Central Christian Church

What Central Christian Church does

Central Christian Church is a non-denominational Christian church founded in 1959 and headquartered at 933 N. Lindsay Rd, Mesa, Arizona. It operates as a 501(c)(3)-style nonprofit religious organization running five physical campuses across the Phoenix metropolitan area (Gilbert, Glendale, Mesa, Queen Creek, and Tempe) with 51–100 employees. Its core ministry portfolio includes age-segmented programs for kids (Central Kids), students, and young adults, alongside Celebrate Recovery (a Christ-centered 12-step program), Central Groups (small groups), the Central Leadership Institute (residency), and mission/outreach initiatives including the AZ Beyond the Border pilgrimage in partnership with Kino Border Initiative.

The underlying technology is a community-led digital platform centered on centralaz.com, a member account portal, and the Central mobile app distributed on iOS App Store and Google Play. The platform supports online giving via multiple rails (PayPal, cryptocurrency through Engiven, stock/asset donations, and mail-in), a centralized event-calendar and registration system, an online sermon and video archive with live streaming, and third-party cloud hosting behind firewalls. Summer camps are delivered through a multi-year partnership with Christ in Youth (CIY) at Biola University. The organization is ECFA-certified and COPPA-compliant, with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities.

Revenue mechanics are characteristic of a tithing-based nonprofit: the primary stream is voluntary recurring contributions from congregation members (encouraged at 10% of income and processed online or in person), supplemented by unit-priced program fees for summer camps ($275 for Camp 456, $450 Junior High, $500 High School) and the $749 border immersion trip. The 90-Day Tithe Challenge, which refunds tithes if participants do not perceive provision, functions as both a stewardship tool and a donor-acquisition mechanism. Its go-to-market is community-led: growth depends on small-group and word-of-mouth dynamics across the five campuses and the digital surfaces that extend reach beyond the physical footprint.

Name

Central Christian Church

Legal name

Central Christian Church

Website

https://centralaz.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Central Christian Church is a non-denominational Christian church (founded 1959) operating five campuses across the Phoenix metro from Mesa, Arizona, serving congregants through age-segregated ministries, small groups, recovery programs, and digital giving and content platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and Faith-Based Community Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311), Religious Organizations (813110)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI)

Keywords

• Religious services
• Church ministries
• Community programs
• Online giving
• Youth education

Headquarters

HQ city

Mesa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Voluntary contributions from congregation members based on biblical teaching of tithing (10% of income). Members encouraged to give regularly through online platforms, mobile app, or in-person during services.
2. Event Registration and Camps: Revenue from summer camps and event registrations including Camp 456 ($275), Junior High Camp ($450), and High School Camp ($500).
3. Border Immersion Trips: Pilgrimage trips to Nogales including AZ Beyond the Border at $749 per person covering transportation, meals, and lodging.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Central Christian Church delivers non-denominational Christian worship services, spiritual formation programs, and community ministries across five physical campuses in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Its core offerings include weekly worship services, online sermon access, digital giving, small groups, youth and children's programs, recovery ministries, and mission trips, all supported by a unified digital platform (website and mobile app).

