Summer can bring disruption to your usual ministry rhythms—families travel, attendance fluctuates, and seasonal programs like VBS, youth trips, or outdoor worship fill the calendar. But while your in-person gatherings shift with the season, many churches leave their website untouched. And yes, that’s a problem.
Think about it: what message does it send if a new visitor lands on your homepage and sees Easter announcements in June? Or if your outdoor service times aren’t listed anywhere? A stagnant website not only feels neglected, but it also creates uncertainty. And uncertainty keeps people from showing up.
For many churches, summer is one of the busiest outreach seasons of the year. But if your online presence doesn’t reflect that, you’re likely missing opportunities to connect with new guests and keep members informed. An outdated or hard-to-navigate website becomes a barrier, not a bridge.
That’s why now is the ideal time to act. A few intentional updates can turn your site into a welcoming church website that builds trust and increases engagement. This is the time to clean your church website, align it with your summer ministry goals, and prepare it to support every visitor God sends your way.
Here are five impactful ways to refresh your site so it’s ready for families, vacationers, and returning members this season.
1. Update Homepage Banners with Summer Graphics
Your homepage banner is the digital handshake of your church. If it’s still showing spring events, Easter announcements, or snowflakes from last winter, it’s time to refresh. As visitors scroll your homepage, the visuals should tell them what season you’re in and what your church is up to right now. Banners also offer one of the highest-visibility spaces to highlight special messages and welcome first-time guests.
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Replace outdated banners with beach, nature, or sunlight themes relevant to where your church is located
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Promote seasonal sermon graphics or special summer messages
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Use ChurchSpring’s Media Library for free, fresh, ready-to-use summer visuals
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Use Canva to create custom banners with your church’s color palette, fonts, or ministry series themes
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Highlight your summer series with bold, inviting designs
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Link banners to specific events, series pages, or online signups
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Include a rotating carousel if you want to feature multiple events or announcements
Bright, seasonal banners help optimize your church’s presence online and make your site feel up-to-date at first glance, especially to vacationers or those visiting from out of town. When people land on your homepage and see fresh visuals that match the season, it signals that your church is active, attentive, and prepared.
It creates a strong first impression, encourages deeper exploration of your site, and gives guests a sense of what to expect from your summer services and community life. And with visual design tools like Canva and the built-in assets in ChurchSpring’s Media Library, there’s no need to start from scratch or hire a designer.
“We really enjoy our website and get several compliments on it. We are a small church and this gives us a large presence. Awesome job in creating this!!”
Cole W., Mt. Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church
2. Refresh Staff Bios and Ministry Team Photos
Your leadership team page is often one of the most-viewed parts of your website, especially for first-time guests deciding if your church feels approachable. If team bios are outdated, missing new hires, or still feature winter attire in the photos, now is the time to make updates that reflect your current ministry environment.
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Update headshots or add a short personal note to bios
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Introduce new seasonal interns or summer ministry leaders
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Use casual, outdoor portraits for a more relatable feel
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Add ministry role changes or updated responsibilities
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Highlight how each team member helps serve during the summer
A relatable team page helps build trust and reflects a church that’s alive, organized, and welcoming. Plus, clean visuals improve church website accessibility and overall navigation removing friction for new visitors.
3. Promote Summer Events, Camps, and Trips
If your church has events that only live in your printed bulletin or Sunday morning announcements, you’re missing major opportunities to engage people online.
Summer is filled with moments where the community can gather, serve, or celebrate together—and your website should be the hub for that activity. These events are often where new visitors connect for the first time and where existing members build meaningful relationships.
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Create or update a Summer Events landing page
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Highlight VBS, outdoor services, mission trips, or BBQs
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Use ChurchSpring’s Website Builder to easily add events with photos, descriptions, and registration links
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Use call-to-action buttons to direct users to RSVP or learn more
“ChurchSpring made the process easy for us to go from a blank canvas to a full website… The support team was responsive and able to answer our questions to keep us on track.”
