What this section covers: A practical checklist of the content you'll need before you start building. Gathering this together first — ideally involving as many people as possible — makes the setup process much smoother. Don't worry about having everything perfect before you start; you can always add more later.
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Tip: Spread the load
It's best to involve as many people as possible in gathering information. Different people hold different pieces — clergy often know the services and rotas, wardens know the buildings, the PCC secretary knows who's who. A short email asking a few people to contribute specific items is usually more effective than one person trying to find everything.
Your content checklist
Work through this list before you begin setting up. Most items you'll already know — it's more a question of writing them down in one place.
Parish & benefice basics
Name of your benefice or parish
e.g. "The Tas Valley Team Ministry" or "St Mary's Parish"
A welcome message or homepage text
A short paragraph introducing your churches to new visitors — who you are, where you are, what a typical Sunday looks like
Parish logo or crest (if you have one)
A PNG or JPG file — doesn't need to be large
Each church
Full name and postcode
Used for maps and directions
A short description (2–4 sentences)
The building, the community, what makes it distinctive
At least one exterior photograph
Clear daylight photos work best. Phone camera quality is fine — you don't need a professional photographer.
Regular Sunday services (time and type)
e.g. "Holy Communion 8:00am, All-Age Worship 10:30am"
People
List of key people: clergy, wardens, administrators
Name, role, email (if they're happy for it to be public)
Who will manage the website day-to-day?
This person will need login details. Ideally choose someone who already uses email regularly.
Photos of key people (optional)
A friendly headshot helps visitors put a face to a name — especially useful for clergy contact pages
Events and services
Any upcoming special events
Harvest, concerts, community events — anything worth promoting in the first few weeks
Regular community groups or activities
Toddler groups, prayer meetings, coffee mornings — anything that happens regularly
Baptism, wedding, and funeral contact information
Many visitors arrive specifically looking for this — make sure it's easy to find
Documents and resources
Any documents you want to make available for download
Annual reports, safeguarding policies, newsletter archives — PDFs, Word documents, anything useful
Safeguarding officer details
Name and contact — required to be publicly accessible for all Church of England parishes
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You don't need everything at once
A site with some content is better than no site. You can launch with just the basics — building name, services, contact details, a photo — and add more over time. The site can grow with you.
A note on photographs
Photos make a significant difference to how a church website feels. An exterior shot of the church building in good light, a photo of a recent service or community event, and a portrait of the vicar go a long way.
You don't need a professional photographer. A modern smartphone in daylight produces more than adequate results. Overcast days often work better than bright sunshine (less harsh shadows). Avoid interior shots taken in dim light without a flash — these rarely look good on a website.