StoryBrand BrandScript
Framework: StoryBrand 7-Part Framework (Donald Miller)
Every piece of marketing copy, sales conversation, email, and landing page should draw from this script. The customer is always the hero. Digital Church is always the guide.
"Most churches pay for five or more tools that don't talk to each other. Digital Church brings your website, church management, and media together on one platform you actually own — so your team can focus on ministry, not software."
Short version: "One platform for your church website, ChMS, and media. You own it all."
1. A Character (The Hero)
Who: A church leader — lead pastor, executive pastor, or communications director — at a growing church (100–1,000 attendance) trying to build a real digital presence for their ministry.
What they want:
A digital platform that actually serves their ministry — not just a website over here, a ChMS over there, and a streaming tool somewhere else, but one system that works together and that they actually own.
Identity-level desire: They want to be the leader who got their church's technology right — who stopped the bleeding, made a smart decision, and set their church up for the next decade.
2. Has a Problem
The Villain
The fragmented church tech industry — an ecosystem designed to sell churches one narrow tool at a time, creating dependency on 5–8 different vendors who don't talk to each other and don't share data.
The villain is never the customer. The villain is the system that put them in this position.
External Problem (The tangible frustration)
"We're paying for Planning Center AND Subsplash AND a website host AND an email tool AND a giving platform AND a streaming service — and none of them work together."
- Multiple logins, multiple bills, multiple support contacts
- Data lives in silos that can't communicate
- Staff wastes hours each week copying information between systems
- Costs add up to $200–400/month with no single source of truth
Internal Problem (How it makes them feel)
"I feel like I'm wasting the church's money and my team's time on technology that should be making our lives easier, not harder."
- Overwhelmed by the complexity of managing disconnected tools
- Guilty about spending ministry dollars on redundant subscriptions
- Behind — other churches seem to have it figured out
- Frustrated that their website is just a brochure, not a real tool
- Anxious about being locked into vendors they can't leave
Philosophical Problem (What's just wrong about this)
Church technology should serve the mission, not complicate it.
Churches shouldn't have to become IT departments to have a functional digital presence. The tools should work for them, not the other way around. And a church should own its own digital infrastructure — not rent it from a vendor who can change the terms anytime.
3. And Meets a Guide (Digital Church)
Empathy (We understand)
"We know what it's like. Our founder spent over a decade in pastoral ministry, juggling the same disconnected tools, watching church budgets get eaten by subscriptions that never quite solved the problem. That's why we built Digital Church — because we lived the frustration first."
Empathy statements for copy:
- "You shouldn't need five platforms to run one church."
- "We've been on the other side of that admin dashboard at 11 PM on a Saturday night."
- "Your volunteers already have full-time jobs. Your tech shouldn't feel like another one."
- "We know the budget conversation. Every dollar you spend on software is a dollar that didn't go to ministry."
Authority (We can help)
- Founded by a pastor — Mark Tenney spent 10+ years in church ministry (worship pastor, church planter) before building Digital Church. This isn't Silicon Valley tech imposed on churches — it's built from inside the problem.
- WordPress foundation — Built on the platform that powers 43% of the web. Not a proprietary black box — a proven, extensible, open ecosystem.
- Real churches, real results — Churches already using the platform to manage their website, people, media, and communications from a single dashboard.
- Custom builds available — We don't just hand you software and walk away. We can build your site to your exact specifications.
4. Who Gives Them a Plan
The Process Plan (3 steps)
| Step | What Happens |
|---|---|
| 1. See How It Works | Schedule a free discovery call or watch a demo. We walk through your current tech stack, show you what consolidation looks like, and give you an honest assessment of fit. No pressure. |
| 2. We Build It Together | We migrate your content, set up your unified platform, and customize it to your ministry. Website, church management, and media — all on your domain. Optional custom build available. |
| 3. Launch and Grow | Your team gets trained, your congregation gets a better experience, and you get your time back. Ongoing support as your church grows — and because you own everything, you're never locked in. |
The Agreement Plan (What we promise)
- You own everything — your data, your domain, your site. Always.
