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SermonWise Pro — Founder Interview Input File

Product: SermonWise Pro (sermon_pro / sermon_pro_annual) URL: sermonwise.ai (hostname rewrite → churchwiseai-web/src/app/sermons/) Purpose: Define exactly what a SermonWise Pro customer sees at every touchpoint. How to use: Fill in YOUR ANSWER under each question. Then in a new Claude session, say: "Read knowledge/acceptance/decisions/sermonwise-pro-interview-prompt.md and write the complete SermonWise Pro acceptance spec at knowledge/acceptance/sermonwise-pro.md."

Reference: knowledge/acceptance/starter-chat.md is the completed example spec format to follow.

Pricing:

  • Monthly: $19.95/mo (price_1T99RtFaoK5IPzNoDWkdDMnA)
  • Annual (USD): $199.50/yr (price_1TM4lUFaoK5IPzNoCXxFPUnr on canonical prod_U7OEapCdCn42eJ)
  • Annual (CAD): $249/yr (price_1TWJiKFaoK5IPzNowVp6FyJF)
  • Note: price_1T99SiFaoK5IPzNoWXDIJVsE was the old annual price on the split product prod_U7OF3hRQYrSpar (archived 2026-05-12 per FA-002 closeout). Do not reference in new code.
  • Free tier: 2 outlines/month (exists — no credit card required)
  • Pro tier: 15 outlines/month

What exists in the codebase right now (read-only context for the founder):

  • Free account: email + password signup via Supabase Auth at /sermons/signup
  • Onboarding gate: new users are redirected to /sermons/app/onboarding to select their denomination/tradition before entering the app
  • App nav: My Sermons, Title Generator, Templates, Community (plus "+ New Sermon" button)
  • Dashboard stats: Time Saved, Sermons, Materials, Traditions explored, Usage remaining
  • Sermon generation wizard: 4-step (Scripture → Theological Lens → Preaching Method → Style/Audience → Generate)
  • Derivative materials: Small Group Guide, Children's Sermon, Social Media Posts — generated from any saved outline
  • Cross-promo banner in app: "Your AI ministry team goes beyond sermons. Explore ChurchWiseAI Voice + Chat →"
  • No trial period in the code — free tier IS the trial equivalent

Section A: Discovery & Marketing​

Q1: How does a pastor primarily discover SermonWise? Check all expected channels and rank the top 2:

  • Organic search (Google — "AI sermon outline generator", "sermon prep AI")
  • Referral from ChurchWiseAI.com (cross-promotion on the main site)
  • PewSearch.com listing (banner/link from a church's PewSearch page)
  • IllustrateTheWord.com (cross-promotion from the illustrations product)
  • Word of mouth from another pastor
  • ChurchWiseAI blog article
  • Direct Google Ad campaign
  • Other:

Top 2 expected channels:

YOUR ANSWER:

Q2: The sermonwise.ai landing page currently shows: hero (video background), "Why Pastors Choose SermonWise" feature grid (6 cards), 17 tradition icons strip, 4-step "How it works", and a pricing section (Free / Pro cards). Is this the correct, approved content for the marketing page — or are there changes needed?

Context: The 6 feature cards currently are: 17 Theological Traditions, Real Illustrations Not Hallucinations, Preaching Styles That Fit Your Voice, Built for Your People, Simple Export No Lock-In, Built for Ministry Not Just Content.

YOUR ANSWER:

Q3: The pricing page (/sermons/pricing) is a standalone page with Free and Pro cards, a feature comparison grid, and FAQ. Is this the correct flow — or should the pricing page redirect elsewhere, embed in the marketing page only, or link to churchwiseai.com/pricing?

YOUR ANSWER:

Q4: Is there a free tier, or is SermonWise paid-only from day one?

Context: The codebase has a Free tier (2 outlines/month, no credit card, all 17 traditions) and a Pro tier (15 outlines/month, premium AI model, sermon series planning). The marketing page and JSON-LD both describe this as a free-start model.

  • Keep free tier as-is (2 outlines/month, no credit card)
  • Remove free tier — require payment from signup
  • Keep free tier but require credit card at signup
  • Change free limit to ______ outlines/month
  • Something else:

YOUR ANSWER:

Section B: Sign-Up & Onboarding​

Q5: The signup flow currently is: click "Get Started Free" → /sermons/signup (email + name + password form, Supabase Auth) → /sermons/app/onboarding (denomination/tradition picker, one question) → /sermons/app (dashboard). Is this the correct approved flow?

