A directory built around people, not algorithms.
ChurchAtlas helps Christians find local gatherings, and helps churches be found by the people already looking. Here’s exactly how it works — what we keep, what we don’t, and what you actually get.
Sarah’s Tuesday night in Atlanta.
Sarah is in Atlanta for a conference. It’s Tuesday at 6:47pm. She’s craving fellowship — her home group meets tonight back in Phoenix, and she’s feeling far from her people.
She opens ChurchAtlas and taps “Allow” when it asks to use her location. No typing, no searching. Bible studies, prayer groups, and gatherings near her appear instantly — sorted by time and distance. The nearest is four blocks from her hotel.
She taps directions, walks over, and is greeted by name. This is what the app is for.
Open the app, allow location, and what’s near you is already there.
Like maps or a rideshare app, ChurchAtlas asks for your location once. With your permission, your phone tells the app roughly where you are, and we show you gatherings happening around you — tonight, this weekend, this morning. You can say no, and search by city instead. Your call, always.
- Permission is yours to give — or not. The app works either way.
- We use your location to find what’s near you, then forget it. Nothing stored, nothing shared.
- Travelers, new movers, and locals on the go all benefit equally.
- Filter further by day, time, or accessibility — only if you want.
Pastor Mike puts his church on the map.
Pastor Mike at First Baptist has been faithfully running a Tuesday night Bible study for 11 years. Most weeks the same 8 people. He knows there are seekers in the neighborhood — he just can’t reach them.
He goes to churchatlas.app, signs up with his pastor email, adds his church (auto-verified by domain), and lists his three weekly gatherings. Done in 6 minutes.
Over the next month, four new faces walk in — one from out of town, two from across the neighborhood, one who hadn’t been to church in years. All of them found him the same way: searching for community at the right time.
Four steps from signup to first new visitor.
Sign up
Email + password, or Continue with Google. Email verified by a 6-digit code so we know it’s really you.
Add your church
Name, denomination, address. Domain emails auto-verify. Gmail/Yahoo go to a quick manual review.
List your gatherings
Bible studies, services, prayer groups. Tag for accessibility, format, and audience so the right people find you.
People find you
Searchers nearby filter by time and place. Your listing surfaces — with directions, notes, and your church’s heart.
We keep what we need, and nothing more.
No ads. No tracking pixels. No selling data to anyone. ChurchAtlas exists to connect people, not monetize them.
- Your email and a one-way bcrypt hash of your password (we can never see your actual password).
- Church and group info you publish: name, denomination, address, gatherings.
- A timestamp of your last sign-in (so you can spot suspicious activity).
- No third-party trackers. No Facebook pixel. No Google Analytics fingerprints.
- No data resale. Ever. Not to data brokers, not to ad networks, not to anyone.
- No scraping. We never list a church without their permission.
- No personal browsing history. We don’t care what else you search for.
Designed for trust, not engagement.
ChurchAtlas is a directory, not a social network. There are no DMs, no chat rooms, no algorithmic feeds — just verified listings of real gatherings. That’s on purpose.
Email verification
Every signup confirms a real, working email before the account is active. Domain emails verify instantly; free emails go to manual review.
Trinitarian scope
We list churches grounded in the historic Nicene Creed — Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, non-denom, every tradition that confesses the Triune God.
Accessibility tags
Pastors mark groups with tags like childcare, Spanish translation, recovery, or seniors — so people know what to expect before they show up.
Safe-space tags
Groups can mark themselves as confidential, background-checked, or for specific audiences (recovery, parents, seniors) so people find the right fit.
No social features
No friend requests. No comments. No messaging between strangers. The app gets you to a real-world gathering and then steps out of the way.
Opt-in always
Every church chooses to be listed. We never add anyone without explicit permission. Churches can hide or delete their listing in one click.
What changes for you.
- Travelers and the displaced can’t find a study or service near them.
- Churches rely on outdated websites that nobody googles for.
- Newcomers don’t know which group fits them — or even what’s offered.
- Denominational silos keep believers separated online.
- Existing apps cost money or ride on data harvesting.
- Find a study, prayer group, or service nearby in seconds — by time, place, and need.
- Churches surface where people already search — without paying for ads.
- Tags show people what fits before they walk in — audience, format, language.
- One map across denominations — the body of Christ, side by side.
- Free forever. No ads. No data sold.
“That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you.”
— John 17:21