Bethel Cathedral African Methodist Episcopal Church of Indianapolis

What Bethel Cathedral African Methodist Episcopal Church of Indianapolis does

Bethel Cathedral African Methodist Episcopal Church of Indianapolis is the oldest African-American congregation in Indianapolis, organized in 1836 by Augustus Turner and historically known as Indianapolis Station and Vermont Street Church. Operating as a non-profit religious organization under the African Methodist Episcopal denomination, the church delivers weekly Sunday worship services at its 6417 Zionsville Road campus (Sunday School at 9:30 am, worship at 10:00 am), a weekday morning prayer line, and a multi-tiered suite of ministry programs spanning Youth, Young Adult, Men's, Women's, S.A.L.T. (seniors 65+), Marriage Enrichment, Children's Church, Music & Fine Arts, Lay, Prayer, Health & Wellness, Christian Education, and Outreach & International Missions. The congregation also supports the AME Orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and conducts mission trips to Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Rwanda, and Ghana.

The church's technology stack is conventional and consumer-grade rather than proprietary: live worship is distributed via Facebook Live and YouTube Live; digital donations are accepted through Cash App ($Bethel Cathedral AME), Givelify, and mail-in; and a daily morning prayer line is delivered by phone conference. A 2017 IUPUI partnership produced a 3D virtual reality preservation model of the historic Vermont Street church (1869–2016) using 3,000 images, with archives housed at the Indiana Historical Society and IUPUI Library — the most differentiated technical asset but one tied to historical preservation rather than ongoing operations.

The business model is donation-funded. The congregation generates no revenue from service fees or programmatic tuition; income derives from voluntary tithes, offerings, recurring and one-time online donations, and occasional small grants (e.g., a $4,000 Mind Trust grant on 2023-06-13). No financial figures are publicly disclosed. After selling the deteriorating 1869 Vermont Street church to SUN Development in 2016, the congregation built and moved into the current Zionsville Road campus in 2018, operating under Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Carlos W. Perkins and a small (1–10) staff of ordained ministers and ministry coordinators.

Name

Bethel Cathedral African Methodist Episcopal Church of Indianapolis

Legal name

Bethel Cathedral AME Church

Website

https://bethelcathedral.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1836

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bethel Cathedral AME Church of Indianapolis is the city's oldest African-American congregation (founded 1836), operating a Zionsville Road worship campus with Sunday services, streaming on Facebook/YouTube Live, and 15+ ministry programs for youth, adults, and seniors, funded entirely by voluntary tithes and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311), Religious Organizations (813110), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Religious Music & Worship Broadcasting (MPABALAN), Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG), Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

Keywords

• Religious worship services
• Christian ministry programs
• Community outreach services
• Online tithing donations
• Spiritual education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: The primary revenue stream comes from tithes and offerings collected during worship services, both in-person and online. Members and visitors contribute through traditional in-person giving during services and through digital platforms.
2. Online Giving: Digital giving options including CashApp ($Bethel Cathedral AME) and Givelify (Bethel Church AME), as well as mail-in donations to 6417 Zionsville Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268. Recurring giving can be scheduled.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Bethel Cathedral African Methodist Episcopal Church provides weekly Sunday worship services at 10:00 AM (with Sunday School at 9:30 AM), daily weekday morning prayer calls at 7:00 AM, and a portfolio of age- and interest-based ministry programs including youth, young adult, men's, women's, seniors (S.A.L.T.), marriage enrichment, music and fine arts, prayer, health and wellness, Christian education, and lay ministry. Worship is available both in-person at the Indianapolis campus and via live streaming on Facebook Live and YouTube Live, and the congregation accepts tithes and offerings through CashApp, Givelify, and mail.

