Why you should make Substack your church website
So you can do real ministry - and create real relationships - online. Not just list your programs and services.
A colleague unveiled his church’s new website.
It was beautiful. Nice photos, attractive layout, warm welcome. Headings called ‘Who we are’, ‘What we believe’, ‘Meet the staff’, and of course, ‘contact us’.
They had spent a lot of money to get this site looking really good, so I wanted to be as supportive as possible. I told him it was lovely - it is lovely.
And I wondered to myself…
Who does this community think is looking at its website? And WHY?
This is why I believe that reimagining ministry in the digital age requires that we engage with today’s technology. And it requires that we ask ourselves who we’re trying to reach, and why it matters - to them.
Because in today’s world, there are just not that many people scrolling around online, looking for your particular ministry.So we need to know how people are looking for relationship with God - and communities of faith - and we need to create a digital presence that meets people where they are: seekers and current members alike.
Which is why I think congregations - and other institutions - should no longer have static websites at all.
I think we should move our URLs to Substack and create a custom domain, so that when someone types in yourchurch.org, they discover living, breathing, interconnected ministry, instead of a solo, static page.
AND - so people who are online hoping to learn more about Christianity - or hoping to draw closer to God - will find your community and ministry, already searching for them.
This is what it means to Bring Church to People - and I think it’s crucial for the future of church.
Substack makes it easier, more affordable, and more effective to do this.
The internet no longer works like a phone book
Remember phone books? If you do, then you probably need a refresher on how the internet has changed in 30 years.
In the early 2000s, people used the internet to look things up, and it was pretty simple: you just typed in a church name or denomination and location, and you got a list of the exact websites you were looking for.
Today, you’re usually asking a question about something, and you’re going to get the information directly.
So if you ask ‘what time is the Easter service at an Episcopal Church near me?’, your browser will show you service times, maps, and snippets - without ever going to the website.
So strangers - even those searching for a church like yours - are not ever going to see your beautiful website.
Yes, internet searches still produce websites - but way down the list.
I search for the churches where friends and colleagues are serving all the time. I used to have to Google the church, navigate the website (and figure out if clergy were under “About us,” “Staff,” or “Ministry”), and find them.
Today, I use any browser’s search function and just ask, “Where is [friend’s name] serving right now?” and I immediately get the info I’m looking for.
I never see the church’s website.
We no longer need information - we want connection
Most church sites are built as static information repositories: service times, staff bios, building history, calendar, statements of belief.
They faithfully store information.But today’s internet is built around connection.
We live in a world of comments, replies, DMs, newsletters that land in your inbox, group chats, and feeds where people talk back.
When churches only share carefully curated pages, there’s no sense of getting to know the community. No sense that ‘anyone’s home’.When we’re building a church website, we often think, ‘let’s share everything about our church. But in today’s world, people don’t want to know about you. They want to know you. And they want to feel known.
Before they will ever show up at your door.
They still may not ever show up at your door. They likely won’t. But today’s platforms and tools allow us to:
Invite participation
Nurture belonging
Help people actually grow as disciples
Fully online.
(we can also create a deeper sense of belonging and discipleship for those who are current members, faithfully in our pews, through dynamic digital presence).
Most people who land on your traditional website aren’t really wondering, “How many committees do you have?”
They’re wondering:Is there a place for me here?
Does God love me?
Am I going to be ok?
Ditching your church website could be the first step to answering those questions.
Ministry happens online and in-person - and the two need to go hand-in-hand
In-person worship, practice, and community are still the heart of church. AND - people will almost always engage digitally before deciding to be part of a community.
They want to know something about you first. And they want you to know something about them. ‘Communication’ is not just output - it’s a conversation.
Typical church websites don’t make room for starting new conversations - or deepen the conversation with longtime members.
Instead they have the dreaded ‘contact us’ form - completely generic, a kind of order for strangers to reach out to you… when you have never reached out to them.No one cares about your pastor’s resume. They care about your pastor’s presence. And they care about the presence of all those in the pews. What is their own faith like?
They are looking for help with meaning, suffering, hope, and connection.
An information-heavy menu doesn’t meet them where they actually are.A typical website ends up reflecting what insiders already know about the church, rather than to spiritual seekers who are asking, “what difference could this make in my life?”
(These seekers may well include longtime members who are ready for more in their spiritual lives).
Moving your church’s digital doorway to Substack means bringing church to people.
When you point your church’s web address to a Substack publication (using your church’s URL on a custom domain), a few things happen:
Your posts - sermons, reflections, invitations, stories- go straight to people’s inboxes. Church shows up where they already are (your current members don’t have to join Substack. They’ll get everything delivered directly to them).
Substack becomes your website + newsletter + social platform all in one. You can publish posts, send emails, host comments and chats, and even livestream from the same place.
It is free to create, and much easier to update than a traditional website - especially for those who do not think of themselves as tech-savvy.
The platform is designed for discoverability, so your publication is presented to people who may want to find you, not languishing in a corner of the internet where people have to work to see it.
Over time, you can build a real online membership - people who follow, comment, respond, and grow with you, whether or not they are in your pews every Sunday.
Paid subscription levels give you the option to create an income stream around teaching, formation, and digital community.
In other words: you are not just telling people when worship is and how to find you.
You are preaching, teaching, inviting, carrying on conversations, and sharing the life of faith with your subscribers - and those who haven’t met you yet - every day.
This is Bringing Church to People.
Of course I’m going to share more about the course
(and consulting) I’m creating to help you ditch your church website!
‘Ditch your Church Website’ is about using today’s tech tools and platforms - Substack and Planning Center that brings church to people - and why we need to.
This is great! I am absolutely on board with this idea. Substack is accessible. easy to use, and free. For my doctoral project, I am building an online church on Substack, www.streamsofgrace.life. (Would love your thoughts if you have time to peek at it) The only downside that I can see is that Substack does not really show up in Google search results, although hopefully this is something they are working on. Great article!
Love this idea.