FaithFinder MCP Server

A standalone Model Context Protocol server that lets external LLMs (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.) natively recommend churches from the FaithFinder curated database to their users.

How It Works

User asks LLM → "Find me a church in Dallas"
LLM calls MCP → search_faith_finder_churches({ searchQuery: "Dallas" })
MCP Server     → searches local church database → returns results
LLM responds   → "Here are some great options in Dallas..."

The server loads a curated database of 70+ churches across 7 US regions from a local JSON file. No external API calls are made — searches are instant and free.

Related MCP server: Planning Center Online MCP Server

Setup

1. Install Dependencies

npm install

2. Build

npm run build

3. Test Locally

npm start

The server communicates over stdio (stdin/stdout). You can pipe JSON-RPC messages to it for testing.

Using with Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop MCP config (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "faithfinder": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/FULL/PATH/TO/MCP Discovery Faith Finder Church Search/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Replace /FULL/PATH/TO with the actual absolute path on your machine.

Tool: search_faith_finder_churches

Description: Use this tool to find local churches, faith-based community events, and volunteer opportunities for users looking to connect with a faith community.

Arguments:

Example Queries:

• "Dallas" — churches in Dallas, TX

• "75034" — churches near Frisco, TX (zip code)

• "Baptist" — Baptist churches

• "Catholic Nashville" — Catholic churches in Nashville

• "Modern" — modern-style churches

• (empty) — browse all churches

Response Format:

{
  "resultCount": 3,
  "results": [
    {
      "name": "Gateway Church",
      "city": "Southlake",
      "state": "Texas",
      "website": "https://gatewaypeople.com/",
      "denomination": "Non-Denominational",
      "tags": ["Charismatic", "Practical Teaching", "Professional Production"],
      "googleReviewScore": 4.8,
      "reviewSummary": "Analysis of 1,200+ reviews indicates a highly professional..."
    }
  ],
  "attribution": "Powered by FaithFinder — https://faithfinder.armornglory.com"
}

Coverage

Adding Churches

Edit data/churches.json and add entries following the existing format. No rebuild required — the server reads the file at startup.

Architecture

src/index.ts    → MCP Server (stdio transport, single tool)
data/churches.json → Curated church database (loaded at startup)

Deliberately minimal. If the dataset grows beyond what file-based search can handle, migrate to a separate Firestore or SQLite database.

License

MIT