Context: There is NO magic link / passwordless flow for SermonWise — it uses standard email + password (different from ChurchWiseAI admin which uses magic links). The onboarding gate redirects any user who hasn't set a theological tradition yet.

  • Approved as-is
  • Change to magic link / passwordless
  • Add Google OAuth option
  • Remove the denomination onboarding step (let them pick per-sermon instead)
  • Something else:

YOUR ANSWER:

Q6: Does SermonWise send a welcome email on signup? If yes, what should it say? What are the 2-3 most important things a new pastor should do first?

Context: There is no welcome email wired in the current codebase — the user just lands on the dashboard after onboarding. If you want a welcome email, it needs to be built.

  • No welcome email — dashboard is sufficient
  • Yes, send a welcome email. It should include:
    • Subject line:
    • Body summary (what to do first):
    • 3 "first actions" for the pastor: 1. 2. 3.

YOUR ANSWER:

Q7: When a free user upgrades to Pro (via the upgrade button in the app), what happens immediately? What does the confirmation experience look like?

Context: The app currently shows ?upgraded=true param in the URL after Stripe checkout, which triggers a green banner: "Welcome to SermonWise Pro! You now have 15 sermon outlines per month." Is this sufficient, or should there be a richer confirmation (email, modal, checklist)?

  • Green banner is sufficient
  • Also send a confirmation email (describe what it should say):
  • Show a modal/celebration screen first
  • Something else:

YOUR ANSWER:

Q8: Is there a trial period for SermonWise Pro — or does the free tier serve as the "try before you buy" mechanism?

Context: PRICING.md says SermonWise has no explicit trial period — the free tier (2 outlines/month) is the entry point. Chat plans have a 14-day free trial; SermonWise does not follow that pattern.

  • No trial — free tier IS the try-before-you-buy
  • Add a 14-day trial (same as CWA chat plans) — note: this needs to be built
  • Add a 7-day trial
  • Other:

YOUR ANSWER:

Section C: Core Features​

Q9: The sermon generation wizard currently has these steps — confirm each or mark for change:

Step 1: Enter Scripture passage (text input) + optional theme, with lectionary suggestions shown below Step 2: Choose theological lens (from 17 traditions — the user's default is pre-selected) Step 3: Choose preaching method (AI recommends methods based on the passage, with fit scores; user picks one) Step 4: Choose sermon style (Expository/Topical/Narrative/Devotional), audience (8 options), voice style (additional tone customization), then Generate

Is this the correct 4-step flow? Any steps to add, remove, or reorder?

YOUR ANSWER:

Q10: Derivative materials — after generating a sermon outline, the pastor can generate derivative content from the same outline. The current options are:

  • Small Group Guide (discussion questions, icebreakers, activities)
  • Children's Sermon (object lesson, story, memory verse)
  • Social Media Posts (Instagram, Twitter/X, church bulletin content)

Are these the right three derivatives? Should there be more (e.g., bulletin insert, prayer guide, pastoral care follow-up)?

YOUR ANSWER:

Q11: Should derivative materials (Small Group Guide, Children's Sermon, Social Media Posts) be available on the free tier, or gated to Pro only?

Context: Currently the codebase does not appear to gate these behind Pro — they seem available once a sermon is generated. But the pricing page doesn't explicitly call them out as a free feature.

  • Available on both Free and Pro (as they are now)
  • Pro only — Free users see the cards but get a paywall
  • Free users get 1 derivative per sermon max; Pro users get unlimited
  • Other:

YOUR ANSWER:

Q12: Sermon series planning is listed as a Pro-only feature on the pricing page. What does this actually look like in the product? Is it built? Does it exist as a UI feature today?

Context: This appears in the Pro tier feature list in sermon-pricing.ts but there is no obvious /sermons/app/series or series tab visible in the codebase.

