Domain Best Practices for Churches
Your website is your church’s digital front door. But managing your website’s
address (also known as a domain) can get complicated, especially when volunteers are involved. Without proper management, your church could lose access to its website! To avoid that, we’ve crafted this guide on best practices for domain management for your ministry.
What is a Domain?
A domain name is how people find you online—the part of your web address before “.com” or “.org”. For example, in www.YourChurch.org, “YourChurch” is the domain. When you first set up your website, you likely purchased your domain through a domain registrar, a service that lets you create and manage your website’s name.
It’s crucial to pick a reliable registrar to minimize headaches if you need support down the road. Once registered, the church should always be the official owner of the domain—not a volunteer. Granting your church domain ownership ensures that it always maintains control, even if/when leadership or volunteers change. Without this, you could end up locked out of your own website!
Best Practices for Domain Registration
When registering your domain, always use the church’s name and an official church email address, instead of a volunteer’s. We recommend creating a dedicated email, such as Admin@YourChurch.org, for domain registration and other online services. This way, ownership is clear, important notices go to the right place, and leadership can access information as needed.
It’s also important to securely store domain login information, renewal dates, and payment details in a place that’s accessible to you. By doing so, you reduce the risk of losing key information when a volunteer or staff member steps down.
Who Should Pay?
While a volunteer may be willing to cover the cost of the domain, this can create confusion down the road. What happens if the person leaves or forgets to renew the domain? It’s best that the church handles payments directly to minimize confusion and maintain control over the renewal process.
Also, most domain registrars offer the option to set up automated renewals. We recommend taking advantage of this to prevent the domain from accidentally expiring, which could cause the church to lose the domain entirely.
Prepare for Turnover
Turnover is inevitable, whether it’s in church leadership, volunteers, or staff. That’s why it’s crucial to have a transition plan for domain management—one that you can share with new team members as they come on board to provide them with all necessary information, and also use as a checklist to ensure that outgoing members no longer have any access. This simple step is essential to avoid disruption and achieve a smooth transition.
Recovering a Lost Domain
If your church ever loses access to its domain—whether due to turnover or forgotten credentials—contact your domain registrar immediately. They will likely request proof of ownership, which is why it’s vital to list the church as the owner and keep records of all ownership details. Being proactive from the start can make the recovery process straightforward and help you avoid legal disputes.
Protecting Your Church’s Website
Managing your domain may seem like a small task, but proper domain management matters to avoid big consequences. So, what are you waiting for? Now is the time to review how your domain is managed and make necessary updates. Who owns it? Who pays for it? Your church’s website is essential—treat your domain as such.
Helpful Resources for Domain Management
If you’re considering switching registrars or simply checking to make sure everything is in order, here are some reliable domain registrars that churches should consider: GoDaddy, Squarespace, Domain.com, and Register.com.
For more information on how we can support your ministry through technology, click here.