Why I’m Secretly Building a Church Squarespace Template
I’ve been building Church websites for the last decade on just about every platform you can think of. Seriously, I’ve tried them all - from WordPress to Wix, but lately (especially with the new Squarespace 7.1 update) I just can’t stop thinking about Squarespace and how great of a website builder it can be for churches. It’s super easy to use, works out of the box, and allows you to build a dream ministry website that looks like it cost thousands of dollars for just a few bucks a month!
So what’s the problem?
Well, I’m a professional web designer and I make a living designing custom websites built with WordPress…Not Squarespace!
Shhhh…I actually snook into the agency super early to write this post. We’re a 100% custom WordPress shop so don’t tell anyone!
The problem with custom websites…
In my agency world, I design sites from scratch that are tailor-made to meet the needs of our clients. It’s exciting work, but let’s be honest, there’s a lot of hours and money behind a custom website and most church leaders don’t have the time or budget to hire that out. What they really need is something that represents their ministry and just works!
If you can relate, you probably don’t need a custom solution either. You need a website builder that you can use. Something that will get out of the way and let you grow your presence online. Something like Squarespace?
The problem with WordPress…
WordPress isn’t just for custom websites and for most businesses it’s a great DIY solution, BUT WordPress has a lot of moving pieces and requires extra setup and ongoing maintenance. (Did I mention that I get paid to design WordPress websites?) To even spin up a low-budget WordPress site, you’ll need to purchase hosting and a WordPress theme. And when you’re ready to start adding features, you’ll need to hunt down (and pay for) WordPress plugins to get the job done. Don’t get me wrong, WordPress can really shine for complex websites, but for the average church, WordPress vs. Squarespace might not be the right comparison.
Unlike WordPress, Squarespace is an all-in-one system. You sign up, pick your favorite template, and start building. There’s no hosting to worry about and most of the technical pieces have seamless integrations with easy-to-follow tutorials and support.
The problem with free Squarespace templates…
So why not just start with a free template? Good question. Keep reading…
The amazing thing about Squarespace is that it just works. For example, you can create pages on a desktop computer and it will automatically look great on all your mobile devices. There’s no coding required. Simply add elements to your page, drag them around, and build layouts that work for your content.
With that said, free Squarespace templates (as beautiful as they are) lack several features most modern ministries need. The main functionality missing is church sermons. By default, there’s no out-of-the-box solution to organize and display sermons properly, so we’ll have to get a little creative.
I’ve seen a few third-party solutions that solve the problem, but they usually costs a pretty penny! One Squarespace sermon tool I saw was a part of a package that costs $250 a month. Don’t get me wrong, it looked like an awesome tool, but in my mind, paying that much per month defeats the advantage of using such an affordable system!
Wouldn’t it be great if sermons just worked…for free???
Thanks to some Squarespace community advice from Marcus dePaula, I was able to create a sermon management system that’s made 100% with the free functionality already baked into Squarespace! It’s built on the Squarespace blogging platform and allows you to organize sermons so visitors can filter by date, speaker, and topic! I’m pretty stoked and excited to see what you think about it!
How can you get the new church Squarespace template?
I spent the last couple months working a Squarespace template made specifically for churches. I’ve used the same strategies I use when I’m designing expensive agency websites, but this puppy is all for churches and a whole lot cheaper.
It comes pre-built with 14 pages made specifically with ministries in mind. And since it’s 100% Squarespace, you can quickly add your church’s logo, set your church’s brand color, and customize each page until it’s exactly how you want it!
Getting started with the template is pretty easy. There’s nothing to download or install. Just sign up and within 24 hours of your purchase, I’ll set up your template (just like the demo) and transfer it to your Squarespace account. It’s pretty magical!
I’ve left a few more details for when you checkout, but feel free to contact me if you have any questions!
For a limited time, you can get the template for just $49!
But shhh, don’t tell anyone :)
