The world of church websites (and really, websites in general) is always changing. What is trendy one year may be outdated the next. Therefore, it’s important to be aware of trends and learn how you can easily implement them on your site. As the virtual front door to your church, you want to make sure that people who visit your site stay long enough to find the information they’re looking for and plan their visit.
According to research done by the Nielson Norman group, “users often leave web pages in 10–20 seconds, but pages with a clear value proposition can hold people’s attention for much longer.” Make the most of those initial moments by using design that compels visitors to stay and learn more.
We’ve compiled a list of seven church website design trends and examples using them to effectively enhance their online ministries.
1. Modernized Minimalism
Shining example: Church of the City
As we’ve seen in past years, minimalism continues to be an exciting and appealing trend for church websites. However, now more than ever, people are taking a minimalist approach and adding in textures, color, and typographic elements. Here, we see the addition of the city line which not only fits with Church of the City’s mission but also adds depth and texture to a minimalist focused homepage.
2. Creative Typography
Shining Example: Hope Church
Creative typography is one of the most popular trends in church websites today. Many modern church websites are using fun fonts that match branding, events, and/or church culture. These fonts can range from handwritten to big and bold, with an emphasis on catching the eye with creativity and words that capture your message. Hope Church does a great job of incorporating the creative typography church website trend right in its header. They use calligraphy to make a bold statement that invites website visitors to come as they are.
3. Color Blocking
Shining Example: Trinity Church
When it comes to church website trends, this one is just fun! Color blocking is simply what it sounds like: blocks of color that bump up next to each other. This can be done with muted colors, or to take it up a notch and still stay on trend, you can incorporate some brighter colors, too. Trinity church uses color blocks to separate sections each with a different call to action (prompt to click a link). Their color choice is fun and trendy. This is an easy trend that you could add to your homepage (even if just for an event) today.
4. Photography That Gets Personal
Shining Example: The Village Church
Gone are the days of mediocre stock photography all over church websites. As a recent church website trend, we are seeing photography that gets up close in personal. This means photographs of real people, in authentic of life change at your church. The first image on The Village Church’s homepage is a photo of a baptism. The power of the moment is as apparent as the water dripping off of the man. This image is real, close, and personal. Consider taking (or hiring someone to take) similar photos of events and ministry in action at your church.
5. Full-Screen Video
Shining Example: Remnant Church
It’s no secret that video is a powerful and popular tool on the internet right now. In fact, according to Statista, 85 percent of all internet users in the United States watched online video content monthly on devices. Video is everywhere, so why not right on the homepage of your church website? Adding a full-screen video is the latest look. Remnant church does a great job of this with a video that depicts what to expect at their church as well as clips of their city and their home groups.
FYI: Clover recently launched the ability to add video backgrounds to your church website, with a growing selection of media options including ready-to-use video loops.
6. Bold Colors
Shining Example: Judson Memorial Church
In accordance with the minimalism trend over the last few years, many church websites strayed away from fun colors and bold design, but that is slowly shifting. We are slowly starting to see a new bolder and more colorful trend emerge. Judson Memorial Church does this in such a fun way with the neon colors on the church building and bold, black menu items. The colors aren’t overwhelming or blinding, but they make their site fun, attractive, and engaging.
7. Basic Animations
Shining Example: City Church
Basic animations have the potential to make a big statement on your church website if used correctly. These are animations that aren’t overwhelming or time-consuming to watch, but are simple, appealing, and draw the viewer’s eye to a specific area of the screen. This could be anything from a light flashing, coffee brewing, or a page turning. In the instance above, City Church uses an animation of someone typing and erasing the word that follows the phrase “I found.” The phase then reads I found “joy,” “peace,” “friends,” “hope,” “strength” (seen above), etc. It’s a powerful message conveyed by a simple animation.
Next Steps
Hopefully, whether you are looking to create a new church website, or simply update it, these design trends have inspired some ideas for your online ministry. Incorporating even one can make your church website visually appealing. The best way to decide which one(s) are best for your church is to experiment and see what best conveys the message you want to share in those first moments when a visitor finds your church online. Check out Clover’s free demo, which allows you to start with one of our stunning themes and add your own photos, thoughts, and messaging (no HTML required!), to see what your church website could look like.
