Build the Church

When someone searches for a church in your community, can they find yours—and get a clear picture of what visiting will be like?
Josh Roberie welcomes Ian Hyatt, co-founder of REACHRIGHT, for a practical conversation about church SEO, AI search, and helping more first-time guests discover your church.
Ian explains how church websites, Google Business Profiles, and local search work together to support your digital outreach. You’ll hear what to include on a Plan Your Visit page, why visitor FAQs matter, and how photos, walkthrough videos, and thoughtful responses to reviews can help people feel comfortable taking their first step through your doors.
They also discuss Google Ad Grants, the differences between grant-funded and paid advertising, and why building your church’s online visibility takes consistent attention.
If you’re a pastor or church planter looking for practical church marketing tools, this episode will help you decide where to focus next.
CHAPTERS
00:00:00 Helping Your Church Get Found Online
00:03:17 Meet Ian Hyatt and REACHRIGHT
00:06:42 AI Search and Church SEO Explained
00:08:20 Church Website Content and Visitor FAQs
00:12:35 Google SEO and Your Google Business Profile
00:15:14 Google Ad Grants and Paid Advertising
00:17:50 Local SEO: Reaching People Near Your Church
00:19:21 Photos and Videos That Help Guests Feel Comfortable
00:23:49 Getting and Responding to Church Reviews
00:25:00 Church Marketing Resources and Next Steps
CONNECT WITH IAN HYATT
https://reachrightstudios.com/author/ian-hyatt/
FREE RESOURCES FOR PASTORS
https://www.buildthe.church/resources/free-resources
THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY YOURTEAM.CHURCH
Help volunteers discover their personality and spiritual gifts and find a team where they can thrive. Available in English and Spanish.
https://yourteam.church/
Follow Build the Church for weekly encouragement and practical tools to help you gain momentum, grow your church, and go the distance in ministry. Share this episode with the person who oversees your church’s website or communications.
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What could your church’s data tell you about the people who need your attention?
In “How to Build an AI-Powered Dashboard for Your Church,” Josh Roberie sits down with pastors Aaron Grijalva, David Russell, and Jeremy Burroughs to explore how they’re using artificial intelligence to understand church health and support more intentional ministry.
Through examples from their own churches, they discuss organizing church data, building useful dashboards, and using Claude and ChatGPT to examine trends in attendance, small groups, giving, and volunteer engagement.
You’ll hear how one pastor identified gaps in groups and volunteer growth even while attendance increased, how another made ministry data visible to his staff, and how engagement reports are helping team leaders recognize people who need a personal phone call.
The conversation also explores staff planning, sermon resources, and church apps, with an emphasis on keeping pastoral judgment and relationships central to the process.
For pastors and church leaders looking for practical AI tools, this episode offers ideas for turning the information you already collect into meaningful next steps.
CHAPTERS
00:00:00 How Pastors Are Using AI in Ministry
00:07:03 Start with Clean Church Data
00:11:22 Understanding AI and Large Language Models
00:14:58 Measuring Church Health Beyond Attendance
00:17:41 Building a Dashboard Your Staff Will Use
00:22:58 Spotting Gaps in Groups and Volunteer Growth
00:28:29 Exploring AI-Generated Staff Action Plans
00:30:18 Turning Engagement Data into Pastoral Care
00:34:27 Sermon Content, Church Apps, and Next Steps
00:38:42 Closing Thoughts
Explore our free resources for pastors for more practical ministry tools.
Follow Build the Church for weekly episodes that help you gain momentum, grow your church, and go the distance in ministry. Share this conversation with a pastor or team member who helps oversee your church’s systems and follow-up.
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How can AI help pastors understand their people and guide them toward meaningful spiritual growth?
Josh Roberie sits down with Nathan Derenski of Rhythm Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Zach Morris of Essential Church in the Des Moines, Iowa, area to explore practical uses of Claude AI for discipleship, volunteer placement, and pastoral care.
Drawing from their experience in youth ministry, executive leadership, and church planting, Nathan and Zach explain how they’re building assessments that bring together spiritual gifts, DISC personality profiles, personal passions, and life circumstances.
You’ll hear how these tools can help identify next steps, connect people with ministry opportunities, and prepare leaders for more informed pastoral conversations. They also discuss reviewing results with people, correcting inaccurate assumptions, and improving their tools through feedback.
