Thomas Road Baptist Church

What Thomas Road Baptist Church does

Thomas Road Baptist Church is a 501(c)-style religious non-profit organization founded in 1956 by Dr. Jerry Falwell in Lynchburg, Virginia, currently led by Pastor Jonathan Falwell. The church operates as a multi-generational Southern Baptist congregation serving members across all life stages — from preschool through senior life — through a portfolio of dedicated ministries including TRBC Kids, Thomas Road Students (TRS), TRBC en Español (representing people from 15 countries), men's, women's, young adult, married life, senior life, and special needs ministries, alongside two camp facilities (Camp Hydaway and Thomas Road Outpost) that together host over 2,000 children and teenagers annually. Its core weekend programming runs Sundays at 9:15 and 11:00 AM at the Lynchburg headquarters (1 Mountain View Rd), with a midweek prayer service at Pate Chapel and a formal membership pathway (ConnectTR) anchoring community engagement.

The church's digital infrastructure is built on Thomas Road On Demand, a Kaltura-powered video streaming platform hosting sermon archives from 2006 to present plus legacy content from Dr. Jerry Falwell dating to 1977, and HopeNow.TV, a 24/7 streaming channel launched in June 2015 featuring content from Christian leaders worldwide. Distribution extends through YouTube live streaming, Spotify and Apple Music for worship albums (including 'Majesty & Glory: Hymns of the Church' in 2023 and 'Shout to the Lord: A Worship Revival' in 2025), and a merchandise storefront on Square Site. The organization is tightly affiliated with Liberty University (also founded by Jerry Falwell) and Liberty Christian Academy, and operates outreach partnerships including Southern Baptists of Virginia, God's Pit Crew (disaster relief), Journey Home, Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center, The Gideons, and sister church Dan River Church.

Revenue is generated entirely through charitable giving — tithes, offerings, and designated fund donations — processed via PushPay's online giving platform with text-to-give functionality (text TRBC to 77977). Designated giving categories include local and global missions, disaster relief, benevolence, Spanish ministry, camp scholarships, outreach, Godparent Home, and Family Life Services. The sole disclosed fee-based offering is the Kids Worship Camp at $35 per child. The church employs 101-250 staff and volunteers supporting worship, production, counseling, and administrative functions, with no parent company, subsidiaries, or external investment structure.

Name

Thomas Road Baptist Church

Legal name

Thomas Road Baptist Church

Website

https://trbc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Thomas Road Baptist Church is a Southern Baptist non-profit founded in 1956 in Lynchburg, Virginia, led by Pastor Jonathan Falwell. It operates a multi-generational ministry spanning kids, students, adults, seniors, special needs, and Spanish-speaking members, supported by streaming platforms, two camp facilities, and Liberty University affiliations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311), Religious Organizations (813110), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL), Christian Broadcasting (TV & Radio) (MPABALAA), Religious Music & Worship Broadcasting (MPABALAN), Local Religious/Faith-Based Stations (MPABACAL)

Keywords

• Religious services
• Worship ministry
• Faith community programs
• Christian education
• Church media streaming

Headquarters

HQ city

Lynchburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

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: Primary revenue stream from church members giving financially through various channels including online giving, text giving, mail, and in-person during weekend worship experiences. Supports local operations, staff, and facilities.
2. Designated Fund Donations: Donors can give to specific causes including Local and Global Missions, Disaster Relief, Benevolence (church family support), Spanish Ministry, Camp Ministry (scholarships), Outreach, Godparent Home, and Family Life Services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Thomas Road Baptist Church is a Southern Baptist church in Lynchburg, Virginia that provides weekly worship services and a portfolio of age-specific ministries (Kids, Students, Young Adults, Adults, Senior Life, Special Needs, Spanish-speaking). It delivers content through in-person services, on-demand video streaming (Thomas Road On Demand, HopeNow.TV), live broadcasts, summer camps (Camp Hydaway, Thomas Road Outpost), and small-group community programs, supported by donations and member contributions.

Product overview

Thomas Road Baptist Church operates a unified digital ministry platform centered on its website (trbc.org) and video streaming platform (Thomas Road On Demand, powered by Kaltura). The church offers a portfolio of ministry products including TRBC Kids (children's programming with preschool and elementary tracks), Thomas Road Students (middle and high school ministry with EPISODE events and summer camps), Life Groups organized by life stage, ConnectTR membership pathway, Baptism programs (Splash, Student, and Young Adult), Start Class new believer resource using the Start Book, TRBC en Español Spanish ministry, Thomas Road Institute training, TRBC Missions outreach, and RightNow Media video library. The church also operates Camp Hydaway and Thomas Road Outpost camp ministries, HopeNow.TV 24/7 streaming platform, Virginia Christmas Spectacular production, and Legacy content archives. Online giving is facilitated through PushPay with text-to-give capability. Music ministry includes Thomas Road Worship albums distributed via Spotify and Apple Music. The ecosystem integrates with Church Center for registrations, Square Site for merchandise, and YouTube for live streaming.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HopeNow.TV: A 24/7 online streaming platform providing Biblically-based teaching and preaching from Thomas Road Baptist Church and other Christian leaders.
• Thomas Road On Demand

