Houston's First Baptist Church

What Houston's First Baptist Church does

Houston's First Baptist Church is a Houston-based, multi-site Baptist congregation founded in 1841 and operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit religious organization. It serves the Houston metropolitan area through seven distinct campuses: The Loop (its main 7401 Katy Freeway headquarters), Cypress, Downtown, Sienna, Houston's First en Español, Houston's First Deaf Church, and an Online Campus. The church delivers weekly worship services, Life Bible Studies, discipleship programming, baptism events, pastoral care, and family ministries, with a mission centered on connecting people to Jesus Christ and building community.

The church's product and service portfolio extends well beyond traditional worship into a diversified set of ministry-driven offerings. Core programs include the Houston's First Worship Academy (private music and dance lessons priced at $40-$80 per 30-60 minute session), wedding ceremonies in venues with capacities up to 3,300 guests (paired with the required Preparation for Marriage Program), the Julianna Poor Memorial Counseling Center, and the Daycation summer camp for children in Kinder through 7th grade. Houston's First also operates a Fitness & Recreation Center at The Loop campus (with basketball courts, racquetball, bowling, group fitness classes, and party packages at $450 per event) and the Hunt Retreat, a 14.7-acre retreat facility in Fulshear, Texas accommodating up to 54 overnight guests, which is made available to other Christian churches and nonprofits.

The underlying technology footprint is intentionally lightweight: a church management platform built on Rock CMS, a content-driven website (houstonsfirst.org) with online giving, an Instagram social presence, and email newsletter distribution. Revenue mechanics are hybrid — recurring voluntary tithes and offerings form the core, supplemented by subscription or unit-priced fees across the academy, fitness memberships, camps, wedding venue/personnel charges, party packages, and retreat rentals. Customer segments include the general Houston-area community, families and couples, children and youth, the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community, the Spanish-speaking Hispanic community, fitness and recreation users, life-event guests, and external Christian organizations using Hunt Retreat.

Name

Houston's First Baptist Church

Legal name

Houston's First Baptist Church

Website

https://houstonsfirst.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Houston's First Baptist Church is a multi-site Baptist congregation operating seven campuses across the Houston metro area, delivering worship services, discipleship, fine arts education, weddings, counseling, fitness, summer camps, and retreat facilities to individuals, families, and Christian organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (813110)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Church worship services
• Religious education programs
• Marriage preparation counseling
• Community fitness recreation
• Church retreat facilities

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Voluntary financial contributions from church members and attendees during worship services and through online giving platforms.
2. Wedding Services: Facility usage fees for wedding ceremonies in the Chapel (up to 315 guests) and Worship Center (up to 3,300 guests), plus personnel fees and furniture rental. Requires $250 deposit and completion of Preparation for Marriage Program.
3. Fitness & Recreation Center Membership: Gym and fitness facility membership providing access to basketball courts, racquetball, bowling, group fitness classes, and childcare services.
4. Houston's First Worship Academy: Fine arts education offering private music lessons (voice, piano, guitar, drums, strings) and dance classes. Open to community members regardless of church membership.
5. Daycation Summer Camp: Summer day camp program for children completing Kinder through 7th grade held at the Fitness & Recreation Center, sharing the Gospel through creative and encouraging camp experiences.
6. Party and Event Rentals: Birthday party and special event hosting at the Fitness & Recreation Center featuring bowling, indoor playlands, and party rooms. Total cost $450 including non-refundable $50 reservation fee.
7. Hunt Retreat Reservations: Retreat facility rental for Christian churches and non-profit organizations. The 14.7-acre property accommodates up to 54 guests overnight with full kitchen, porches, and outdoor amenities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Houston's First Baptist Church is a multi-site Baptist church operating seven campuses across the Houston metropolitan area (The Loop, Cypress, Downtown, Sienna, en Español, Deaf Church, and Online) that provides Christian worship services, discipleship and Bible study programs, wedding ceremonies, premarital counseling, fine arts education (Worship Academy), fitness and recreation membership, summer day camps, and retreat facility rentals. The organization also operates ancillary service lines including party hosting and facility rental for Christian organizations.

Product overview

Houston's First Baptist Church operates as a multi-campus church community with physical campuses across the Houston metro area (The Loop, Cypress, Downtown, Sienna, en Español, Deaf Church) plus an online campus. The church offers a diverse portfolio of ministry programs including the Houston's First Worship Academy for fine arts education, wedding ceremony services with multiple venue options, the Hunt Retreat retreat facility, and a Fitness & Recreation Center with fitness classes, bowling, and summer camp programs. The Preparation for Marriage Program provides premarital counseling services. The overall offering is a traditional church ministry portfolio rather than a unified technology product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Houston's First Worship Academy: Fine arts academy offering music lessons, dance classes, and worship training for all ages

Products and services

• Sunday Worship Services
• Weddings at Houston's First
• Preparation for Marriage Program
• Houston's First Worship Academy
• Fitness & Recreation Center
• Daycation Summer Camp
• Fitness & Recreation Party Packages
• Hunt Retreat

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gateway Church: Large multi-site church (Dallas–Fort Worth and beyond) with worship, Next Gen, and recreation programs at comparable scale — a benchmark for multi-site operating model and revenue diversification.
• