Looking for an affordable way to build a website for your church or ministry?
Building a website doesn’t have to be expensive — you can build a high-quality website on Squarespace for almost nothing.
Today, we will be looking at the top 10 Squarespace themes for your church or ministry.
We will be focusing on free themes, as most churches don’t have large budgets to spend on their websites. You don’t need a premium theme sold by a third-party developer when there are so many free themes developed by Squarespace.
Why Your Church Needs A Website
When looking for the best Squarespace church theme, it is important to first have a clear understanding of what your goals are.
What are you trying to do with your website? Why does your church need one?
Here are a number of ways you might want to use your church website.
Keep Members Updated
A website is the best way to keep church members updated about upcoming classes, prayer times, and events. You can put up a calendar so that people can find out about service time changes, Bible study sessions, and youth events.
Start a Blog
You may want to start a website as a way to educate people about God and religion. A blog is a perfect way to do that.
A blog can be used not just for educational purposes but also to touch upon things that are going on in your community. You can speak out about the need to help others, donate to local nonprofits, support certain charities, and attend events held by other churches or nonprofits in your area.
Start a Podcast
Podcasting is a great way to educate people and bring them closer to religion. You can conduct interviews, talk with local community members, discuss local events, and explore religious topics.
You can even post recordings of sermons that were given to a live audience in your church.
Reach New Local People
By optimizing your website for local SEO, you will be able to reach new people who are searching for God in your area. They might be looking for a spiritual guide to help them in their current struggles, a place to pray, or a way to get to know like-minded people in the area.
Broadcast Live
A website allows you to reach not only people in your local community but people from around the world. You can broadcast your services live so that people can tune in and pray with your congregation even if they are on the other side of the globe.
Collect Donations
Finally, a website is a great way to receive donations. People can donate to you online quickly and easily.
Since online donations don’t involve the same social pressure as in-person donations do, people who can’t afford to donate more than a small amount will be more willing to chip in.
Otherwise, they may be too ashamed to give a small donation and may end up not donating at all.
These small donations can really add up in the long run.
The 10 Best Squarespace Templates For Churches
1. Montauk
Montauk is a simple, clean website theme that is perfect for churches and ministries. Check out the Montauk website demo to see an example of how your site might look.
On the homepage, you can include an image of your church and an introduction. You can link to your calendar or events page and include a drop-down menu where you can add links to your blog, a donation page, and other pages.
In the header, you can include your church’s address and telephone number so people can find you quickly.
There are many tweaks you can make to the Montauk theme, such as changing the background and font. For a full list of tweaks, click here.
2. Lusaka
Lusaka is a great template for churches as it allows you to list all of your services, programs, events, and mission statements on the front page. There is a long, scrollable homepage that is divided into different sections.
For each section on your homepage, you can include a call-to-action button that says something like “Join Us” or “Visit Us.” At the bottom of your homepage, you can include a contact form so people can get in touch with you.
On the Lusaka demo site, you will see a menu in the upper-right corner, which includes a donate button, a drop-down “Projects” menu, an “Our Vision” page, and more.
3. Euclid
Euclid is another non-profit Squarespace template that can be repurposed into a church or religious organization site. It’s great for those looking for a longer homepage but not one as long as Lusaka’s.
As you can see in the Euclid demo site, you can greet visitors with a clear, bold mission statement. When they scroll down, they can see more information or a call-to-action encouraging them to join your church.
In the top-right corner, you can include links to your social media profiles, links to pages that explain what you do, and a donate button.
4. Roseti
Roseti is a great theme if you want to showcase upcoming events, sermons, and classes on your homepage.
When users first land on your site, you can greet them with a mission statement and a link to help them sign up and join your congregation.
When they scroll down, they will be able to see all of your upcoming events and the dates they are taking place.
Roseti is a great theme because it doesn’t have a lot of clutter and unnecessary features. You can view the Roseti demo site to get an idea of how your site might look.
5. Palmera
If you are looking to set up a blog to write about religious topics or to update members about current events that are happening in your local community, Palmera is a great blog template you can use.
