Digital Secret Shopper
$399 · 1–2 weeks
- Website, social, and email first impressions
- Written report with specific recommendations
- Debrief call included
- Fully remote
For churches & faith communities
Share the good news with clarity, not chaos.
From first-time guest impressions to AI your staff can trust, I help churches of every size communicate on purpose — so your team spends less time chasing announcements and more time with people.
Sound familiar?
It's Monday, and Sunday is coming fast.
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Every ministry wants the announcement slot.
Requests pile up in your inbox, the bulletin is due Wednesday, and you're the only one who knows how the website works.
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Guests can't find the front door.
Your church is warm in person, but the website, the parking lot, and the first five minutes tell a different story to someone new.
See church websites ↓ -
Your staff is already using AI.
Some love it, some fear it, and nobody has decided what's okay — especially with counseling notes, giving records, and pastoral care.
See AI for ministry ↓
"The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few." (Matt 9:37) You don't have to carry this alone.
Your guide
I've sat in your chair.
I managed web, email, and social for a Nashville church while it grew from one campus to nine. That job is why I co-founded Church Communications, which grew into a community of more than 35,000 church communicators. I wrote the textbook on it, and I still teach it. Church communication isn't a department. It's a ministry.
- 35,000+ church communicators in the community I co-founded
- 100+ trainings on communication, community & AI
- 25+ years building online community
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Church Communications: Methods and MarketingB&H Academic · 2022
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AI Prompts for Church LeadersWith Dr. David Thorne · 2025
Trusted by churches and dioceses including Wellspring Church and the Episcopal Dioceses of Washington, North Carolina, Southern Ohio, and Atlanta.
How we work together
Straightforward process. Real results.
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Book a free call
Share where your church's communications are breaking down. I'll listen, ask questions, and give you honest feedback — no sales pressure.
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Receive a clear plan
Whether it's a training, an audit, or a full overhaul, you'll know exactly what's included, what it costs, and what comes next.
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Lead with confidence
Your team leaves equipped, your congregation stays informed, and your message reaches the people it's meant for.
Start small · Guest experience
See your church through a first-timer's eyes.
A detailed, candid secret shopper report that tells you exactly what guests experience — and what to fix first.
Most complete
On-Site Secret Shopper
$1,200 + travel outside Nashville
- Everything in Digital, plus a Sunday visit
- Parking, signage, welcome, and the service itself
- Parking lot to after the benediction, through a guest's eyes
- Written report and debrief call
AI for ministry
AI your staff can use wisely.
Hands-on "Prompting Well" training and a policy that reflects your church's values. Automate the temporary so you can invest in the eternal. New to AI? Start with the complete guide to AI for churches and nonprofits.
AI Basics
$500 per session
- One 90-minute workshop
- AI policy overview
- Prompt starter kit
- Up to 10 staff
Best value
AI for Ministry
$1,500
- Everything in AI Basics
- Written AI usage policy
- Custom ministry prompt library
- Two training sessions
- 30 days of follow-up support
AI Governance
From $3,500
- Everything in AI for Ministry
- Governance framework document
- Department-level workflows
- All-staff training sessions
- Quarterly policy review
AI Policy Writing
$1,200 · delivered in 5–7 business days
A ready-to-adopt AI usage policy written for your church: staff and volunteer use, content creation, and data privacy.
- Staff and volunteer guidelines
- Content creation guardrails
- Data privacy for sensitive ministry information
- Editable Word or Google Doc
Communication Audit
Standard $1,500 · Comprehensive $3,000
A thorough review of how your church communicates — with your congregation and with the community you're trying to reach.
- Website, email, social, and print review
- Brand voice consistency check
- Audience clarity audit
- Written report, prioritized action plan, and follow-up call
Guest Preaching & Leadership Teaching
Custom quote
A practitioner's perspective for your pulpit or leadership team on communication, culture, AI, and leading with clarity in a noisy world.
- Sunday sermon or series guest spot
- Staff and elder training
- Conference or retreat speaking
Church websites
A front door that welcomes guests before they walk in.
Most first-time guests visit your website before they ever visit your church. I build church websites that answer their questions — where to park, what to expect, what's there for their kids — and that your team can update without calling anyone.
The Launchpad
$7,000 flat · 3 weeks
For church plants, relaunches, or a site that just needs to work: the essential pages, built right.
- Discovery and website strategy call
- 6 custom-designed pages, such as Plan Your Visit, Ministries, and Give
- Mobile-responsive, fast, SEO-ready build
- Analytics and on-page SEO set up
- Walkthrough training so your staff can edit it
- Copywriting guidance · 30-day post-launch support
Most requested
The Whole Picture
$10,000 flat · 5 weeks
For churches ready to rethink how they show up online, with messaging and structure shaped together.
- Everything in The Launchpad
- 10 custom-designed pages
- Messaging and site-structure workshop with your team
- Copywriting for every page
- Typography-based logo refresh
- SEO keyword strategy + 10 blog post outlines
- 60-day post-launch support
Something I built for churches
Retire the clipboard.
SignUpChurch handles potlucks, nursery shifts, serve teams, and VBS: build a sheet in minutes, share one link, and every name lands in your church software. Free forever plan, no credit card.
What church leaders are saying
Ministry-tested.
Katie cares about the local church and she cares that it communicates its message with excellence. You add that caring and commitment to the personality, including spunk, that she has, and you have someone who can serve your church well.
Rated 5 out of 5
I gained valuable insights into how to prompt effectively and discovered the wide variety of AI tools available. The instruction was very clear and helpful. I'm already planning to generate June social media content and refine a bishop's appeal letter I started in the workshop.
Katie gave an outstanding workshop on AI at our conference. She was our first thought when we discussed presenters for our online conference. Her practical, accessible approach to AI for communicators is exactly what our members need.
What's at stake
Your message is too important to wing it.
Without a plan
- Guests visit once and don't come back
- Your staff burns out on busywork
- AI gets used with no guardrails for sensitive information
With a plan
- First-time guests feel welcomed before they walk in
- Your team knows what to say, where, and when
- AI handles the repetitive work, and your people handle the people
Automate the temporary. Invest in the eternal.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Do you work with small churches or only large ones?
All sizes. Whether you have one person doing everything or a full communications team, every engagement is scoped to fit your context.
We're on a tight budget. Is any of this affordable?
Yes. The Digital Secret Shopper is $399 and AI Basics is $500. For budget-conscious churches, those are often the best places to start: high value, low cost, and clear next steps. Church websites start at $7,000.
What does a "secret shopper" actually look at?
Digital: your website, social media, email, and online first impression. On-site: the full guest experience from the parking lot to after the service, seen through a first-timer's eyes. Either way, you get a written report with specific, actionable feedback.
How long do engagements take?
Digital Secret Shopper: 1–2 weeks. Communication Audit: 2–3 weeks. AI Policy Writing: about a week. Training workshops are usually scheduled within 4–6 weeks, and preaching or teaching depends on availability.
Can you work with churches outside Nashville?
Absolutely. Digital services are fully remote. On-site secret shopper visits and preaching or teaching require travel, which is included in or added to the quote depending on location.
Ready to strengthen your church's communications?
Book a free 30-minute call. We'll talk through where you are, where you want to be, and which service makes the most sense for your church right now.
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