A new online platform is making it easier for Fayetteville residents to explore the city’s wide range of churches, offering a centralized directory designed to simplify a process that has long relied on word-of-mouth and scattered online searches.

Fay.Church, launched this month by Bosworth Media Group LLC, compiles 379 congregations into a single, searchable website where users can browse by name, location or proximity using a “Near Me” feature. The platform also includes community ratings, church events and optional enhanced listings for congregations seeking a broader digital presence.  

For founder Charles “Boz” Bosworth, the idea behind the site began not as a business plan, but as a personal experience that exposed a common challenge.

“A few years ago, we were looking for a church to attend,” Bosworth said. That search, he explained, took on new meaning after a pastor friend asked him a series of thoughtful questions about what he valued in a church community, a question that revealed how little structure existed to guide the process.

As he reflected on that experience, Bosworth also noticed a recurring trend in local Fayetteville Facebook groups, where residents frequently asked for church recommendations. While those suggestions often came with good intentions, they were limited in scope.

“A centralized directory just made sense,” he said, describing the idea of bringing every church into one place where people could explore options on their own terms.

Fayetteville’s reputation as one of North Carolina’s most “church-rich” cities makes the need for organization even more apparent. With hundreds of congregations representing a wide range of denominations, the challenge is not finding a church but finding the right one.

“People may not know the denominations of churches near them or how to find the one they’re interested in,” Bosworth said. “And when you’re trying to preview services, you’re often jumping between different websites, trying to keep track of what you’ve already seen.”

Fay.Church addresses that issue by placing churches side by side in a single interface, allowing users to move quickly between listings and compare what each congregation offers. The platform is particularly helpful for navigating non-denominational churches, where beliefs can vary widely despite similar labels. Accessibility remains a defining feature of the directory. Every church is listed for free, a decision Bosworth said was rooted in fairness and community impact.

“The most important thing is helping people find a church that meets their needs,” he said. “Search engines tend to highlight churches with stronger online optimization, which can leave smaller congregations behind.”

By removing that barrier, the site gives equal visibility to churches regardless of size or technical resources. For congregations that want to expand their presence, optional paid upgrades offer additional features such as direct website links, livestream integration and enhanced profiles. Bosworth pointed to the potential benefit for those who may not be able to attend services in person.

“Imagine being able to scroll through services on a Sunday morning, all in one place,” he said. “You don’t have to search multiple sites or feel overwhelmed by the options.”

Beyond its current capabilities, Fay.Church is designed with future growth in mind. Planned updates include expanded search filters such as denomination, church size and available ministries like childcare or youth programs—features that could help users narrow their choices more intentionally. Bosworth also hopes to introduce user accounts that allow visitors to bookmark favorite churches and share them easily with others, along with a built-in resource library explaining different denominations and their beliefs.

“We want people to understand what they’re looking at, not just see a name,” he said, describing the importance of providing context alongside convenience.

The platform is already preparing to expand beyond Fayetteville into nearby communities such as Hope Mills and Spring Lake, with a submission feature that allows residents to suggest churches for inclusion. While Bosworth has conducted an extensive review to build the initial directory, he acknowledges that the work is ongoing.

“If we missed a church, it’s not intentional,” he said. “We’ve made it easy for people to add them, and we review every submission.”

In a city shaped by constant movement, especially with the presence of Fort Bragg, Bosworth believes Fay.Church can serve as a steady point of connection for newcomers and longtime residents alike. What began as a personal search has grown into a broader effort to bring clarity to Fayetteville’s faith landscape, offering a tool that is as much about community as it is about convenience.