Every few weeks a pastor emails me the same way. The church has decided it's time for a new site, somebody on the board knows a guy, a company sent a flyer, and now they have three quotes and no idea how to compare them. If that's you, this post is the conversation I'd have with you over coffee. Here is how I'd choose a church website designer, including the questions I'd ask before signing anything, and the answers I'd want to hear.

I've sat on both sides of this table. I grew up in a church planter's home, I've pastored a small church, and I still serve in ministry today. I also build church websites for a living. So I know how little time you have for this decision, and how long you'll live with it.

Start with what your church needs, not what the designer sells

Before you talk to anyone, write down what the site is for. For most churches the honest answer is short. A first-time guest needs to find your service times, your address, what to expect, and where the kids go. Members need sermons, events and giving. Everything else is optional.

That list matters because every designer will show you what they're good at. One will lead with design, another with a giving platform, another with an app. If you know what you need, you can hear the pitch and still ask the question that matters: does this do the five things my guests need, on a phone, quickly?

Across six of the church sites I manage, 57 percent of visits over the last 90 days came from a phone. At some of those churches it was two thirds. Whatever you're shown on a big monitor, ask to see it on a phone first.

Who owns the domain, the content and the photos?

This is the question I'd ask first, and the answer should be plain. Your church should own its domain name, in an account the church controls. Your copy, your photos and your logo should be yours to take with you. If the answer involves a pause, or "we handle all that for you" without a straight yes, keep asking.

I've written before about why this matters in church website hosting and domains, explained in plain words. The short version is that a church's address on the internet should never depend on one person or one vendor staying around. At White Oak the content, copy and brand assets belong to the church, and the domain stays in their name. That should be normal, and you can ask for it.

What happens after launch, and who makes the changes?

A church website is never finished. Service times move, staff change, Christmas Eve comes every year. So ask how updates work once the site is live. Can your office manager change a time without calling anyone? If they need help, how fast does the designer reply, and does it cost extra?

Get the answer in writing with a number attached. "We're responsive" isn't an answer. "Content changes are included, and we handle them within one business day" is. On our side, hosting, updates and support are part of the monthly plan, and most changes go out within a business day. Whatever a designer's version of that is, you want to know it before launch, not the first time the Easter schedule is wrong.

What does the agreement actually say?

Read the contract for three things: the term, what's included, and what it costs to leave. A longer commitment isn't wrong by itself. Some designers price a big upfront build over a few years, and that can be a fair deal. Just know which model you're in, and make sure the leadership team knows too.

I keep ours month to month with no setup fee because churches change, budgets change, and I'd rather earn the next month than hold anyone to it. Our custom website is $295 a month with hosting, maintenance, updates and support included. Your designer's model may be different, and that's fine. The point is that nothing in the agreement should surprise you in year two.

What happens to a first-time guest after they visit the site?

Most churches never ask this, and it's the question that separates a brochure from a front door. Someone finds you on a Saturday night, visits Sunday, fills out a connect card, and then what? A good church website designer should have an answer that connects the site to the welcome table and to the follow-up on Monday.

Every site we build includes guest follow-up by email, so that the person who filled out the form on Sunday hears from the church that week without anyone remembering to do it. If your designer doesn't build that in, ask how you'll do it yourself, and read how to follow up with first-time church guests before your first meeting. You'll have better questions.

Can I see churches you've built, and talk to one of them?

Portfolios are easy. Phone numbers are harder. Ask for two or three church sites the designer built in the last couple of years, open them on your phone, and then ask whether you can email one of those churches. A designer who has treated churches well will say yes right away.

For what it's worth, two of ours are Calvary Christian Church in Lynnfield, Massachusetts, which runs in English, Spanish and Portuguese with five Sunday gatherings and Planning Center built in, and Cornerstone Church in Cheshire, Connecticut. Both are live, and both pastors know me. Read the Google reviews too. One of ours, from Joel Dahlstrom at Marlowe Church, says simply "He was sure communicative, professional, and was very responsive." That's the kind of line you're looking for, because responsive is what you'll need in year three.

How will we know it worked?

Be careful with anyone who promises a number of new visitors. I don't, and I've been doing this for over seven years. What a designer can promise is the work: a fast site, a clear Plan Your Visit page, correct information on Google, and a way to measure what happens next.

So ask what you'll be able to see. Search Console and a basic analytics report will tell you whether more people are finding the church and what they do when they arrive. We send clients a short monthly look at their site, and I'd expect any designer to be able to show you the same in plain words.

The short list to bring to the meeting

If you only remember a few questions, bring these:

Who owns our domain, content and photos, and can we take them with us?
Who makes changes after launch, how fast, and what does it cost?
What's the term of the agreement, and what does it cost to leave?
What happens to a first-time guest after they fill out a form?
Can we talk to a church you built a site for?
What will we be able to measure once it's live?

If you want to compare specific companies, I wrote up the best church website design agencies, including where we fit and where another one might serve you better.

And if it would help to talk it through, I'm happy to hop on a 20 minute call and look at your current site with you. I'll tell you honestly what I'd change, even if the right answer is a self serve site or another designer. You can book a time here, or read more about how we build church websites. No pressure either way. I'd rather the site bless your church than make a few bucks off of it.

How to choose a church website designer: the questions to ask first