FaithStreet

In today's day and age, when people need information, they turn like a reflex to the internet. But until now, finding a church or religious community to belong to had to be done the old-school way: word of mouth.

"More and more people are using the internet to find churches, but churches aren't there," co-founder and CEO Sean Coughlin said. "They have almost zero, high-quality, effective presence on the internet."

People settling in to a new location, for example, don't have an efficient way to explore the churches and communities in their area. Similarly, churches often don't know where to begin to build their internet presence to reach these potential new members. So Coughlin, along with co-founders Ryan Melogy and Glenn Ericksen, built FaithStreet -- a way to bring churches and religious communities online.

"Without FaithStreet, church leaders resort to calling their cousin or nephew who might know how to build a web site," co-founder and CEO Sean Coughlin said. "They wonder about advertising, social media, how to build community, but they have no expertise in any of this. And they shouldn't -- The pastor's job is to reach the community and spread the word. So we have created something that allows them to leverage technology to do what they are already good at doing, but better."

Connecting faith communities with new members is just the beginning. FaithStreet is bringing other community functions online as well. 85% of the $100 billion donated to faith communities in 2012 took place offline. By offering online giving, FaithStreet is helping communities make donations more predictable, and allowing members donate from anywhere in the world.

How FaithStreet Was Born

As lawyers in New York City, Coughlin and Melogy were looking for a church. They quickly realized churches were leagues behind when it comes to technology and the internet. So they put together a few rough sketches, started FaithStreet in beta, and in a week had 100 churches sign up. Today, they boast a bustling community of over 10,000 churches and religious communities.

"There are 350,000 religious communities [in the U.S.] representing an average of almost 200 members each," Coughlin said. "So we're bringing all these folks online with a simple, easy to use tools that help them achieve their goals."

How It Works

Churches can make free profiles on FaithStreet that users can then search by location or service specifics. At a glance, users can find out about all the communities in their area, and they can even login to connect with other members.

"We asked churches, ‘What are your issues? What can we help you solve?" Coughlin said. "And they told us: raising money, building community, and reaching new people."

And that's exactly what FaithStreet does. There's a platform for accepting donations, for facilitating community conversation, and for outreach.

They've also created a mobile app to allow for convenient daily interaction with FaithStreet communities.

"I've got a great app for fitness, for sports, for whatever, but more important than those things is my faith," Coughlin said. "Until now I didn't have a place where I can interact with that on my phone on a daily basis."

Making It Effortless To Donate

One of the best advantages for churches on FaithStreet may be the ease with which members can now donate to the organization.

"I can give money to anything online: I can pay for a meal, pay a bill, but I can't give money to my church -- its incredible," Coughlin said. "And we hear from individuals constantly, ‘Why can't I give to my church online?' It's a massive opportunity, and now, people can donate to any church across the country."

The team also sees the potential impact this platform could have during natural disasters and other times of crises, where people are looking to donate money to organizations they can trust.

The Bigger Picture

Coughlin, Melogy, and Ericksen know it's just plain smart to build a business on such a large, untapped market. But they've got grander motives in mind for FaithStreet.

"This is all part of the search to understand why we're here and what we're doing, that very fundamental question. And I think a lot of people struggle with that," Melogy said. "So helping people explore that and figure out what they believe is really important."

The team feels that, especially today, young people are more disengaged with their faith than ever. They're helping churches embrace technology to reach these youth, and others who might not otherwise have a spiritual outlet.

"We're allowing churches to rebrand, and we're putting a new spin on what faith means to individuals and to communities," Coughlin said. "Not everybody is Christian or Muslim or Jewish, but almost everyone has a sense of spirituality. Everyone is on a journey. We want to accompany that journey."

But ultimately, it's all about helping people be more meaningfully engaged with their faith, Coughlin says.

"I think faith has an incredibly positive impact on the world, and I think it can help people lead richer, more meaningful lives."

FaithStreet Evangelists

Since FaithStreet's inception in 2011, they've helped over 200,000 users find a church, and have heard from hundreds of satisfied pastors and church leaders.

"We've heard from pastors that had never found [a new member] online and their gratitude to us is incredible," Coughlin said. "I think they sort of see us as ambassadors for technology; we're helping them leverage technology to do really important work, so they're extremely excited about our product."

One particular church emailed the team and said that they hadn't had a new visitor in over a year, but had 3 new visitors in a weekend after joining FaithStreet.

"These are the kind of mentors I grew up with, close friends," Coughlin said. "To be able to help them is absolutely gratifying and I wouldn't want to be doing anything else."