How to Migrate a Ministry Site from Wix to Hostinger WordPress

Updated 2026-06-28 · Hosting Reviews

Moving a ministry site from Wix to WordPress can feel like a big project, but with the right plan you’ll be online faster, cheaper, and with far more control. In this guide we’ll walk through everything you need to migrate ministry site from Wix to WordPress, from picking a hosting plan to transferring content, setting up sermons, events, and online giving. By the end you’ll have a solid WordPress church website hosted on Hostinger – a budget‑friendly, beginner‑oriented platform that includes fast servers, free SSL, and one‑click WordPress installation.

1. Choose the Right Hosting for a Church Website

Before you even think about moving content, decide on the hosting environment. For most small to medium ministries, a shared hosting plan is sufficient. It offers enough CPU, RAM, and bandwidth for a few hundred visitors per month, and it typically runs $3‑$8 per month on introductory rates. If you expect rapid growth, high‑resolution video sermons, or heavy traffic during live streams, consider a cloud or VPS plan. Those start around $10‑$15 per month and give you dedicated resources and easier scaling.

Hostinger’s shared plans are a good fit for most churches: they include a free domain for the first year, daily backups, and an easy WordPress installer. If you later need more power, you can upgrade to their cloud VPS without moving servers.

2. Gather What You’ll Need: Domain, Hosting, and WordPress

Make a checklist before you start:

1. Domain name – If you already own one on Wix, you’ll point it to Hostinger. If not, register a new .org, .com, or .church domain through Hostinger’s registrar.
2. Hosting account – Sign up for a plan that matches the traffic you expect (see section 1).
3. WordPress – Install via Hostinger’s one‑click tool. No manual file uploads needed.
4. Essential plugins – A caching plugin (e.g., WP Super Cache), an SEO plugin (Yoast SEO), and a donation plugin (GiveWP or Charitable) for online giving.
5. Content backup – Export your Wix site’s pages, blog posts, images, and any media files.

3. Export Content from Wix

Wix doesn’t provide a full site export, but you can pull most of the data you need:

• Pages and text – Open each page in the Wix editor, copy the HTML/text, and paste into a Word document for reference.
• Blog posts – Use the Wix RSS feed (add "/feed.xml" to your site URL) and import it into WordPress via Tools → Import → RSS.
• Images and media – Download all files from the Wix Media Manager. Keep them in a folder named “wix‑media” for easy upload later.

While this manual step takes a few hours, it ensures you keep every sermon PDF, event flyer, and photo without losing formatting.

4. Set Up WordPress on Hostinger

Once your hosting account is active, log into the Hostinger hPanel and click the WordPress icon. Follow the wizard: choose your domain, set an admin username, and let the installer finish. After installation:

1. Log into /wp-admin with the credentials you created.
2. Activate a church‑focused theme. Free options like “Astra” or “OceanWP” work well, and premium ministry themes (e.g., “ChurchPress”) can be added later.
3. Install the essential plugins listed earlier.
4. Enable the free SSL certificate from Hostinger – it’s a one‑click toggle in hPanel.

With WordPress running, you have a flexible foundation for sermons, events calendars, and online giving.

5. Recreate Your Site Structure and Import Content

Now it’s time to rebuild the pages you copied from Wix:

• Home page – Use the Gutenberg block editor or a page builder (Elementor’s free version works fine) to layout service times, a welcome video, and a call‑to‑action button for donations.
• Sermons – Create a custom post type with a plugin like “Sermon Manager” or simply use standard posts with categories. Upload your audio/video files and embed them using a player that supports streaming.
• Events – Install “The Events Calendar” plugin. Populate it with dates, locations, and RSVP links.
• Online Giving – Configure GiveWP with your payment gateway (Stripe, PayPal). Add a "Give" button to the header and sidebar.

For the RSS blog import, go to Tools → Import, choose “RSS” and upload the feed file you downloaded from Wix. Review each post for formatting issues and add featured images.

6. Test, Secure, and Launch

Before pointing your domain to Hostinger, run a quick checklist:

1. Speed – Install a caching plugin and enable Hostinger’s built‑in CDN (available on most plans). Test with GTmetrix; aim for a PageSpeed score above 80.
2. Security – Activate a security plugin (Wordfence or iThemes Security). Set up regular backups – Hostinger offers daily backups, but also schedule a weekly export via UpdraftPlus.
3. Mobile friendliness – Use Chrome DevTools to ensure all pages look good on phones and tablets.
4. Links – Verify that every navigation link, sermon download, and donation button works.

When everything checks out, update your DNS records in the Wix domain manager (or at your registrar) to point the A record to Hostinger’s IP address. Propagation usually finishes within a few hours. Keep the Wix site active for a day or two as a safety net, then disable it.

FAQ

Do I need to cancel my Wix subscription?

Yes, once your WordPress site is live and all content is verified. Canceling avoids double billing, but keep the Wix account for a short grace period in case you missed any files.

Can I keep the same domain when I switch to Hostinger?

Absolutely. Either transfer the domain to Hostinger (often free for the first year) or simply update the DNS to point to Hostinger’s servers. Your URL stays the same, preserving SEO value.

What if I run out of storage on a shared plan?

Monitor usage in the hPanel dashboard. If you approach the limit (usually 30‑100 GB on shared plans), upgrade to a cloud or VPS plan – the process is a few clicks and your site won’t need to move.