- Transparent pricing — no hidden fees, no surprise invoices as you grow.
- Real support — from people who understand ministry, not just software.
- No lock-in — export your data anytime. We earn your business every month.
5. And Calls Them to Action
Direct CTA
"Schedule a Discovery Call" — This is the primary action. Every page, every email, every conversation should make it easy to take this step.
Alternative phrasing:
- "See a Live Demo"
- "Start Your Free Consultation"
Transitional CTAs
For people not ready to talk yet — provide genuine value that moves them closer to understanding the problem:
- "Download the Church Digital Audit Template"
- "Get the Church Tech Budget Calculator"
- "Read: Is Your Church Tech Stack Costing You More Than It Should?"
- "Watch: How [Church Name] Unified Their Digital Ministry" (future — case study)
6. That Helps Them Avoid Failure
A light touch — one or two bullet points in any given piece of copy — is enough. Just enough salt to make them thirsty.
What happens if they don't act:
- Money keeps draining — $200–400/month across fragmented tools, year after year, with nothing to show for it but separate logins
- Staff burns out — Your best people spend energy on tool management instead of ministry. Eventually they stop volunteering or leave staff
- You fall further behind — Your congregation's digital expectations keep rising. The gap between what they expect and what you deliver keeps widening
- Data stays trapped — Member information, giving history, attendance patterns — all locked in silos you can't connect
- Vendor risk grows — You don't own any of it. One price increase, one acquisition, one discontinued feature — and you're scrambling
- The next pastor inherits the mess — If you move on, whoever comes next gets a tangled web of disconnected systems
7. And Ends in Success
External Success (What changes visibly)
- One platform, one login — Staff and volunteers manage everything from a single dashboard
- $100+/month saved — Consolidation immediately reduces total tech spend
- A website that works for ministry — Not just a brochure, but the hub for the entire digital presence
- Modern, professional appearance — A digital experience the congregation is proud to share
Internal Success (How they feel)
- In control — They made a smart, long-term decision for their church
- Relieved — The tech headache is gone. Things just work
- Confident — They can show their board exactly what they're spending and why
- Free — More time for the ministry they were actually called to
Philosophical Success (What's now right about the world)
- Their church owns its digital presence — not renting it from a vendor
- Technology is serving the mission — not the other way around
- They're set up for the next decade — scalable, extensible, future-proof
From a church leader drowning in disconnected tools and wasted budget → to a confident leader with a unified platform they own, a team that has time for ministry, and a digital presence that actually serves their congregation.
Applying the BrandScript
Website
- Header: One-liner or hero statement drawn from Character + Problem
- Stakes section: Light failure points (2–3 bullets)
- Value section: Success outcomes
- Plan section: The 3 steps
- CTA: Direct (discovery call) + Transitional (lead magnet)
- Guide section: Empathy + authority (founder story, WordPress foundation)
Email Sequences
- Welcome series: Problem → Guide introduction → Plan → Success stories → CTA
- Nurture: Educational content that deepens problem awareness
- Re-engagement: Gentle failure points + fresh success outcomes
Sales Conversations
- Open with empathy — "Walk me through what you're dealing with right now"
- Name the villain — "You're not the problem. The fragmented tech industry is"
- Present the plan — 3 steps, clear and simple
- Paint success — "Imagine if your team only had one login..."
- Call to action — "Want to see how it works for a church like yours?"
Blog & Content Marketing
Every post should connect to at least one BrandScript element:
| Content Type | Primary BrandScript Element |
|---|---|
| Problem-aware content | External + Internal problems |
| How-to content | Plan elements |
| Comparison content | Villain + Success contrast |
| Customer stories | Full BrandScript arc |
Social Media
- LinkedIn: Philosophical problem + Guide authority (Mark's pastoral background)
- Facebook: Community success stories + practical tips
This is a living document. As we learn what resonates with churches, the specific words evolve — but the framework stays.