Getting started: the 10-minute setup

You paid. Now the fun part. The setup wizard takes about ten minutes if you have your things ready, and your site goes live the moment you finish.

Have these ready

• Your church or ministry name, exactly how you want it spelled on the site.
• The pastor's name and title. For Byline and Encore, which are made for one minister's own site, this is your own name and how you are introduced.
• Your address and your service times. Byline and Encore only ask where you are based; a home church address and service times are optional there.
• The email address that should receive form submissions. A shared office address is better than one person's inbox.
• Your logo as a PNG, SVG or JPG. If you do not have one, skip it. Several templates draw a clean wordmark or seal from your name.
• Your colors, or just pick one of the four palettes. You can change this later.
• Your YouTube channel link, your giving link, and your live-stream link if you have one.
• Three to six real photos of your people. See Adding photos.

How the wizard works

Sign in with the link we emailed you. The wizard walks through one screen at a time: church, people, times and place, connections, look, photos, and your words. Every screen saves as you go, so you can close the tab and come back.

Nothing is published until you press Submit on the last screen. Until then your address shows a short "launching soon" page with your church name on it.

What happens when you submit

1. We put your content into the design and publish it. This takes a few minutes.
2. We check that your site answers and shows your church name.
3. We email you "Your site is live" with the address.

Your site launches on a free Emberline address. When you are ready, connect your own domain.

A word from a pastor

Do not wait until every photo is perfect. Launch with what you have, then replace a photo a week. A live door beats a closed one.