?
Church-specific platforms are designed around church needs, often with sermon, event or giving features built in. General builders serve every kind of organization. Features vary by vendor, so compare them on each company's own site.
When should a church go custom?
When it has outgrown templates, juggles tools that don't connect, needs features builders don't offer or wants one partner handling design, content and ongoing care.
Can we start on a builder and move to custom later?
Yes. Keep your content organized and your accounts in the church's name so moving later is easier.
Will you tell us if we don't need a custom site?
Yes. If a builder fits your church better, we'll tell you.
Get a straight answer for your church
Not sure which way to go? Tell us about your church, who updates the site and what's frustrating you. We'll tell you honestly which option fits, even if it's not us.
Sources
- Squarespace, FAQ: Does Squarespace include hosting?
- Wix, Does Wix host websites? Yes, and here's how
- Tyler Harden, 7 Best Practices for an Effective Church Website, Lifeway Research, April 24, 2025. Practitioner advice, not a study.
- Church of England, Six quick tests to improve your church website (UK guidance).