Open Doors — Online and Off.
Walnut Street Church of Christ has been meeting in Jesup for years — Sunday mornings for Bible study and worship, Wednesday evenings for deeper study, and all the gathering in between that makes a congregation a community.
But the doors of a church aren’t just the physical ones. In an era when most people’s first encounter with a congregation happens on a screen, the digital front door matters just as much as the one on East Walnut Street.
FDM built them a website that opens both.
Industry: Religious Organization / Church
Services: Website Design, Member Portal, Sermon Audio Archive, Hosting & Maintenance
Partnership Length: 16 Years
Churches serve two very different audiences from the same website. Current members need practical resources — sermon archives, event calendars, member communications. Visitors who’ve never been before need something entirely different: a clear sense of what to expect, what the church believes, and whether this might be a place for them.
Balancing those two needs — without the site feeling either too insider-focused for new visitors or too generic for the people who call Walnut Street home — was the design challenge at the center of this build.
Key areas of focus:
- Creating a welcoming first impression for visitors searching for a church in Jesup
- Providing members with sermon audio archives and digital resources they can access anytime
- Clearly communicating the church’s values, schedule, and beliefs to help newcomers decide if it’s the right fit
The Solution
FDM built a warm, professional website that serves both audiences without shortchanging either. First-time visitors find a welcoming, clear experience. Long-time members find the tools and resources that make the website an extension of their church community.
- ‘What to Expect’ — the single most important page for a new visitor. Walking into an unfamiliar church is vulnerable. The What to Expect page reduces that anxiety by telling visitors exactly what Sunday looks and feels like at Walnut Street — before they ever leave the house.
- A full sermon audio archive with direct playback. Every archived sermon is browsable and playable from the site — so members can revisit a message they found meaningful, and visitors can get a feel for the teaching before they visit in person.
- A private member portal for congregation resources. Internal communications, a church calendar, and community resources are available to members through a secure portal — giving the congregation a digital extension of their community life.
- Plan of Salvation and Daily Bible Readings for spiritual engagement. For those searching deeper, these pages offer accessible, scripture-based resources that reflect the church’s commitment to teaching and outreach.
Welcoming Everyone, Online and Off
Walnut Street Church of Christ gathers every Sunday at 9 AM for Bible study and 10 AM for worship, with Wednesday evening studies as well. For members, those are anchor points in the week. For someone considering their first visit, those are just times on a calendar — until the website helps them picture what those times actually look and feel like.
FDM built a website that bridges that gap. For the congregation, it’s a practical digital extension of their church life. For the community, it’s an open, welcoming invitation. For everyone, it reflects exactly who Walnut Street is: a church that takes both its faith and its hospitality seriously.
The Results
Jesup Christians now has a digital home that reflects who they are — a welcoming, teaching-focused church that makes room for everyone. Whether you’re finding them for the first time online or coming back for Sunday morning, the website serves you.
Open doors. Online and off.
Key outcomes include:
- First-visitor-focused design that reduces anxiety and encourages new attendance
- Sermon archive giving members ongoing access to teachings anytime, anywhere
- Member portal deepening community connection beyond Sunday mornings
- Professional digital presence that represents the church’s values and mission online
Ready to Build Something That Lasts?
Whether you’re starting from scratch or inheriting a site that needs a serious update, FDM brings the same long-term thinking to every client we work with.
— we’ll show you exactly where your site stands and what to do next.
We Don’t Just Build Websites
We build lasting partnerships. Let’s chat today about any of your small business digital marketing needs! From Google Business Profiles to Email Marketing to Custom Websites, we are ready to work with you and tailor our services to your needs.