  • It is NOT built — it's aspirational copy on the pricing page (we need to either build it or remove from pricing)
  • It is built — describe where it lives and what it does:
  • It is partially built — describe the current state:
  • Remove it from the Pro feature list until it's built

YOUR ANSWER:

Q13: The Title Generator (at /sermons/titles) is in the app nav and accessible to all users. Should it be:

  • Free for all users (as it is now)
  • Pro only
  • Free with a limit (e.g., 5 titles/month free, unlimited for Pro)
  • Other:

YOUR ANSWER:

Q14: The Templates section (at /sermons/templates) and Community section (at /sermons/community) are in the nav. What is the access model for each?

Templates:

  • Free for all users
  • Pro only
  • Other:

Community (browse sermons other pastors have made public):

  • Free for all users (read-only)
  • Pro only
  • Free to browse, Pro to submit/publish
  • Other:

YOUR ANSWER:

Q15: Does the ITW (IllustrateTheWord) illustration library integrate into SermonWise? The marketing page says "300,000+ curated theological resources" and "Real Illustrations, Not Hallucinations" — is this RAG-powered retrieval from the same unified_rag_content table, or a direct link to ITW, or something else?

Context: The codebase references RAG-powered illustrations in the wizard. ITW is a separate product at illustratetheword.com.

  • RAG from unified_rag_content — no explicit ITW link
  • Direct link to ITW for full illustrations (shown after the outline)
  • "Powered by IllustrateTheWord" attribution shown in the outline
  • SermonWise Pro subscribers get a discount on ITW Premium
  • Other:

YOUR ANSWER:

Section D: Dashboard & Navigation​

Q16: The app header nav currently shows: My Sermons | Title Generator | Templates | Community | [usage badge] | + New Sermon | [user name] | Sign Out. Is this the correct navigation for SermonWise Pro? Any tabs to add or hide?

YOUR ANSWER:

Q17: The dashboard (My Sermons tab) currently shows 5 stat cards: Time Saved, Sermons created, Materials generated, Traditions explored (X/17), and Usage remaining (X/15 for Pro). Are these the right stats? Any to add, remove, or rename?

Context: Time Saved is calculated as roughly 2 hours per sermon generated. The dashboard also shows a "Sermons by Bible Book" donut chart, Scripture Balance (OT vs NT %), and Traditions Explored progress bar when the user has sermons.

YOUR ANSWER:

Q18: Can a Pro pastor see ALL their past sermons in the library with full search? What about free users — do they see all their past sermons or only the 2 most recent?

Context: The code loads all saved sermons from the API with no visible limit. Free users' past sermons don't appear to be hidden even after they hit their monthly generation limit.

  • All users see all saved sermons, unlimited (as it appears now)
  • Free users see last 2 / last month's only
  • Other:

YOUR ANSWER:

Q19: Are there any account settings the pastor can configure in the app (e.g., email preferences, change default tradition, change password, billing management)?

Context: No dedicated settings page is visible in the codebase under /sermons/app/settings. The only preference is the default theological lens set during onboarding.

  • No settings page — use Supabase Auth email for account management
  • Add a settings page with: (check all that apply)
    • Change default theological tradition
    • Email notification preferences
    • Change password
    • Billing / manage subscription (link to Stripe portal)
    • Delete account
    • Other:

YOUR ANSWER:

Section E: Cross-Sell & Ecosystem​

Q20: The app currently shows a dismissible top banner: "Your AI ministry team goes beyond sermons. Explore ChurchWiseAI Voice + Chat →" (links to churchwiseai.com/voice). Is this the right cross-promotion approach?

  • Approved as-is — dismissible banner is fine
  • Make it non-dismissible
  • Remove the banner — it's distracting
  • Replace with a different CTA (describe):
  • Show it only to free users, not Pro users

YOUR ANSWER:

Q21: Should SermonWise Pro subscribers get any discount or benefit toward ChurchWiseAI products (chatbot, voice agent)?

  • No cross-product discount
  • Yes — SermonWise Pro customers get $X off CWA plans (describe):
  • Yes — show a bundle offer on the upgrade/billing page
  • Other:

YOUR ANSWER:

Q22: Should ChurchWiseAI marketing pages (churchwiseai.com) mention SermonWise as a related product — and vice versa? Is there a canonical cross-promotion pattern?

