A ministry, not a business

A free website for your organization.

Made for the people you serve, with your own look and your own photos. Change service times, events and sermons yourself, from a phone or a computer. No contract, nothing monthly, no catch.

Ask for a website See the examples

Home page of an example church website: a photograph of a Sunday service, the welcome line, a Plan Your Visit button, and the service time and address. — Cornerstone, an example church. There is an example ministry too.See both examples

Free, and it stays free

No setup fee, nothing monthly, no contract.

You change it yourself

Service times, events, sermons, photos. From a phone or a computer.

Your own look

Pick the style that feels like your organization. More are on the way.

Backed up every night

Your site is copied every night to two separate places.

Why this exists

I believe God called me to use my gifts for the body of Christ. This is a ministry, not a business. So the website is free, and it stays yours.

7 in 10

congregations in the U.S. have 100 or fewer people at a weekly service. Small churches and small ministries like these are who this is built for.

Faith Communities Today, 2020

I want every church and Christian organization to have every chance to reach people. One of those is a website people can find and read, and that you can change yourself. I never charge for the work.

The example church's home page on a phone, with numbered markers on the parts an organization changes itself.

See one for yourself

Everything on it, your organization can change.

This is Cornerstone, an example church I made up so nothing on it belongs to anyone real. The site is exactly what your organization would get. There is a food and clothing ministry example too, on the examples page.

Photos of your people and your building
Your welcome, in your own words
Service times and where to find you
Sermons, linked from wherever you already post them
Events, which visitors can add to their own phone calendar

Plus your staff, ministries, announcements, giving link and contact details. Make a change, press Save, and your site updates.

Open the example church

How it works

Four steps, and no contract.

No proposal, no committee meetings. You do it at your own pace, and if you get stuck, I'm a phone call away.

01
You ask
Five quick questions: your organization's name, whether it is a church or another kind of ministry, an email address, the look you like, and your state. A person reads every request.
02
You sign in
Once I say yes, an email should arrive with where to sign in. No password, just a code sent to your email.
03
You fill it in
Service times, your people, your photos. Whatever you don't have yet can wait.
04
I check it, and it goes live
It starts on a free web address. When you want your own, you ask for it on the Site screen, and I'm glad to help on the phone.

Your part is a few minutes. The rest is mine, and I start as soon as I can.

Every step in detail, and what to have ready

How this is actually free

Here's who covers the cost.

Free only makes sense if you can see who covers the cost. Here's the whole answer.

The system

One system, shared

Every site runs on the same system, built on established services that cost very little at an organization's size. Nothing is resold to you.

The work

Volunteered

Design and build are given, not billed. Because every site shares one well-kept foundation, the tenth site is not ten times the work of the first.

Support

Welcome, never required

If an organization ever wants to support the work, that's appreciated. It never changes what you get or whether you get it.

$0 / monthWant to know how any of it works? Ask, and I'll walk you through it.

Jacob Wright, founder · Northwest Arkansas

“I woke up in the middle of the night and felt God calling me to use the skills and gifts He's given me to serve the body of Christ. Berean Studios is how I'm answering that call.”

Read the story

Questions

What people usually ask.

What's the catch?

There isn't one. Berean Studios is a ministry, not a business, and I never charge for the work. People have told me I should. That isn't what I felt God wanted, and He has always taken care of me and my family. If you ever want to support the work, that's welcome, but never expected.

Do we have to buy anything?

No. The one thing that can cost money is your own web address, if you want one, and that's paid to whoever sells it, not to me. For most addresses it's somewhere between ten and fifteen dollars a year, bought in your organization's name so it stays yours. Until then, your site has a free address of its own.

Nobody at our organization is technical. Can we really do this?

Yes. That's who this is built for. You sign in with a code emailed to you, so there's no password to remember, and it works on a phone. If you get stuck, call me.

Can we choose how it looks?

Yes. You pick from a range of looks, each with its own layout, not just different colors, and I set the colors to suit you. More are on the way. You can change your look yourself until your website is published, and after that, just ask me.

Who owns it?

You do. Your words and your photos are yours, and everyone set up as an owner of your website can download a copy of all of it at any time, without asking me.

Is it WordPress? Do we have to keep anything updated?

No and no. It isn't built on WordPress, so there are no plugins to install, update or patch. I look after all of that, so you never have to.

What happens after it's live? Do you disappear?

No. Email or call anytime and I'll help as I'm able. There's no support contract or ticket system, just a real person who built your site and still cares whether it's working. The site itself doesn't need me to keep running, and it's backed up every night.

Do you only work with churches?

No. I build for Christian churches, nonprofits and mission organizations.

Can people give through our website?

Your website can have a Give button that goes to the giving page you already use, like your bank's, your denomination's, or a service such as Tithe.ly or PayPal. Gifts go straight to you. I never handle money or see who gives.

What about volunteers?

Your website can say how people can get involved, and anyone who wants to can write to you through its contact form, which comes straight to your email. There is no sign-up sheet built in. If you already use one elsewhere, a link to it can go on your website.

Who can read messages sent through our contact form?

Only the people you choose. A message is emailed straight to the address you give, and it isn't stored on your website. I don't read them.

We serve people whose faces and locations can't be shown. Is that a problem?

No. You choose every photo on your website, and a website with no photos of people looks finished. Your street address is optional too. I never make pictures up, and nothing goes on your website that you didn't put there.

We already have a website. How do we move?

You fill in the new one yourself, a little at a time, and you can copy and paste from your current site. Your current website usually keeps working until you're ready. If you have your own web address, it can point to the new website when it's done, and I leave your email settings alone.

Would a free website help your organization?

If it would, I'd be glad to build it with you.