Megachurch website design: Faith-based expressions of organizational identity and purpose

One type of organization taking web design seriously is the church-in particular, the Protestant “megachurch,” defined as a church with over 2,000 members. Large churches operate as information-based organizations that are increasingly using “technical” information to communicate to both local and global audiences. These large churches are using their websites not just for information, but also for persuasion, outreach, member efficiency, and broadcast purposes. This paper will examine the websites of five randomly-chosen U.S.-based megachurches and report seven common practices in attempting to use trends in website design and management to reach multiple audiences with a faith-based message. This paper will also report the mistakes that many megachurches make in information design and audience identification and analysis. After an examination of current megachurch website design trends, the paper will conclude with recommendations for best practices in web design and management for churches that desire a strong and robust web presence.