Saddleback Church
Six years leading mobile work for one of the largest churches in the US: a shared UI library, multiple apps, and test coverage from 15% to 64%.
Overview
Saddleback Church is one of the largest churches in the United States, with mobile apps used by tens of thousands of members and staff. Over six years we led a team of three engineers, built a UI library shared across every church app, shipped multiple mobile apps used within the church, and raised the quality bar of the codebase underneath them.
The Challenge
The church ran several mobile apps for different audiences, each built its own way. Screens looked and behaved differently from app to app, every new app started from scratch, and the main codebase had grown organically with low test coverage and mounting technical debt, which made every release riskier than it needed to be.
Our Role
We embedded with the church for six years and led a team of two other engineers. We built a shared UI library so every app drew from the same components, used it to ship multiple mobile apps for members and staff, contributed to a major rewrite of the Companion app, and introduced the testing standards and foundational test suite that took coverage from 15% to 64%.
Achievements
One UI library for every church app
We designed and built a UI library that every Saddleback app now draws from. Buttons, forms, typography, and layouts look and behave the same everywhere, and a new app starts with a full set of tested components instead of a blank screen.
Multiple apps, built for the church
On top of that library we built multiple mobile apps used within the church, for members and for staff. Shared components meant each new app shipped faster and felt like part of the same family from day one.
Leading the team
We led a team of three engineers: setting technical direction, reviewing changes, and mentoring the two engineers alongside us, so the library and the apps built on it stayed consistent as the work grew.
The Companion app rewrite
The Companion app, the primary mobile experience for church members, underwent a significant rewrite. We helped plan the new architecture, wrote key modules, and kept the migration stable for a live user base.
From 15% to 64% test coverage
When we joined, the main app had minimal test coverage. We introduced testing standards, wrote the foundational unit tests, and shifted the team toward quality-first shipping. Coverage grew from 15% to 64%, and regression bugs dropped significantly.
What they said
"Their problem-solving skills are off the charts. Their commitment to quality is infectious and pushes the entire team to strive for excellence."
"Technical proficiency is a given. What sets them apart is the collaborative approach: open to feedback, proactive on challenges, and always keeping design and development aligned. A delight to work with."
Tech Stack
React Native / Expo / JavaScript / TypeScript / Jest / Azure DevOps
Want something
built like this?
If you run several mobile apps, or a large long-lived one, and need a team to lead the work, unify it, and keep its quality high for years, this is the kind of work we do.
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