The buzz word in real estate is “location, location, location.” Does this rule also apply to churches? Is it important that churches have a highly visible location in order to be successful and grow? While visibility may help, often the cost of prime real estate is prohibitive. It has been our experience that as long as the church is relatively easy to find, it does not have to be in a highly visible location. New people will tend to come to a church for one of several reasons: 

1. They have a friend that attends the church and invited them. 
2. The church has sponsored some type of intentional outreach, which has gotten their attention (perhaps in the form of an advertisement in the newspaper, phone book or direct mailing or a poster in the supermarket) 
3. Some need has arisen in their life that has caused them to look for a church. (In many cases this is because of children.) See “When to increase Capacity“). 
4. The people are already Christians and are either new to the area and are looking for a church or are attending another local church, but are not satisfied there. 

In these four most common scenarios, visibility is only a factor in the third and fourth instances. Under the third scenario making the church’s existence known is important. Today it is more likely that the average young individual, couple, or family looking for a church will check the internet before checking the phone book. All of this points to the importance of a church having a good “web presence” in today’s culture. This means more than just having a website. It means having a website that can easily be found by someone searching the net for a local church. It is also important that the site accurately reflect who you are as a church and who you are trying to reach and minister to. There is a statistic known as the “10 minute window” [See “Rules of Thumb“] which says that a first-time visitor makes up their mind within 10 minutes of entering your site whether or not they will return to a church. It is our contention that part of this “10 minute window” has moved into cyberspace. As a potential attendee checks out a church web site, they get information on it and a feeling for what it should be like. If the internet projection of the church’s personality is consistent with their experience when they visit the church, it is very likely that they will return.  (This is barring other obstacles, like severely inadequate facilities or a nursery that is not adequate to serve children properly.) 

So what is important about a church’s location? It should be easy to find and the website should give clear and simple directions on how to get there. Furthermore, it should be easy to find the directions to the church from any page of the website. 

For the people who fall into category number four – some of them may not be who you want to attract to your church. (A disgruntled or discontented person who “church-hops,” may not be the best addition to your fellowship!) However, if they are new to the community and are looking for a church, they should be able to find you on the internet. Certainly as they build relationships with other believers in your area, they will learn the “inside scoop” about what churches are available in the area. 

Now in summary, if a prime location site is available and affordable, by all means go for it! The free advertising of a visible location will only help your mission. But don’t let visibility be the deciding factor of whether or not a property will work for a new church facility or relocation.

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