Ministry and craft in the same workspace.
Secret Fire was built on a simple conviction: the local church deserves a digital presence as good as its mission, and a website should never be the reason someone doesn't walk through the door and meet Jesus.
- Tyler Thomas · Founder
- B.S. Marketing · Grove City College
- Wexford, PA
How Secret Fire approaches every project, and why it matters.
Relationships first
Every project starts with learning your church: what makes your congregation specific to your community, what your pastor cares about, and what your people are like. The website is built from that.
The door should always be open
A church website is the front door to everything your ministry does. It's how a curious searcher becomes a first-time visitor. Getting that door right is ministry work: it should be clear, warm, fast, and trustworthy.
Ministry leaders should focus on ministry
Digital platforms should run in the background. Every Secret Fire project aims to reduce the digital burden on your staff, so the people called to pastoral work can do it.
Stewardship of gifts
I believe creativity is a gift from God and that using it to serve the church is a form of stewardship. That includes stewarding your budget: you pay for the size of site you need and add only the services that serve your ministry.
Honest about what "marketing" is
Some church leaders feel tension around the word. I see it this way: marketing is effective communication of something valuable, and your church has something worth communicating. Communicating it well is faithfulness.
Honest about the platform
Every site is built on Squarespace, on your church's own subscription with the account in your organization's name. You get a fully custom site built for your ministry, on a platform your team can manage.
"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor."
Why the name Secret Fire
J.R.R. Tolkien was a committed Christian, and the mythology of Middle-earth is deeply shaped by his faith. In his writings, the Secret Fire, also called the Flame Imperishable, is the power of creation itself: the life God gives to the world. Tolkien himself is reported to have identified it with the Holy Spirit.
The name reflects the conviction that creativity is a divine gift, and that the skill to build something beautiful and useful for the church is worth stewarding with care. I'm not the source of the fire. I'm a servant of it. The work of Secret Fire is, in a small way, participating in something larger than any individual project or client or website.
Outside the work
The things that shape the work, because how someone lives outside the office tells you a lot about how they work inside it.
Family first
Married for eight years and a father of two boys, ages one and four. Most of my best hours are spent with them.
An avid reader
Tolkien is the obvious reference, but the shelves go deep: theology, history, biography, and the kind of fantasy novel that takes three months to finish.
Men's group leader
I lead a men's small group at my local church, and I believe many of life's most important conversations happen around a table with a few people who know each other well.
Launching a new campus
Helping launch a new Orchard Hill Church campus in my local community, putting my ministry convictions where my own neighborhood is.
Pages of Light
An ongoing project exploring great literature through a biblical worldview, with book group study guides designed for churches and small groups. I believe the best books ask the same questions the gospel answers, and that good reading and good theology belong in the same conversation.
Ready to talk about your church's website?
The best place to start is the free discovery call: a 30-minute conversation about your church, your goals, and whether I'm the right fit. No pitch, no pressure.