ChurchApp: Full-Stack Mobile App, Marketing Website, Admin Portal.

The Backstory

In January 2026, the founder of ChurchApp reached out to me. They had a great vision for a Christian community platform, but the project had been stuck in limbo for over a year with very little to show for it. They needed someone who could jump into the deep end, figure out the mess, and actually get the product launched.

Taking Over the Backend

I came on board as a full-stack developer to take over the entire project. The backend was originally set up using Hono.js and Bun—a stack I actually really love. I took some time to understand what the previous developers were trying to do, and then completely restructured it. I set up proper CI/CD pipelines, rigorously tested the APIs, integrated our external services, and brought in Redis to make sure content loaded instantly for users.

Building the Mobile App

With the backend finally stable, I moved on to the React Native (Expo) mobile app. I refactored the messy codebase, translated their Figma designs into a proper design system with tokens, and hooked it up to our new endpoints using RTK Query.

To get the app out the door fast, I leaned heavily on AI-assisted coding. It helped me single-handedly build and ship some massive features:

The Marketing Site & Launch

Even though the mobile app is the core product, we needed a way to actually get people to discover and download it. I built the official marketing website from scratch using Next.js. It’s fast, clean, and does exactly what it needs to do: explain the platform and drive user acquisition.

Finally, I handled the tricky process of getting the app approved and published on both the iOS App Store and Google Play. I also set up Over-The-Air (OTA) updates, which allows me to continuously push bug fixes and improvements directly to users without them having to download a new version from the app store.