What this section covers: A clear-eyed look at the different approaches to a church web presence — their strengths, limitations, and typical costs. This isn't a sales pitch for Churchnet. If something else is a better fit for your situation, we'd rather you know that.
Your options at a glance
Every church is different. A small rural single parish has different needs from a large urban benefice of eight churches. There is no single right answer — but here is an honest breakdown of what's available.
Facebook and social media only
Some churches rely entirely on Facebook or Instagram rather than having their own website. It's free, easy to update, and most people are already on it. For a very small congregation with no need for a permanent public-facing presence, it can work.
The downside is that you don't control your data or how the platform works. Algorithms change, platforms evolve, and there's no guarantee that the people you most want to reach — a family planning a funeral, someone new to the area — will find you. A Facebook page also can't do the things a proper website can: searchable events, email updates, service rotas, documents, bookings.
A Church Near You (free, Church of England)
The Church of England operates A Church Near You, a free directory where any parish can have a page. It's being actively developed and has the advantage of aggregating parishes together, making it easy to find.
It's not a full website — you can't have a domain name, full event listings, email management, or custom content in the way you can with a proper CMS. But for parishes with limited time and resource, it's a reasonable free presence, and it won't conflict with having your own website too.
WordPress, Wix, or other generic CMS
WordPress is the most widely used content management system in the world. It's very capable, and there's extensive support and documentation. Wix offers a more user-friendly approach with a visual editor. Both can be free to start, with paid options for more features and a custom domain.
The challenge for churches is that these platforms are designed for generic use. Setting up something that looks good and works for a multi-parish benefice requires real effort — choosing a theme, installing plugins, configuring everything. That's manageable with a technically-confident volunteer, but it's a significant ongoing commitment. Without that person, sites can quickly become outdated.
Squarespace or similar premium platform
Platforms like Squarespace are built for beautiful design and ease of use. They look excellent, are straightforward to manage, and give a lot of control over layout. Around £180/year plus email costs.
They're not built for churches. There's no concept of a multi-parish benefice, no service rota, no built-in email update system for congregation subscribers. You'll get a clean, professional-looking site, but you'll be adapting generic tools for a specific purpose. If design matters most and your needs are simple, this can be a good choice.
Custom bespoke design
A professional web designer or agency can build something completely bespoke to your church. This gives the most flexibility and can produce outstanding results. Expect to pay £1,000 or more for the build, plus ongoing maintenance costs.
The main risks are cost, the time required to brief and manage the project properly, and what happens when you need to update things. If your designer moves on or the relationship ends, you may be left with a site that nobody can maintain. That said, a well-executed custom site with a clear maintenance plan can work very well — particularly if you have a skilled volunteer to handle it.
Tailored church CMS — Churchnet
Churchnet falls into the category of systems built specifically for churches. The CMS was designed from the ground up for multi-parish Anglican benefices — it understands the structure, the content types, and the rhythm of parish life in a way generic platforms don't.
The result is something that's ready to use without configuration, genuinely easy to maintain by anyone who can use email, and priced to reflect what churches can actually afford. All features are included as standard — there's no paying extra for email, bookings, or multiple churches.
It's not the cheapest option if you need nothing more than a basic page. But if you want something that genuinely works for a multi-parish benefice, can be maintained by a non-technical volunteer, and costs less than most alternatives, it's worth a look.
If ChurchNet isn't right for you, that's fine — we'd rather you find the best fit. A 20-minute conversation with Adrian is usually enough to work out whether it makes sense for your situation.