Product overview

Bethel Cathedral AME is a church offering a unified suite of religious and community services centered on worship, spiritual development, and community outreach. The core offerings include Divine Worship Services (10:00 am Sundays, live-streamed via YouTube and Facebook), Sunday School (9:30 am), and Morning Prayer Calls (weekdays at 7:00 am). Supporting these are various ministry programs including Youth Ministry, Women's Ministry, Men's Ministry, Young Adult Ministry, S.A.L.T. Ministry (seniors), Marriage Enrichment Ministry, Christian Education Ministry, Prayer Ministry, Health & Wellness Ministry, Lay Ministry, Children's Church, Music & Fine Arts Ministry, and Outreach & International Missions. Digital engagement is facilitated through Online Giving (via Cash App and Givelify platforms), Online Media with live streaming, and various community service programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sunday Divine Worship Services Weekly Sunday morning worship services held at 10:00 AM EST, available both in-person at the Indianapolis campus and via live streaming on Facebook Live and YouTube Live. Open to members, visitors, and the broader community.
• Sunday School Christian education classes for all ages held at 9:30 AM on Sunday mornings, preceding the main worship service.
• Morning Prayer Call Daily dial-in prayer line service available Monday through Friday at 7:00 AM via telephone conference (Prayer Line: 425-436-6344, Access Code: 1008282#).
• Online Media and Live Streaming Ministry Digital media platform providing live broadcasts and on-demand recordings of worship services and featured sermon series on Facebook Live and YouTube Live, including series such as 'What Do You Have?', 'Living Life on Purpose', 'Those Preaching Women Series', 'Crisis In Our Culture', and '21 Day Meditation'.
• Online Giving Platform Secure digital donation system enabling single gifts or recurring giving via checking account, debit, or credit card; accepts CashApp ($Bethel Cathedral AME) and Givelify (Bethel Church AME), and mailed donations to 6417 Zionsville Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268.
• Outreach and International Missions Missions program supporting international humanitarian and faith-based efforts, including active support for the AME Orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti (led by Rev. Raymond Rodelet) and mission engagement in Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Rwanda, and Ghana.
• Youth and Young Adult Ministry Programs Programs nurturing spiritual, physical, and social growth of youth and young adults through ministry opportunities, leadership training, mentoring, college tours, athletic events, and spiritual retreats.
• Senior (S.A.L.T.) Ministry Christ-centered activities and programs addressing the spiritual, social, physical, and educational needs of adults aged 65 and older.
• Men's and Women's Ministries Men's Ministry equips men for spiritual leadership in home, church, profession, and community; Women's Ministry serves the emotional, spiritual, physical, and social needs of women in the church and broader community.
• Marriage Enrichment Ministry Program helping couples develop meaningful communication and spend quality time together to strengthen marriages.
• Health and Wellness Ministry Program empowering individuals to become self-advocates for optimal physical, emotional, and spiritual health.
• Children's Church and Christian Education Age-appropriate worship and Christian education for children, including teaching and training of adults and children through God's Word with emphasis on Christian principles for effective growth.
• Music and Fine Arts Ministry Ministry encompassing music programs and fine arts expression within worship services.
• Prayer and Lay Ministries Prayer Ministry promotes the healing power of prayer and builds closer relationships with God through intercessory prayer; Lay Ministry enables non-ordained members to teach and instill love for Christ through studying scriptures, history, structure, traditions, and principles of African Methodism.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hosted multiple AME annual conferences (1854, 1859, 1864) and general conference (1888)
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017IUPUI School of Informatics and Computing received a university grant to create a three-dimensional virtual reality model of the historic Vermont Street church. Students collected 3,000 images for the modeling project. The completed model will be accessible to the public through IUPUI's School of Informatics and Computing, with digital images housed at the IUPUI Library.
• SUN Development and Management CorporationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016SUN Development and Management Corporation, an Indianapolis-based developer, purchased the historic Vermont Street property from the Bethel AME congregation in 2016 for an undisclosed amount. Under the terms, SUN agreed to preserve as much of the historic structure as possible and planned to build a hotel on the property. The congregation had to vacate by August 2016.
• Indianapolis Congregation Action Network (IndyCan)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013In 2013, Bethel AME Church became a member of Indianapolis Congregation Action Network (IndyCan) and has served as headquarters for the network's Mass Transit Campaign, continuing the church's long tradition of community activism and advocacy.
• Indiana State Federation of Colored Women's ClubsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1904The Indiana State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs was organized at the Bethel AME Church on April 27, 1904, representing a significant partnership in women's activism and community service.
• Indiana Historical SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe digitized archive of the church, along with other archival records from the historic Vermont Street church, is held in the collection of the Indiana Historical Society in Indianapolis.
• AME Orphanage - Port-au-Prince, HaiticoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Bethel Cathedral Mary Campbell Women's Missionary Society supports the AME Orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The Orphanage is led by Rev. Raymond Rodelet, pastor of St. Paul AME Church in Haiti.
• National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Indianapolis chapter of the NAACP was organized at the Vermont Street church in the early 1900s, establishing a historic partnership in the civil rights movement.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles: One of the oldest and largest AME congregations on the West Coast (founded 1872), with a comparable mix of historic congregation status, large African American membership, comprehensive ministries, and civic-anchor role in its city.
• Saint Luke African Methodist Episcopal Church (St. Croix): Same AME denomination; this is the prior pastorate of Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Carlos W. Perkins (2015-2018). Comparable congregation size and ministry mix, providing a useful benchmark for pastoral performance and program scope.
• Ebenezer Baptist Church: Historic African American congregation in Atlanta (founded 1886), closely associated with the civil rights movement and the King family. Comparable historic African American congregation status, civic-anchor role, and emphasis on social justice programming.
• Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church: Prominent historic AME congregation in Washington, D.C., with a large African American membership and national-profile pastoral leadership. Comparable denomination, civic engagement, and ministry breadth within a major U.S. city.
• Second Baptist Church (Indianapolis): Long-established African American congregation in Indianapolis with a comparable multi-generational member profile, civic engagement track record, and ministry portfolio.
• Greater New Hope Missionary Baptist Church (Indianapolis): A large historic African American congregation in Indianapolis with similar civic presence and ministry breadth in the same local market, competing for the same donor and member base.
• Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church: The oldest AME congregation in the United States (founded 1794 by Richard Allen in Philadelphia). Same AME denomination, same historic institutional status and mother-church role within the denomination, and comparable multi-generational African American congregation profile.
• Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church: A direct AME sibling congregation in Indianapolis that historically spun off from Bethel Cathedral. Same denomination, same city, comparable congregation size and ministry portfolio - making it the closest geographic competitor for members and donors.

Broad incumbents

• Lakewood Church: The largest congregation in the U.S., recognized for pioneering broadcast-quality streaming, digital giving, and global online reach. Relevant benchmark for Bethel Cathedral's digital growth ambitions rather than direct local competitor.
• Trinity United Church of Christ (Chicago): One of the largest predominantly African American congregations in the U.S., known for combining historic Black church identity with extensive community programs and media presence. Comparable mission breadth and civic engagement, though UCC denomination rather than AME.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCMH4mS-ribMaRVRINvqojrg
• Facebookfacebook.com/BethelAMEIndy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bethel-cathedral-ame

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bethel Cathedral African Methodist Episcopal Church of Indianapolis