I need to figure out my church’s email
So you’ve been put in charge of your church’s email. Or you've started a new site with Mere, and you are just now wondering whatever is going to happen to that old webmail from your old web host. Now what? Depending on your setup, this could be one of a few options:
- A regular email address at a webmail provider (like firstbaptistchurch@hotmail.com (mailto:firstbaptistchurch@hotmail.com) or firstpresbyterianchurch@gmail.com (mailto:firstpresbyterianchurch@gmail.com)).
- An email service provided by your former web host through your domain name (like pastor@firstbaptistchurch.org (mailto:pastor@firstbaptistchurch.org)).
- An external email service provided by Google or Microsoft, through your domain name (also like pastor@firstbaptistchurch.org (mailto:pastor@firstbaptistchurch.org)).
When you create an account with Mere, we can help you make sure that your existing email is maintained and uninterrupted. This will be a separate process from your new website build.
What is and Isn’t Happening:
Mere does not directly provide any webmail or email services
We can work with you to make sure your existing email service is not disrupted. We can also work with you to help you find a new email provider in the event that you are canceling a package with a former host that bundled email and website hosting together.
Mere does not migrate emails
If you are switching from webmail to Google/Microsoft, or a web host email service to Google/Microsoft, you will need to configure the inboxes that you want set up, you will need to migrate email messages from the old provider to the new. We can make some recommendations on third-party services that help with this transfer, but this is not a service we offer ourselves at this time.
Making sure your email still works after your new site launches
Option 1: You have webmail that is not connected to your domain
You can continue to use your external email with no problems, because your email address is not tied to your domain name. If you’d like to set up professional email that uses your domain name, get in touch and we can help you with that!
Options 2/3: You already have domain-based email
If you are building a new site with Mere, we will help you in the transfer process to maintain your existing email.
The first step is to get your domain name transferred to us. You can learn more in ‘Web Hosting 101,’ but a Mere agent will help you generate a transfer code and get the existing DNS configuration of your domain. This makes sure that everything stays exactly as-is: only the ownership of the domain name is transferring from your old registrar to our registrar.
Once the domain name has moved over, we can help you update configuration for any changes you want to make to your mail service.
If you have email through your former web host:
As long as you can maintain your current email product, when it’s time to launch the new site, your website changes, but your email service doesn’t. Make sure you can maintain your email as a separate product from your website hosting after you cancel your old website hosting plan.
Otherwise, you’ll need to plan to migrate your email addresses to a different provider when you launch your new site (we recommend Google Workspace — it’s free for non-profits!) Mere does not offer email migration services, but Google offers a great option as part of their Workspace product: more info here.
If you already have email through Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace:
No migration necessary! We just make sure we get all of your existing DNS records when the domain migrates. When it’s time to launch the new site, your website changes, but your email service doesn’t.
Wrapping Up
Some mailing is separate from these mail providers.
If you send out newsletters with MailChimp or Constant Contact, that is a different mailing service that also is set up and runs through your web domain. We help clients set this sort of thing up all the time — just get in touch!
Any questions? As always, get in touch with our friendly team, and we can make sure everything is clear before you move forward.