Cyle D., Rossville Bible Fellowship
Adding summer events keeps your homepage dynamic, increases engagement, and ensures your congregation and community stay informed no matter their schedule. It turns your website into a year-round connection point instead of a static bulletin board, helping people say yes to what your church is doing this summer.
4. Update Seasonal Service Times and Locations
Service time confusion is one of the biggest pain points for summer guests and it’s one of the easiest fixes. Whether you’re switching to a single service, offering an outdoor gathering, or adjusting start times to beat the heat, your website should reflect it clearly:
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Edit service times on your homepage and footer
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Add a summer-specific note under the location or “Plan Your Visit” page
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Highlight changes using banner announcements or alert bars
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Display a schedule change graphic at the top of your homepage
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Mention livestream start times for those who will be tuning in online
Simple updates to your church’s website navigation prevent confusion and show visitors you care about clarity. It also minimizes the risk of someone arriving late—or not at all—due to unclear communication.
5. Test Mobile Friendliness and Load Speed
If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, it’s not ready for summer. Many guests discover your church while traveling or attending summer events,and they’ll do it from their phone. If your site loads slowly, has hard-to-click buttons, or doesn’t display properly on smaller screens, you’ll likely lose them before they ever visit. A laggy or hard-to-use mobile site can silently turn away the very people you’re trying to reach.
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Use tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights to test load speed
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Navigate your site like a visitor would: find service times, directions, and giving options on mobile
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Use Google Analytics 4 for churches to track bounce rates or device breakdowns
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Ensure font sizes are readable and menus are tap-friendly
A mobile-friendly website ensures your message connects wherever your people are and prevents technical frustration from standing between your ministry and a new connection. It communicates excellence, care, and accessibility especially to first-time guests who may be hesitant but curious about attending church this season.
Your Ultimate Summer Church Website Refresh Checklist
Use this quick-hit list to ensure your website reflects the vibrant and active season ahead. These updates can be done in just a few focused sessions and will have a significant impact on how visitors and members experience your online presence:
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Replace homepage banners with summer visuals – swap outdated graphics with season-appropriate visuals that show your church is active and current
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Add or update events page with upcoming programs – make sure key events like VBS, youth trips, or summer outreach have their place on your site
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Update staff bios and team photos – show the real people behind the ministry with current roles, photos, and seasonal support staff
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Edit service times and location details – communicate clearly if you’ve moved to a different schedule or added outdoor services
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Test mobile load time and clean up outdated content – optimize for speed and user experience, especially on smartphones and tablets
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Ensure all graphics and buttons are clear and clickable – remove broken links, blurry images, or old visual clutter
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Highlight giving, contact, and directions on your homepage – make it easy for guests to take the next step whether they’re new or returning
Start The Summer Strong With an Inviting Website
Don’t let your digital presence take a summer break. The more up-to-date and helpful your site is, the more likely visitors are to come back—or come for the first time. Your church website is often the first place people look when deciding whether to visit, give, or get involved. And during summer, when schedules shift and new opportunities arise, your digital welcome mat matters more than ever.
Whether you’re planning big outreach efforts or simply keeping things consistent, your website should reflect your ministry in real-time. A website that’s accurate, warm, and clear helps people say yes to church—even when they’re on the go or just passing through town.
With ChurchSpring, you can make fast, effective updates with zero coding or stress. From banners and bios to events and sermons, the ChurchSpring Website Builder makes summer maintenance a breeze. And with built-in tools tailored for ministry—not marketing—you’ll spend less time wrestling with plugins and more time focusing on what matters most.
Ready to refresh your church website for summer? Start your free 7-day ChurchSpring trial and explore how easy it is to build and maintain a vibrant, engaging site that truly serves your people this season. Or, if you’d like to see how you can launch your new church website in 90 seconds fast, join us for a free demo webinar.
