Working closely with The Developer Society, a leading not-for-profit digital agency, The Church of England Digital Team are delighted to announce the launch of the brand new A Church Near You website. You can now visit the site to see the new design, features and try out the easy-to-use editing experience.

Thank you for all your support and patience over the last few months as they’ve worked to improve the experience of both users and editors. The site will hopefully make it easier for you to keep your church’s profile up to date.

The team undertook a survey earlier this year with all A Church Near You authors and we were thrilled that nearly 2,000 people responded. This blog explains in more detail the results of the insights, which formed the basis of the strategy for re-developing the site in a short space of time.

Given the complexity in moving to a new platform, there are inevitably going to be a number of issues or the odd bug that emerges. We have tested the new site with fellow editors but please do email ACNY@churchofengland.org directly if you spot anything.

How can I update my page?

Here are three steps we would like you to follow when you visit the new A Church Near You to get ready for Advent and Christmas:

  1. Ensure the information listed about your church is correct by finding your page and logging in. Your existing username and password will work but if you have forgotten it you can reset here. Check the data for any mistakes and if you spot anything wrong with the data that you can’t edit, you can report an issue by going to More information and clicking the ‘Report an issue’ button.
  2. Add your Advent and Christmas services and events – or update yours if you have already done so with the new tags. This year, we’re hoping to help even more people come to church to celebrate the birth of Jesus by joining in our #GodWithUs campaign. Many churches have already updated their calendar to include the Advent and Christmas services, but if you’re yet to add yours, you can do so now. You can also add events that take place in different locations.
  3. Check your profile picture and cover photo. The profile picture you supplied for your church on the old ACNY has been moved over. A new feature that has just launched is the option to upload a cover picture. This is the perfect place to feature photos of your congregation – perhaps an image showing the inside of your church during a busy service, or group photo.

Remember, your existing log in details have been carried over to the new website.

How do I raise support issues?

If you have a question, please go to our FAQs page and follow the instructions.

What’s coming in 2018?

In the New Year, we will be continuing to develop A Church Near You, to make it simpler for you as editors to make changes, and to improve the experience of the thousands of people who are searching for a Church of England church.

All of these developments will be based on your feedback, so do look out for that survey. Until then, do get in touch if you have any comments or questions about the new A Church Near You.

The Digital Communications Team
Church House, Westminster

The work of the Digital Communications team is part of the Church of England’s Renewal and Reform programme, aimed at helping us become a growing Church for all people and for all places.