Products and services

• Weekend Worship Services Weekly in-person worship services for congregants and visitors at the main Lynchburg campus, including children's programming during services.
• Thomas Road On Demand On-demand video streaming platform offering sermons, worship services, children's and student ministry content, multi-language content, and historical sermon archives.
• HopeNow.TV 24/7 streaming channel featuring Thomas Road Baptist Church sermons and teaching from Christian leaders worldwide.
• Kids Worship Camp Paid summer worship camp program for children who have finished grades 1 through 6, with daily programming and a parent performance.
• Camp Hydaway Summer camp ministry hosting children and teenagers annually, providing outdoor Christian camp experiences with scholarship opportunities.
• Thomas Road Outpost Outdoor camp facility offering adventure-based summer camps for middle school and high school students, including rock climbing and adventure programs.
• Thomas Road Worship Albums Recorded worship music albums produced by Thomas Road Worship Ministry, available on streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music) and for purchase through the church's online store.
• Online Giving Platform (Pushpay) Digital giving platform enabling tithes, offerings, and designated fund donations via online, text-to-give (SMS), and traditional channels.
• Start Class A 4-week foundational class for new believers covering salvation, assurance, baptism, local church, and six marks of a Christ follower, using the Start Book resource.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2000+ children and teenagers served annually through camp ministry
• +1 more outcomes

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lynchburg Symphony OrchestracoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 June 2026Featured as special musical performers at the annual Celebrate America event on June 28, 2026. The orchestra provides patriotic and cinematic musical performances for the community celebration marking America's 250th anniversary.
• Charles BillingsleyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 June 2026Guest performer at Celebrate America event. Former lead vocalist for GRAMMY-nominated group NewSong, has headlined 3,200+ concerts, released 24 solo recordings, and earned seven #1 Inspirational radio hits.
• Liberty UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated institution founded by Dr. Jerry Falwell. Located in Lynchburg, VA. Thomas Road has deep ties to Liberty including Night of Worship events at Liberty University School of Music and Liberty Christian Academy affiliation.
• Southern Baptists of VirginiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for disaster relief efforts. Thomas Road works with Southern Baptists of Virginia when disaster strikes in central Virginia or around the world.
• God's Pit CrewcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDisaster relief partner for bringing relief when disaster hits, working alongside Thomas Road's own disaster relief team.
• Journey HomeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoster adoption ministry partner receiving support through Thomas Road's outreach programs.
• Blue Ridge Pregnancy CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoster adoption ministry partner receiving support through Thomas Road's outreach programs.
• The GideonsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in outreach ministry working to place Bibles in as many hands and locations as possible.
• Dan River ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister church affiliated with Thomas Road Baptist Church, part of the church planting and global missions efforts.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lakewood Church: Houston-based megachurch with national broadcast reach and multi-generational ministry — parallels TRBC in scale, broadcast operations, and lifecycle programming from kids to seniors.
• Elevation Church: Charlotte, NC-based megachurch known for streaming worship content and a strong digital presence — directly comparable to TRBC's HopeNow.TV and Thomas Road On Demand platforms.
• Prestonwood Baptist Church: Plano, TX-based Southern Baptist megachurch with comparable evangelical theology, multi-generational programming, and global missions focus — most direct denominational peer to TRBC.
• Gateway Church: Dallas/Fort Worth-based megachurch with extensive multi-generational programming, camps, and broadcast operations — closely comparable in scale, denominational alignment (Southern Baptist-adjacent), and ministry breadth.
• Willow Creek Community Church: South Barrington, IL-based evangelical church with global ministry partnerships and digital content production — comparable to TRBC's outreach model and emphasis on small-group community engagement.
• Church of the Highlands: Birmingham, AL-based megachurch with multi-generational ministries and online broadcasting — comparable in size, programmatic breadth, and digital distribution strategy to Thomas Road.
• North Point Community Church: Atlanta-area evangelical megachurch with a strong digital strategy and content distribution model — comparable to TRBC in ministry structure and multi-channel outreach.
• Saddleback Church: Lake Forest, California-based evangelical megachurch with multi-generational programming, global missions footprint, and digital content distribution — structurally comparable to TRBC's ministry breadth and media ambitions.
• Southeast Christian Church: Louisville, KY-based evangelical megachurch with extensive small-group programming and digital content — comparable to TRBC in ministry philosophy and operational scale.

Regional players

• McLean Bible Church: Northern Virginia-based large evangelical church in the Mid-Atlantic region — peer by scale and ministry structure, though it competes with TRBC more for regional media reach than for direct congregants in Lynchburg.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/TRBC
• YouTubeYouTube.com/@ThomasRoadChurch/live
• Facebookfacebook.com/ThomasRoad
• Instagraminstagram.com/thomasroad

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 Thomas Road Baptist Church