Faith Baptist Church of Sterlington
Buying the Domain Name

From Chance · October 13, 2026 · Part 2 of 2 · Download as PDF · Part 1: the server · Part 3: intake form

Kevin, this is part two. It buys the church's web address (the domain name) through Cloudflare and hands Chance the keys so he can point it at the server, keep it renewed, and handle every future change without needing you. About 15 minutes.

Before you start

Cost is about $11 a year. Cloudflare sells domains at cost with no markup, and renews automatically each year on the card you enter. There are no other charges.

Have these ready:

• The church email address you used for DigitalOcean. Use the same one here so everything lives in one inbox.
• A credit or debit card, or PayPal.
• The church's mailing address and phone number. Domain registration rules require a real contact; Cloudflare hides it from the public for free.

Pick the name. These were all available as of October 13, 2026. First choice is at the top; have a second choice ready in case someone grabs it first.

One name is enough. Chance can add others later if the church wants them.

Step 1: Create the Cloudflare account

1. Go to dash.cloudflare.com/sign-up.
2. Enter the church email address and make up a strong password. Write both down; you will give them to Chance in Step 4.
3. Click Sign Up, then open the church inbox and click the verify your email link Cloudflare sends. Do this now; a domain can't be bought from an unverified account.
4. Skip anything that asks you to "add a website" or "add a site." We are only buying a name here; Chance handles the rest.
5. Do not turn on two-factor authentication yet. Chance will add the right protection once he is in, so the account doesn't get locked to one phone.

You are done with Step 1 when you can see the Cloudflare dashboard with a menu on the left that includes Domain Registration.

Step 2: Buy the domain through Cloudflare

1. In the left menu click Domain Registration → Register Domains.
2. Type your first-choice name (for example faithbaptiststerlington.org) in the search box and press Enter.
3. Find it in the results with a price next to it and click Purchase. If it says unavailable, search your second choice.
4. Registration period: 1 year is fine (auto-renew keeps it going). Pick longer if you'd rather pay less often.
5. Auto-renew: leave it on. This is what keeps the church from losing the name a year from now.
6. Contact information: fill in the church's details. Use "Faith Baptist Church" as the organization, the church mailing address, the church phone, and the church email. Cloudflare keeps this private automatically at no charge.
7. Payment: add the card or PayPal and complete the purchase.
8. Watch the church inbox. Within a few minutes you get an email from Cloudflare (or "ICANN") asking you to verify the contact email for the domain. Click the link. If this isn't clicked within 15 days the domain gets suspended, so do it right away.

You are done with Step 2 when the domain shows under Domain Registration → Manage Domains with a status of Active (it can take up to an hour to settle; that's fine).

Step 3: Give Chance full access

This adds Chance to the account with every permission, so he can point the name at the server, change settings, and renew it in the future without coming back to you. You stay the owner; he can't remove you.

1. In the left menu click Manage Account → Members.
2. Click Invite.
3. In the email box type: chance@nevillschapel.org
4. Scope: leave it as All domains (sometimes shown as "All domains and account resources").
5. Role: tick Super Administrator - All Privileges. This is the only one that matters. Don't pick "Administrator" or any of the narrower ones; those leave gaps that would mean bothering you later.
6. Click Continue (or Invite), and confirm.

Chance gets an email and accepts. When he has, his name shows in the Members list with the role Super Administrator - All Privileges and a status of Accepted. If it still says Pending after a day, let him know.

You are done with Step 3 when Chance appears in the Members list.

Step 4: Send Chance the login details

Text Chance, or tell him on the phone (please not by email), these four things:

1. The domain name you bought (for example faithbaptiststerlington.org).
2. The Cloudflare login email (the church address).
3. The Cloudflare password you created in Step 1.
4. The DigitalOcean password from the server guide, if you haven't already.

Why the passwords: Cloudflare and DigitalOcean occasionally require the account owner's own login to approve a change, recover access, or update a card. Having them means Chance can handle every one of those without pulling you away from church work. He keeps them in an encrypted vault, not in email or a notes app, and will never change them without telling you.

If you'd rather change the password to something you're comfortable sharing before you send it, that's fine; just send whatever is current.

What Chance does next

Nothing more for you. Once he has access, Chance will:

• Point the domain at the church's server, so the address opens the website (and www. works too).
• Turn on the free security and speed features Cloudflare provides.
• Make sure auto-renew and the card are set, so the name never lapses.
• Set up church email addresses on the domain later, if the church wants them.

The website is usually live at the new address within an hour of him finishing.

If something goes wrong

Questions at any point: call or text Chance. Don't delete the domain or remove members unless he asks.