Is your church website starting to feel like it’s stuck in 2012? You’re not alone. Many churches find themselves using outdated platforms that are slow, hard to update, and not mobile-friendly. What once felt modern can now become a digital barrier, keeping your church from connecting with your community in meaningful ways.
Web technology changes fast—and church websites need to keep up. If your website looks outdated, takes forever to load, or is nearly impossible to edit without calling in a tech-savvy volunteer, it may be time for a website builder provider change. More importantly, if your site doesn’t reflect the vibrant ministry happening in your church today, visitors won’t see the full picture of who you are.
Here are a few signs it’s time for you to change website platforms:
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Your site isn’t responsive or mobile-friendly
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Editing pages require technical knowledge or coding
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Load times are painfully slow, affecting both users and SEO
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You’re paying for tools or features you never use
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The platform hasn’t been updated in years
An old website can unintentionally limit your reach and frustrate visitors before they even walk through your doors. Just like you spring clean your website for better clarity and organization, a full migration can optimize your presence and breathe new life into your digital ministry.
What Website Migration Actually Means (And Why It’s Not as Scary as It Sounds)
The idea of moving your entire church website to a new church website builder can sound overwhelming. But with the right partner and a clear process, it doesn’t have to be. Website migration is simply the act of transferring your existing site’s content—like sermons, blogs, events, images, and forms—into a newer, faster, and easier-to-manage platform.
Think of it as moving into a new house: your belongings come with you, but the layout, appliances, and look all get an upgrade. You don’t lose anything important—in fact, you gain tools that make life easier.
Here’s what it typically includes:
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Reviewing your current content and determining what should move
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Transferring images, events, blogs, and page content
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Setting up navigation and structure for ease of use
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Matching or upgrading the design and branding
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Testing the new site for performance and accessibility
A successful church website redesign doesn’t just replicate your old site—it enhances it. This is your chance to improve church website navigation, ensure mobile access, integrate accessibility features for church websites, and prepare your site for holidays and new visitors.
What’s the Timeframe and Cost to Migrate a Church Website?
One of the biggest concerns churches have about migrating their site is time and money. Thankfully, both are more manageable than you might expect—especially when working with tools designed specifically for churches.
Most site migrations take 1–3 weeks depending on how much content needs to be moved, how fast decisions are made, and whether you’re redesigning at the same time. If you’re organized and know what you want, the process can be completed surprisingly fast.
Costs vary depending on the platform you choose, the features you need, and whether you’re hiring outside help. Some companies charge hundreds (or thousands) for migration. Others, like ChurchSpring’s church website builder, include free migration services with annual plans making it one of the best Christian website hosting options available.
What makes the ChurchSpring’s church website builder especially powerful is the suite of built-in features designed specifically for ministry needs. With inline editing, anyone on your team—from admin staff to volunteers—can click, type, drag, and drop to update pages without needing a tech background. Sermon uploads, events, blog posts, and homepage edits can all be done quickly and easily, saving valuable time and effort.
“I just want to express again how much I like this website. It is so user-friendly and easy to keep updated.”
Mark M., Waterford Community Church
A Step-by-Step Guide to a Smooth Migration
Here’s a high-level guide to help you know what to expect when planning your church website migration. Each of these steps plays a vital role in helping your church move from a frustrating, outdated website to a refreshed, more engaging digital presence that supports your mission.
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Evaluate Your Current Site
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Identify what’s outdated, hard to use, or missing—are your service times buried? Are images blurry or off-brand? Does your homepage communicate who you are as a church?
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Use tools like Google Analytics 4 metrics to see where users drop off or struggle. This data reveals the weak points in your digital engagement so you can prioritize updates effectively.
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Define What You Want in the New Platform
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Easy editing for staff and volunteers so updates aren’t limited to one tech-savvy person
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Mobile responsiveness to engage users on phones and tablets
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Built-in tools like events, sermons, forms, and online giving so your team can manage everything in one place
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A platform that doesn’t require coding or plugins and lets you focus on ministry—not maintenance
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Features like ChurchSpring’s inline editing, Media Library, and Social Scheduler simplify day-to-day management
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Choose a Partner That Specializes in Churches
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Look for platforms with real ministry support—not just tech features, but a team that understands church life.
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Prioritize systems that include built-in migration support so you’re not left to figure things out on your own.
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Seek companies that offer free online church migration services to reduce cost and risk. For example, ChurchSpring offers a free migration service with any annual plan.
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Transfer Content with Support
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Migrate only the pages and posts that still serve a purpose—no need to bring over outdated event pages from five years ago.
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Refresh the layout, photos, and calls-to-action to better align with your brand and optimize your church presence.
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Take this opportunity to rewrite confusing navigation labels or update imagery using a spring clean website mindset
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Review, Test, and Launch
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Double-check all links, forms, and page navigation to ensure everything works seamlessly.
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Ask several staff or volunteers to preview the site on both desktop and mobile—it’s easier to catch issues now than after launch.
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Set a go-live date and announce the launch to your community through email, social media, and Sunday services.
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Encourage members to share the new site with friends and family as part of your church’s digital outreach.
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Remember: the goal is to optimize your church presence, not just swap platforms. A great migration modernizes your site, elevates your message, and equips your ministry for growth online and in-person.
Migrate Your Website Stress-Free and For $0
If your current site is slow, outdated, or hard to manage, migrating to a simpler solution can make all the difference. The key is choosing a platform that walks with you every step of the way—not just offering features, but offering real ministry support.
With ChurchSpring’s church website builder and free website migration service with any annual plan, churches can migrate their site quickly, keep all their essential content, and upgrade their design in the process. No plugins. No third-party costs. Just clean navigation, fast loading, and powerful built-in tools like the Social Scheduler, Giving Platform, and Church Management Software—all integrated into one intuitive dashboard.
You’ll also benefit from:
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Inline editing that anyone can use—just click, type, and save
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Media Library access to choose from ready-to-use graphics and photos
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Automated social media scheduling through the built-in Social Scheduler
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Sermon and event management tools designed for ministry workflows
“I just want to express again how much I like this website. It is so user-friendly and easy to keep updated.”
Mark M., Waterford Community Church
Whether you’re looking to prepare your church website for holidays, increase engagement, or simplify admin work, the right platform makes all the difference. ChurchSpring empowers your team with a system that’s easy to learn, easy to manage, and built to grow alongside your ministry.
So if you’ve been waiting for the perfect time to upgrade your digital presence—this is it. You don’t need to figure it all out alone. We’re here to make it simple, supported, and successful from day one.
Ready to make the move? Start your stress-free migration today and try ChurchSpring for free or attend our free demo to see how you can launch your church website in 90 seconds flat.
