In today’s world, a website can be very helpful. There is actually a saying circulating online that says “it’s not real until you have a website.” With this much weight that a website holds, it’s no wonder that many missionaries and missionary organizations today want to their very own site.
What is a missionary website and how do I make one? A missionary website is a site related to missions and displays the vision, ideas, thoughts of a missionary and/or missions organization. There are many ways to make a missionary website, which we will explore throughout this post.
It may seem intimidating to some, but there are entire websites designed to help you create your very own website. In this post, we will help to guide you through the exciting process of starting your own website. We also will be showing examples of missionary websites that exist today.
Recommendations to Build Your Own Missionary Website
Below, you will find five sites that are recognized for their unique ability to walk anyone through the process of creating a website. Whether you are a beginner or a well-season website designer, you most likely will enjoy your experience with these sites. We will be looking into aspects of each, as well as their rankings and usability.
The top recommendations are in this order from Dan Sanchez, Marketing Director of Bethany Global University:
1. WordPress.com
If you’re looking for a skillset to invest in, then WordPress is the one for you. WordPress runs 34% of the internet, therefore, it is worth investing in. It’s slightly limited, but it is easy and decently priced. You can also transfer your WordPress.com to out to WordPress.org.
2. WordPress.org
This is the most technical of all solutions. However, this will be the site to use if you want to build your very own website. You can also download it completely for free, and it is easy to install. You would have to know how to buy a host, which is possible and can be learned. You will have full control over the site, and you will be able to apply all of your own plug-ins and ideas.
3. SquareSpace.com
This is the easiest and nicest looking site for “out of the box” websites. The templates are amazing and it works well for eCommerce sites. This is also simple and very fast to get your site up and running. The only limitations are that once you outgrow SquareSpace, it is very hard to transfer to another website builder that may be better such as WordPress.
4. Wix.com
This is a very creative website, and it is really easy to make decent looking websites. The site is entirely dragging and dropping the web elements, which can be dangerous if you don’t know how to structure a website. You could end up designing something that is really poor. You would need some technical know-how, but it is very popular due to the fact that it is easy to use.
5. Weebly.com
Weebly is like a miniature WordPress, but it is only for simple websites and it still takes some technical know-how. It can make decent websites, but it is not the greatest. However, it is cheap and it is popular due to its usability.
Recommendations to Buy Your Domain Name
If you’re new to the process, you might be thinking, “wait, what is a domain”? There is actually a very simple answer, and it’s that a domain name is simply your website’s name.
It’s important to remember, that while it is very fun to be creative, your domain name should truly represent what you’ll be displaying in your site. The name you choose for your domain name cannot be changed, and it will be what your site is known as.
The table below does a side by side comparison of the two most major domain companies on the web, GoDaddy and Domains. The table was taken from WebsitePlanet.com.
| Domains.google | GoDaddy.com | |
| Pricing | Reasonable pricing and no price hikes at renewal | Cheap .com domains, but significant price hike at renewal |
| Privacy | Provides WHOIS masking as part of domain registration service | You must pay a fee for privacy services |
| 100 email aliases that point to your personal or third-party email | Paid email plans with a professional email address and 5 GB or more of storage | |
| Website Hosting | Does not offer website hosting; offers you partner services | Provides hosting with a free trial of GoCentral at registration |
| Support | 24/7 live chat, email, or callback | 24/7 phone support, and live chat on weekdays from 5am to 6pm PT |
Sites to Help Missionaries Build Their Website
Below we have listed sites that were created to help missionaries with their own websites.
MissionsPlace.com
“MissionsPlace provides a hosting service designed exclusively for Missionaries and staff of Missions ministries to create and maintain their own website or blog. This free service to you is part of our ministry.
We have two basic goals for this service. One is to get you quickly online and able to communicate your life and ministry to those who follow and support your work. Our second goal is simply to glorify God and see the Great Commission fulfilled by encouraging more missionaries to share their lives, work and what God is doing around the world.”
Ministry127.com
This is not a missionary website, per se, but it does have content about how to build a website as a missionary. In the link, you’ll find the basic necessities missionaries need to include on their websites.
ShareFaith.com
This is site is a website builder, just like SquareSpace or Wix, however, it is unique because it was created specifically for missionaries.
Examples of Missionary Websites
Often times, it helps to be able to reference examples. So, below we will have examples of missionary websites. We do not necessarily know much about each site, but we do recognize that they are all missions related, either as personal sites and organizations.
Personal
A “personal site” means that these sites have personal stories, and are not run by an organization or missions company.
ALifeOverseas.com
Although the web design seems outdated, there are plenty of examples of missionary blogs, including multiple authors and hundreds of stories. You’ll also find that they have many tabs to navigate around the site and a link to their Facebook page.
TheVeryWorstMissionary.com
The name of this site may sound strange, but so is the site. Jamie Wright, the creator of this missionary website, labels herself as a “Christian Cynic.” This phrase is not very well known.
The reason this site is considered a missionary site is because of the domain name, Wright’s previous experience as a missionary, and her writing about missions. It is a personal blog site.
Organizations
Now, we move on to missionary websites that represent missionary organizations. Usually, there are collaborative visions, and overarching leadership included in these websites.
Ethnos360.com
This site is dedicated to engaging others in the vision of Ethnos360 and with God’s vision for the world. They have many resources included and make it very accessible for people to participate in the mission.
TheTEAMBlog.com
Here, you’ll find an example of a Christian mission blog. You’ll also see very clearly their mission/vision which is “Go to the nations. Be the body of Christ. Blog about it.” They’ve added a helpful search bar and have added their own photos.