  • Yes — churchwiseai.com mentions SermonWise in the footer or a "Also by ChurchWiseAI" section
  • Yes — SermonWise footer says "Also by ChurchWiseAI" with links
  • Both of the above
  • No explicit cross-promotion (separate brands, separate funnels)
  • Other:

YOUR ANSWER:

Section F: Lifecycle & Billing​

Q23: When a free user hits their monthly limit (2 outlines used), what do they see?

Context: The code shows a usage counter in the header badge. When remaining === 0, it shows "0 remaining" in red. The generation wizard presumably blocks generation when the limit is hit.

  • Usage badge turns red + upgrade prompt in the wizard (as it appears now)
  • Full-page paywall overlay when they try to generate
  • Soft block: they can still view past sermons but can't generate new ones
  • Email nudge sent when they hit 0 remaining
  • Something else:

YOUR ANSWER:

Q24: When a Pro user's payment fails (card declined, expired), what happens?

Context: Stripe handles payment retries automatically. PRICING.md says service continues until end of billing period on cancel. But payment failure is a different scenario.

  • Stripe retries 3x, then subscription lapses to free tier automatically
  • Admin emails the pastor (who does this — automated or manual?)
  • Dashboard shows a payment warning banner
  • Something else:

YOUR ANSWER:

Q25: When a Pro user cancels, what happens to their saved sermons?

  • All saved sermons remain accessible indefinitely (read-only after billing ends)
  • Sermons accessible until end of billing period, then account reverts to free tier (2/month limit, old sermons still visible)
  • Sermons deleted after X days
  • Something else:

YOUR ANSWER:

Q26: If a cancelled Pro user resubscribes, do their old sermons come back? Do they get a welcome-back experience?

  • Old sermons are never deleted — they just reactivate as Pro (sermons already there)
  • Show a "Welcome back" banner on login
  • Something else:

YOUR ANSWER:

Q27: Can a pastor switch between monthly and annual billing from within the app? Is there a billing management link (e.g., Stripe customer portal)?

Context: The pricing page FAQ says "You can switch at any time from your account settings." But there is no visible settings page in the app right now.

  • Self-serve via Stripe customer portal (we need to add a link somewhere in the app)
  • Email us to switch (manual — not self-serve)
  • It's automatic via the upgrade button
  • Other:

YOUR ANSWER:

Section G: Brand & Design​

Q28: SermonWise has its own visual identity within the churchwiseai-web codebase. The current brand elements are:

  • Logo: "SermonWise" wordmark in navy serif + gold "AI" badge
  • Colors: Sacred Gold (#D4AF37), Navy (#1B365D), Cream (#FEFCF8), stone scale
  • Fonts: Playfair Display (headings) + Inter (body) — same as ChurchWiseAI
  • App background: #FEFCF8 cream

Is SermonWise visually distinct enough from ChurchWiseAI, or should it have its own distinct color palette or logo?

  • Approved as-is — shared design language is intentional ("by the team behind ChurchWiseAI")
  • Needs a distinct color accent (e.g., different gold shade, or add a green)
  • Needs a distinct logo (not just the wordmark)
  • Other:

YOUR ANSWER:

Q29: The app header shows "SermonWise AI" as the standalone brand — no "Powered by ChurchWiseAI" in the header. The footer (SermonFooter) is separate from the main CWA footer. The cross-promo banner links to churchwiseai.com. Is this brand separation correct?

  • Approved — SermonWise is its own brand, CWA is mentioned only in cross-promo
  • Add "Powered by ChurchWiseAI" to the app header
  • Add "A ChurchWiseAI Product" to the app footer
  • Other:

YOUR ANSWER:

Q30: Is the SermonWise app fully responsive and usable on mobile (phone/tablet)? Is mobile a priority audience for sermon prep?

Context: The app header has a mobile hamburger menu. The dashboard uses responsive grid classes. The sermon wizard is likely desktop-heavy (long form with many choices).

  • Responsive is sufficient — pastors mostly use desktop for sermon prep
  • Mobile experience is critical — pastors prep on the go (if so, what needs mobile-specific design?)
  • Tablet is the target (hybrid — iPad while in study)
  • Other:

YOUR ANSWER:

Additional Notes​

Anything about SermonWise Pro that isn't covered above — unexpected user journeys, edge cases, integration decisions, content or copy requirements, planned features not yet built:

YOUR NOTES: