What Maranatha Chapel does

Maranatha Chapel is a non-denominational evangelical Christian church headquartered in San Diego, California, serving approximately 7,000 people weekly across weekend services (Saturday 6:00 pm, Sunday 8:30 am and 10:30 am), a Wednesday night Encounter service, and Tuesday morning prayer. Founded in August 1984 by Pastor Ray Bentley, the church operates from a 15-acre Rancho Bernardo campus with a 3,000-seat sanctuary built in 1997, and runs an affiliated K-12 Maranatha Christian Schools campus on an adjacent 17.5 acres, plus Maranatha Bible College. The ministry spans age-segmented programs (children, junior high Thrive, high school Connect, young adults, men's Training Camp, BELOVED women), nearly 100 Growth Groups for small-group discipleship, care and recovery ministries, and global outreach partnerships across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, the Pacific, and the Americas.

The organization's core technology stack is centered on One Church Software — a third-party church management platform — integrated with a custom iOS/Android mobile application that consolidates event notifications, sermon streaming, classroom check-in, prayer requests, group management, and online giving. Digital distribution extends through YouTube live streaming, a branded podcast, original video series (Between Sundays, Perspectives), an email-based daily devotional from Pastor Ray's archived content, and raybentley.com for books and global media distribution. The architecture is fundamentally a community-engagement platform layered on top of commodity SaaS, with no proprietary AI, data, or engineering assets disclosed.

Maranatha Chapel operates as a private 501(c)(3)-style non-profit religious organization with no external equity, debt, or institutional investment. Revenue is generated entirely through voluntary tithes and offerings from the congregation, augmented by tuition from the affiliated K-12 school and Bible college, plus in-kind support from Global Outreach donors. Following the January 2022 passing of founding pastor Ray Bentley, his son Daniel Bentley was appointed Senior Pastor, ensuring dynastic continuity. There is no indication of capital raises, M&A activity, or near-term structural change.

Name

Maranatha Chapel

Legal name

Maranatha Chapel

Website

https://maranathachapel.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Maranatha Chapel is a non-denominational evangelical church in San Diego serving approximately 7,000 weekly attendees, with affiliated K-12 schools, a Bible college, nearly 100 small groups, and global mission outreach funded by voluntary tithes and offerings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services (Christian Church Ministry)

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD), Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE)

Keywords

• Religious services
• Worship services
• Christian education
• Community outreach
• Discipleship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Voluntary donations from congregation members during services and through online giving platform. The church moved to a new giving platform (One Church Software) to streamline processes and offer enhanced features for recurring gifts and one-time donations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Maranatha Chapel is a non-denominational evangelical Christian church that provides weekend and midweek worship services, verse-by-verse Bible teaching, age-segmented discipleship programs (children, youth, young adults, men, women), nearly 100 small-group Bible studies (Growth Groups), pastoral care, and global/local outreach. The organization also operates affiliated Maranatha Christian Schools (K-12) and Maranatha Bible College, and distributes its teaching content via a custom mobile app, YouTube streaming, and podcasts.

Product overview

Maranatha Chapel offers a unified church experience centered on its mobile app integrated with One Church Software for church management. The organization provides digital content through video series (Between Sundays, Perspectives), audio podcasts, and the A Year in the Word Bible reading plan. Their ministry structure includes Growth Groups for discipleship, care ministry, support groups, and various age-based programs (children, youth, young adults, men, women).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Maranatha Bible College: Bible college for theological education
• Maranatha Christian Schools
• Maranatha Chapel App
• Beloved Women
• Men's Training Camp
• Thrive
• Connect
• Maranatha Young Adults
• Encounter

Products and services

• Maranatha Chapel App Mobile application for iOS and Android that enables church members to receive event notifications, stream sermons, check children into classrooms, submit prayer requests, make donations, and manage church interactions through One Church Software integration. Free to download.
• A Year in the Word Annual Bible reading plan providing daily devotional resources including structured readings from Psalms, New Testament, and Old Testament throughout the year. Free to access.
• Between Sundays Video series featuring Pastor Daniel Bentley interviewing inspiring guests about faith, culture, and life. Free digital content.
• Perspectives Video series in which Pastor Daniel Bentley discusses hot topics and current events through a Biblical lens. Free digital content.
• Maranatha Chapel Podcast Audio podcast channel for downloading and streaming teachings and sermons from Maranatha Chapel. Distributed via Apple Podcasts and other podcast platforms. Free to access.
• One Church Software Church management system serving as the central platform for participating in the life of Maranatha Chapel, including personal information management, group connections, event registration, service watching, and online giving.
• Growth Groups Small group ministry with nearly 100 groups offering sermon-based Bible studies, church-wide studies, and leadership training for spiritual growth and community connection. Meets in homes and on campus throughout the week. Free to participate.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 7,000 people served weekly at the Rancho Bernardo campus
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Calvary Chapel of Costa MesacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1984Maranatha Chapel is in informal fellowship with Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, sharing philosophical and spiritual values and participating in intra-church conferences. This association has been in place since the church's founding in 1984.
• Foster the CityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal outreach partnership equipping and supporting church members to become support systems for foster families in San Diego.
• Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas ChildminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual partnership to bring the gospel to children worldwide through shoebox packing, year-round engagement, and church-wide packing parties.
• Emanuel Faith Community Church and World ReliefminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for Journey of Hope refugee ministry serving the growing refugee population in San Diego through tutoring, English teaching, and family support.
• Shadow MountainminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWeekly teams sent to San Diego Juvenile Probation Center to share the gospel with young people through the Juvenile Prison Ministry.
• Maranatha Christian SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerK-12 Christian school located on 17.5 acres approximately two miles west of Maranatha Chapel. Part of the same ministry ecosystem, serving preschool through 12th grade with innovative 21st-century learning environment.
• Maranatha Bible CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBible college creating places for believers to grow in devotion to Christ through in-depth Word study in an intimate, practical, and academic way.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Shadow Mountain Community Church: Fellow large San Diego-area evangelical church explicitly named as a weekly ministry partner (Juvenile Prison Ministry). Operates a similar multi-campus, education-affiliated model and is a direct mission peer.
• Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa: Maranatha Chapel's parent fellowship network since 1984; both Ray and Daniel Bentley attended Calvary Chapel Bible College. Closest theological and operational peer for comparison.
• The Rock Church: Another large non-denominational evangelical church based in San Diego with multi-site presence and global missions emphasis. Direct geographic peer for member and donor share.
• North Coast Church: Large evangelical church in San Diego County (Vista) with multi-site campuses, age-segmented ministry programming, and global outreach — directly comparable in target market and operating model.

Broad incumbents

• Saddleback Church: Large multi-campus evangelical church with comprehensive discipleship, missions, and church-planting programs. Comparable ministry structure at substantially larger scale.
• Elevation Church: Large evangelical multi-site church with strong digital content engine (podcast, YouTube, app) and global reach — comparable digitally-led engagement strategy.
• North Point Community Church: Large non-denominational church network with strong small-group philosophy and digital-first content approach. Comparable ministry design and audience.
• Gateway Church: Large evangelical multi-campus church with global outreach, K-12 affiliated schools, and digital broadcasting — operates a similarly integrated ministry ecosystem.
• Summit Church: Large non-denominational church with strong global missions sending model and digital content library. Comparable on missions intensity and content distribution.

Others

• Crown College of the Bible: Bible college with similar theological alignment; relevant peer for benchmarking Maranatha Bible College's enrollment, curriculum, and educational ministry footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC0DVM1_8psx6TBHo0K3bpAQ
• Instagraminstagram.com/beloved_maranathawomen
• Xx.com/MaranathaChapel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Subsidiaries3 records

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 Maranatha Chapel