
Housing Allowance 101: What Every Pastor Needs to Know Before Tax Season
A clergy tax pro explains the three-part housing allowance test, why it doesn't cut self-employment tax, and the designation mistakes that cost pastors money.
Read article
Founder & CEO of REACHRIGHT
Executive Pastor, New Hope Hawaii Kai
Founder & CEO of REACHRIGHT. Executive Pastor at New Hope Hawaii Kai. 20+ years of church leadership across 4 states, now helping 800+ churches reach the people searching for them online.
Thomas Costello has spent 20+ years on both sides of church growth.
As a pastor, he planted a church from scratch in Austin, Texas. He grew a congregation from 30 to 150 in Madison, Wisconsin. He now serves as Executive Pastor at New Hope Hawaii Kai in Honolulu, leading staff and overseeing operations for a church of 300.
As a marketer, he managed a 15-person sales team at Faith Highway, one of the largest church website companies in America (later acquired by Ministry Brands). He saw the same problem everywhere: churches doing incredible ministry with zero online presence. Great preaching, strong community, and nobody could find them on Google.
He founded REACHRIGHT in 2016 to fix that. The team has since served 800+ churches across 47 states, managed over $14.24 million in Google Ad Grants, and built hundreds of websites that turn online searches into Sunday visitors.
Thomas hosts the REACHRIGHT Podcast (300+ episodes) and runs the REACHRIGHT YouTube channel, where he covers church growth strategy, pastoral leadership, church finances, and digital outreach. He lives in Honolulu, Hawaii with his wife Mellissa and their three kids.
Watch Thomas on the REACHRIGHT YouTube channel
Real results from real churches. No stock quotes.
"The results in just a few short months have been nothing short of dramatic. We are consistently seeing first-time guests on Sundays, and when we ask, "How did you find us?" the response is almost always, "We found you online.""
Terry Kreuger
Redemption City Church
"46,982 more people saw our ads last month. 2,727 more people clicked on our ads. 946 more people converted. Not only are we getting so much more with the grant than before, but you're also saving us more than $300 per month!"
Michelle Rux
"Thanks to their work, we maximized our Google Grant and invested over $26,000 in Google Ads, driving over 4,000 new visitors to our website. We now rank in the top 15 for our city and are the #1 result for Lutheran Churches in our area."
Mark Wuggazer
St. John Church
Want results like these for your church?
Get Your Free ReviewThomas speaks at conferences, leadership retreats, and denominational gatherings. His talks draw from 20+ years of pastoral ministry and the digital marketing strategies behind 800+ churches reaching their communities online.
Book Thomas for Your Event474 articles on church growth, marketing, and ministry

A clergy tax pro explains the three-part housing allowance test, why it doesn't cut self-employment tax, and the designation mistakes that cost pastors money.
Read article
Church consulting firms compared: 11 firms for strategy, staffing, and capital campaigns. Only 2 publish prices: Church Answers and The Malphurs Group.
Read article
Planning Center fits most churches of 200 to 1,000. See 12 church management software platforms compared by size, with real prices and free plans.
Read articleNeed help with your church's online presence?
Get a free, no-pressure review of where you stand.

Church marketing starts with your website and Google Business Profile, then the Ad Grant, email, and text. See 10 channels and a 90-day plan for 200+.
Read article
Church SEO keywords sorted by page: home, plan a visit, kids, sermons, events, and giving. Real REACHRIGHT Search Console data, no invented volume.
Read articleClearstream is the best church texting service for most churches in 2026. See 7 options compared on price, Planning Center fit, and follow-up.
Read article800+ churches across 47 states. Over $14.24 million in free Google advertising managed. Hundreds of websites built. Your church could be next.