For pastors looking to strengthen church systems and make discipleship more personal, this episode offers a look at what two church planters are learning as they build.
CHAPTERS
00:00:00 Church Planting and AI Integration
00:05:13 Pastoral Journeys and Church Planting
00:09:55 Building Discipleship Assessments
00:15:05 Personalized Spiritual Growth with AI
00:19:59 The Evolution of AI Tools in Ministry
00:25:11 Assessment Accuracy and Personalization
00:30:05 Getting Started with AI at Your Church
CONNECT & EXPLORE
Nathan Derenski — Rhythm Church:
https://rhythm.church
Zach Morris — Essential Church:
https://www.esntlchurch.com/
YourTeam.Church — personality and spiritual gifts assessments for volunteer team matching:
https://yourteam.church/
Free resources for pastors:
https://www.buildthe.church/resources/free-resources
Follow Build the Church for weekly, practical help to gain momentum, grow your church, and go the distance in ministry. Share this episode with a pastor or ministry leader who is exploring AI.
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How do you get more church volunteers and help them find a meaningful place to serve?
In this episode of Build the Church, Josh Roberie explores how personality traits, spiritual gifts, and AI can support church volunteer recruitment and connect people to ministry teams.
Josh walks through YourTeam.Church, the assessment tool he created for pastors and church leaders, and explains how DISC personality insights and spiritual gifts work together to inform team recommendations. You’ll hear how personalized results, custom team profiles, and a searchable volunteer dashboard can support your Growth Track, Next Steps class, and volunteer follow-up.
The episode also explores practical uses of AI: drafting team descriptions, suggesting team profiles, and helping leaders prepare for conversations with potential volunteers.
If you’re building a Dream Team, improving volunteer onboarding, or helping people discover their purpose through serving, this conversation offers tools you can bring into your church.
CHAPTERS
00:00:00 Identifying Church Challenges
00:02:55 Connecting People to Teams
00:06:06 YourTeam.Church: A Digital Solution
00:09:07 Assessment Features and Benefits
00:12:10 Customization and User Experience
00:15:06 AI Integration and Team Management
00:18:02 Conclusion and Call to Action
Explore YourTeam.Church and request a demo:
https://yourteam.church/
Find free resources for pastors:
https://www.buildthe.church/resources/free-resources
Watch the screen-sharing walkthrough on the Build the Church YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@buildthe.church
Follow Build the Church for weekly, practical help to gain momentum, grow your church, and go the distance in ministry. Share this episode with the person who leads your volunteer teams.
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How can pastors help people develop lasting relationships, grow spiritually, and stay committed to their church?
Josh Roberie welcomes Pastor Ben Murray of City Hope Church in Wichita Falls, Texas, for a practical conversation about building community and commitment through intentional discipleship.
Drawing from his book, Give God a Year, Ben shares how his church helps new believers understand what comes next and invites people into a year of growing in faith. They discuss strengthening small groups, developing consistent habits of Scripture reading and prayer, and helping people put their faith into practice.
Ben also shares what his recent sabbatical taught him about a sustainable pace and why friendships with other pastors matter for longevity in ministry.
Listen for ideas you can bring into your new believer follow-up, small group ministry, and discipleship pathway.
IN THIS EPISODE
00:00 The Gap Between Belief and Practice
02:59 The Journey of Faithfulness
05:45 The Challenge of Giving God a Year
09:05 Understanding Works vs. Discipleship
11:49 The Importance of Community
14:58 Establishing Daily Rhythms
17:50 Encouragement for Pastors
20:50 Conclusion and Resources
LINKS & RESOURCES
Get Give God a Year:
https://givegodayear.org/
Ask about bulk book orders:
Ben@CityHopeFamily.com
Connect with Ben:
https://www.instagram.com/cityhopeben/
Explore our free church leadership resources:
https://www.buildthe.church/resources/free-resources
This episode is brought to you by YourTeam.Church, helping volunteers understand their personality and connect with a team where they can serve with purpose.
https://yourteam.church/
Follow Build the Church for weekly conversations that help you gain momentum, grow your church, and go the distance in ministry. Share this episode with a pastor you’re doing ministry alongside.
Support the show