Hey there 👋

I’m Cam Pak, designer and developer of digital experiences that lead to lasting transformation and freedom through Jesus and community.

Okay, well you’ve just heard the very polished life mission statement of mine that took years to chisel and shape. Before, I used to introduce myself like this, “hi, I create websites.” And that would end the conversation most of the time, haha. 

I’m a husband, a new father, a friend, and the list could go on. And, I’m a “melos” of the church, just like you.

Behind the name

You might be wondering, what does “Melos” mean? “Melos” (μέλος), pronounced “MEL-oss”, is a Greek word meaning “a member” or “a part,” often used in the context of a body part in relation to the whole.

In 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Paul uses the metaphor of a body to describe the Church, with Christ as the head and believers as various parts of the body. Each “melos”, or “member”, has a unique role and function, contributing to the health and mission of the whole body. This concept emphasizes unity, diversity, and interdependence among believers.

The word “melos” was first introduced to me by my good friend Michael M. He used that to name a set of web components (think building blocks for a website), and ever since that name has stuck with me. 

How did Melos.Church come to be?

From here on out, I will refer to Melos.Church as Melos.

It started in November of 2021. I got connected with a small home church in Ardmore, Oklahoma. They wanted a church website, and I had the willingness to help. 

At first, I considered a low-code, no-code solution, but found that some of the options out there for church website builders:

• were too complicated to set up the site
• were too expensive
• were too feature-packed, but all I needed was a simple website

For example, Subsplash (I will preface is an awesome company and toolset) says they are “the one platform that does it all.” What about a tool for the people who don’t need it all and just want a website?

Thus, I got started hand-coding the site. It wasn’t easy work, either. There were so many new things for me to learn, but it was a fun journey. After a couple of months or so of designing and developing, it was ready to be seen by the world! 

Then, it dawned on me. 💡

I figured another church would ask me to build a website for them at some point. So, instead of coding it from scratch, I could re-use the existing church website and change the text and images. 

Then another thought dawned on me. 💡

I could create a simple tool that allows churches to generate their own church websites. I felt like I had a download of ideas from the Holy Spirit for the tool that would later be known as Melos.Church. 

Version 1 of Melos was launched in March of 2022. It was not a huge success, but I learned so much in the process in development, design, marketing, connecting with churches, and relying on God for ideas, wisdom and motivation to complete the project. And, in October 2023, I re-built the tool with more modern and robust technologies. 

Melos.Church now and future commitment

Melos is doing well and gaining numbers, in a sustainable way, enough where a one-person team can manage well and still have time to be a resource of help to the Melos community.

One really cool feature is that we won #1 product of the week at DevHunt in January of 2024!

Melos’ product market fit is mainly for small to mid-sized churches who need a unified web presence that integrates well with existing tools and technologies you use today. We also can be thought of as a “bring yourself, come as you are, with what you know, and we’ll generate you a website” kind of tool.

I really care about sustainability of this project, so let’s talk finances! Melos isn’t profitable, yet it’s not expensive, either. I pay for the hosting and managing expenses of the tool out of pocket and out of love for the local church. For extra clarity, it’s $40 a year for the domain. The entirety of the project is likely to cost under a hundred dollars a year for a bit of time. That cost will increase and findings ways to fundraise will be needed, but I can promise you a few things…

The Melos Commitment

• I will do my best to follow God’s guiding in every step of this tool. 
• I have no plans to sell this tool, and I have no plans to work on this tool full-time. It is simple enough to work on in my free times. And, I am not motivated by money. I am motivated by heart. (God may have different plans, and I will communicate as clearly as possible. My commitment to you is that this tool will not become stale, God-willingly.)
• This tool will always have a free option to lower any barrier to entry for a Jesus-following, Bible-believing church. 
• I have very little desire to replace the “big leagues” like Planning Center or Tithely Websites (who are great, btw), but instead this tool is positioned to reach churches they are not reaching. 
• My aim is that Melos would plug-n-play well with tools you already use, such as a YouTube, Church Online, Tithely Giving, and more integrations. 
• Your voice matters today and will continue to matter to help shape this tool to better serve your local church. 

So, you’ve heard it, the origin, the heart, and the hopeful future of Melos.

When the church is connected and unified to the Vine and to one another, we can do anything and change the world. 

Get your free church website today →

Share your Melos story →

— from Cam Pak, a “melos” of the Church

P.S. I’ve been saying “MEL-oss” wrong the entire time. I thought it was “May-lows,” haha.