Product overview

Central Christian Church offers a unified digital ministry platform centered on its website (centralaz.com) and mobile app, providing integrated services including online sermon messages, event registration, and digital giving across five Arizona campuses. The product portfolio includes the core CentralAZ.com website and Central App for mobile access, supplemented by specialized ministry programs such as Celebrate Recovery, Summer Camps, the 90 Day Tithe Challenge, and AZ Beyond the Border. Key functional areas span the Messages/Sermons library for spiritual content, Online Giving for tithing and donations, Event Calendar for program registration, and campus-specific ministries for kids, students, young adults, and recovery support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CentralAZ.com Website The main website platform providing access to all church services including location information, ministries, event calendars, sermon messages, online giving, and member account management.
• Central App Mobile application available on iPhone/iPad and Android devices providing up-to-date information, push notifications related to physical locations, and access to church content on the go.
• Messages (Sermons) Online sermon library with video messages organized by series, speaker, and date. Includes current series, individual sermon recordings, and weekend recap content.
• Online Giving Digital tithing and donation platform supporting multiple campuses, PayPal, cryptocurrency, stocks/assets, and mail-in giving with access to annual giving statements.
• Event Calendar Church event listing and registration system for ongoing and upcoming events including camps, classes, trips, and ministry programs.
• Celebrate Recovery Christ-centered 12-step recovery ministry for adults 18+ struggling with hurts, habits, or hang-ups. Meets weekly with dinner, worship, and group sessions.
• Summer Camps Overnight camp programs including Camp 456 (4th-6th grade), Junior High Camp, and High School Camp, operated in partnership with Christ in Youth (CIY) at Biola University.
• AZ Beyond the Border Border immersion pilgrimage trip to Nogales in partnership with Kino Border Initiative, exploring immigration and migration topics through a faith lens.
• Central Kids Children's ministry program helping kids grow in their relationship with God through games, Bible stories, worship music, and making friends.
• Central Students Youth ministry for students focusing on helping them discover and own their faith in Jesus through life groups.
• Central Groups Small group ministry providing community and connection through organized groups across multiple campuses.
• Member Account Management Online profile system allowing members to manage personal information, family details, view giving statements, and access personalized church content.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Kino Border InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 October 2026Central partners with Kino Border Initiative (KBI) for the AZ Beyond the Border pilgrimage. KBI began in 2009 as a binational effort offering food, shelter, legal support, and advocacy for migrants. The church trip includes visits to KBI sites and engagement with the migrant community in Nogales, Mexico.
• Christ in Youth (CIY)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 July 2026Central partners with Christ in Youth (CIY) for annual summer camps. Junior High Camp and High School Camp are held at Biola University in La Mirada, California, with CIY providing programming, messages, worship, and all-inclusive experience including meals and activities.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Elevation Church: Steven Furtick-led multi-site non-denominational church with an extensive worship/podcast content engine and digital giving; comparable in leveraging online content for attendee and donor acquisition.
• North Point Community Church: Andy Stanley-led multi-campus non-denominational church and a recognized blueprint for the multi-site model Central uses; comparable in operating cadence, family ministry emphasis, and digital-first content distribution.
• Gateway Church: Dallas-Fort Worth multi-campus non-denominational church with strong family and student ministry programming; serves as a comparable operating model and digital-giving infrastructure peer.
• Phoenix First Assembly: Historic Phoenix-area multi-campus church with similar family/youth focus and digital outreach investments; addresses the same Phoenix metro donor pool.
• Dream City Church: Phoenix-based multi-site non-denominational church with comparable kids, students, and outreach programming; competes head-to-head in the same Valley catchment area.
• Christ's Church of the Valley (CCV) / VIVE Church: Largest non-denominational multi-campus church in the Phoenix metro area; directly competes for the same families, youth, and donors as Central across overlapping Phoenix-area geographies.

Broad incumbents

• Life.Church: One of the largest multi-site churches in the U.S. with a sophisticated online/digital platform (including the YouVersion Bible app); represents a benchmark for what scaled digital giving, app infrastructure, and online reach look like in the non-denominational space.
• Saddleback Church: Long-running multi-campus Southern California megachurch with comparable Celebrate Recovery-style programming (founded the 12-step ministry Central adopts) and similar lifstage ministry structure.

Others

• Christ in Youth (CIY): Strategic camp partner that runs Central's JH and HS summer camps at Biola University; not a church peer but a directly linked operating counterpart in Central's youth pipeline.
• Kino Border Initiative (KBI): Binational mission organization partnering with Central on the AZ Beyond the Border Nogales immersion; adjacent rather than competitive but a directly connected operating partner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/centralaz
• Facebookfacebook.com/CentralAZ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/central-christian-church-of-arizona

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Central Christian Church