Church-Builder.com

What it is

Church-Builder is a website builder designed specifically for churches and religious organizations. The product bundles 35 or more website features into a single platform with no coding required. The company emphasizes simplicity and completeness; you start with one of 200 pre-formatted templates, change the look with a few clicks, and get your church online in 3 minutes. The site lists what a church website should answer: Sunday service schedules, contact information with a map, Sunday school schedules, child care, special events, guest sermons, outreach programs, and Bible study groups. The site also states a 30-day money-back guarantee for customers who are not completely satisfied.

What you build and how

You start with one of 200 pre-formatted templates. You can change the template anytime to a different one, or customize the current template with your own images and color choices. The site emphasizes simplicity: You just have to click on different options to change your template, there's no coding. Adding a page or feature takes one click.

Three text editors are included. 2 are similar to a word processor, and 1 lets you add HTML or JavaScript if you want to extend a page. You can switch between editors anytime.

The home page also lists a discussion board, a mailing list or newsletter page, and an autoresponder, and says it holds "35+ features and page layouts." Features are bundled and pre-built. Photo albums let you upload images that display as thumbnails; clicking a thumbnail shows the full image with optional title and description. Multimedia pages let you upload music, video, flash, or other files that play directly on your page; this is useful for posting sermon recordings. A custom feedback form collects responses from visitors via text boxes, multiple choice, drop-down menus, and checkboxes. Submissions can be emailed to you automatically or stored on your site. A contacts page lists important people with name, position, email, and other info you specify. A guest book lets visitors post comments on topics; you can password-protect it so only certain people comment. A calendar shows upcoming events; clicking an event reveals more details. An articles page displays multiple articles formatted with dates on the left and article names and optional summaries on the right.

A shopping cart is included with 3 layout options. You can list up to 500 products (the first tier) and upgrade to more for $1 per 50 products. Each product can include up to 3 images, up to 3 drop-down menus, and 1 comment box. Payment integration supports PayPal and Authorize.net. The cart calculates taxes and shipping and adds them to order subtotals. Your VeriSign Secure Certified cart displays the VeriSign logo on checkout pages, reassuring customers their purchases are safe. The company notes this saves $500 compared to buying your own secure certificate.

Email is included. You get 5 email accounts that reflect your web address, and the site says you can "Add emails for just $1 more for each one" and that staff can each get their own.

Password protection is available. You can password-protect individual pages, groups of pages, or the entire site during construction. You manage all passwords on one page. This is useful for giving wholesalers or staff members access to special prices or pages, or preventing access to a work-in-progress site.

Stock photos are available. You have access to over 2,000 stock photos licensed from Hemera Images.

An autoresponder page can send information automatically over several days (e.g. day 1, day 3, day 5, day 10), useful for sending daily readings or lesson plans to the congregation or Sunday School. A redirect page lets you link from your site to external pages, helpful for directing people to your denomination's main church site or related resources.

Publishing happens to a free domain in the format name.Church-Builder.com, or you can set up your own domain (e.g. name.com). The home page prices your own domain name plus hosting at $17.99 per year, and says a domain of your own helps attract new congregants.

The site's menu lists 99.9% Reliability as a topic, and the home page says tips for making the site easier to find online, plus partnerships to help you spread the word, come with the plan. The site does not detail them.

The evidence from the pages

Pricing is one plan. The home page offers the church website at 33% off the regular price, "as little as $24.98/month." There are no long-term contracts and you can cancel any time. The 30-day money-back guarantee applies if you are not completely satisfied.

The site lists 35+ features included with your site. Photo albums, multimedia, feedback forms, contacts page, guest book, recommend-a-site forms, redirect pages, autoresponder pages, calendar, articles page, shopping cart (3 layouts), integrated shopping cart with PayPal and Authorize.net, VeriSign Secure Certified cart, text editors (2 WYSIWYG + 1 HTML), template builder, email (5 accounts), stock photos (over 2,000), domain (free in Church-Builder format), password protection, and marketing tips are all listed as included. The site says: More than 35 features plus tips to make your church website easier to find online and partnerships to help you spread the word are included with your site for just $24.98 /month.

200 pre-formatted templates are available: Choose from 200 pre-formatted templates.

A custom design is offered separately. For $499, the company will custom-design a beautiful church website that your church can update in minutes each month.

A free domain is included in the Church-Builder format. For $17.99 per year, you can get your own domain name (e.g. name.com) and church website hosting.

The shopping cart system is described. You can list products in 3 layout options. Each product accepts up to 3 images, up to 3 drop-down menus, and 1 comment box. The first tier allows up to 500 products. You can upgrade space for $1 for each 50 products.

VeriSign Secure Certified integration is confirmed. The site states: With our VeriSign Secure Certified cart, your customers will be worry free buying products from you. Your cart displays your VeriSign Logo on the checkout pages. The company notes you save $500 from not having to buy your own secure certificate.

Payment integration includes PayPal and Authorize.net. The site states: Authorize.net integration and Save $450 in fees when setting up credit card processing.

Stock photos are available: You get access to over 2000 stock photos licensed from Hemera Images.

Email is included: Your site comes with 5 emails that reflect your web address. Add emails for just $1 more for each one. Staff can each get their own email.

Password protection features are listed. You can password-protect single pages, groups of pages, or your whole site. Manage all your passwords on one handy page. Prevent access to your site during construction. Give wholesalers access to special prices. Give staff or members access to special pages.

The menu lists 99.9% Reliability. The home page says that in just 3 minutes you can get a church website online, and that you can change the look of the site, or add a page or a feature with just 1 click of your mouse.

A free trial is available: We invite you to sign up for a free website builder trial to use the features and see how they work.

Who it suits and who it does not

Church-Builder is a fit for a church or similar congregation that needs a website for members and visitors. The site names uses such as posting sermons, listing events on a calendar, reaching people who need help or have prayer requests, getting volunteers for church functions, and showing photos to potential wedding inquiries. A small church with one volunteer webmaster fits the pitch of getting online in minutes. The 30-day money-back guarantee and the free trial lower the risk of trying it.

It is built around churches, so a business or individual would find the page types and copy aimed elsewhere. Prices are quoted in dollars, and the pages describe no multi-language support. The pages also describe no team roles beyond password protection of pages, so a church that wants one person on photos, another on the calendar and another on the shop should confirm how that works.

The custom design option at $499 is a significant additional cost if you want something more professional than the 200 pre-formatted templates. The pages describe no code export or API access.

A caveat: the regular price before the church discount is not stated, so $24.98 a month cannot be compared with the full price. The shopping cart is described by product limits (500 products, 3 images each) and its checkout options, and the pages do not describe inventory tracking, so a church planning a large store should ask about that.