It has a lot of white space, making it easy for visitors to navigate and find the information they are looking for without getting distracted. At the same time, it features beautiful fonts and allows you to showcase featured images for each blog post to catch the attention of readers.
There’s a small menu in the top-right corner, where you can include links to an about page, a location page with directions to your church, a contact page, and a donation page. You can also include links to your social media profiles so people can find you there.
You can take a look at the Palmera demo site to see how your blog might look.
6. Hoyd
Hoyd is a great template to use if you are building a website to announce a specific groundbreaking event, such as the opening of a new church building. It’s a one-page website that is specifically designed to announce the launch of a new project or event and allow visitors to RSVP.
As you can see in the Hoyd demo site, it’s a simple but effective theme with beautiful white text on a customizable background. You can add a short message giving more details about your opening or event, add important contact and address information, and add an RSVP button.
7. Paloma
We mentioned that one of the things you can do with your website is to start a religion podcast. Paloma is the perfect template for that.
As you can see in the Paloma demo site, visitors will be greeted with a large header where you can display an image of the podcasts’ hosts or the studio. They can listen instantly by clicking on the “Listen Now” button or scroll down to see the most recent podcast episodes.
It’s a simple website, but that’s what makes it so effective. However, even though it doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles, it is still beautifully designed.
In the menu, which is located in the top-right corner of the homepage, you can add links to your social profiles and a donate button.
8. Colima
Colima is a beautiful template that was originally designed for local businesses but can be repurposed to serve your church or ministry. It features amazing background graphics and a sleek design.
On the homepage, you can feature your upcoming classes and Bible study sessions, workshops, and other events and allow visitors to sign up.
In the top-right corner, you can include a menu with a link to an “Our Classes” page, where you list all of your available classes, prayer sessions, and study events. You can also include a link to your location page so people can find your church easily.
On the location page, you can include not only your address but also a map widget so people can get driving directions to your church.
On the “Book a Class” page, you can include a calendar widget that allows visitors to see all upcoming classes and reserve a spot. This way, you will know how many people will show up in advance.
Check out the Colima demo site to get a feel for this stunning template.
9. Irving
Irving is another template that can be repurposed as a church website. It’s perfect because it makes it easy to list all of your upcoming Bible classes and prayer sessions.
It’s simple but effective, with stunning graphics that will make your church website stand out. Have a look at the Irving demo site if you want to get an idea of how your church site might look (of course, you won’t be using the same images as are used in the demo).
10. Almar
Almar is better suited for religious organizations or pastors and preachers who want to set up personal, branded websites that focus on who they are and what they do.
It’s easy to navigate and it’s a great template for building a community. Have a look at the Almar demo site to get an idea of what your site might look like.
Tips For A Successful Church Website
If you want to attract visitors to your website, it’s important to do more than just set up a site and forget about it. Here are some tips on how to promote your website.
Blog Regularly
Even if the main goal of your site isn’t to blog, it’s important to update your site regularly with high-quality content. This will help you get higher SEO rankings.
Add A Location Page
A location page is necessary for you to be found on Google. It should list your address, hours, and location (add a map widget if possible).
Set Up Social Media Profiles
Being active on social media is a great way to attract young people. It’s also an easy way to send out updates to your community about new classes or schedule changes.
Remember, not everyone will be checking your website all the time, but most people will be checking their Facebook and Twitter feeds often.
Set Up Directory Listings
It’s also important to set up listings on Google My Business, Apple Maps, and Yelp (churches can be listed under Yelp’s Religious Organizations category). In addition, try to get listed in local directories that list churches in your area.
This will not only help you be found by people searching for local churches but will also improve your local SEO rankings.
Allow People To Contact You
Existing congregation members may have questions that they are too shy to ask in person or over the phone, and new members may have questions about your church’s classes or community services. Add a contact page so people can get in touch with you.
Promote Your Website In Person
Finally, make sure that your congregation knows that you set up a website to provide them with an easy way to see upcoming classes and schedule updates. Mention it after prayer or add a note to the pinboard at the entrance of your church.
Wrapping It Up
If your ministry doesn’t have a website, you are missing out on the opportunity to reach a lot of new people.
Use one of these Squarespace templates to create a website quickly and easily.
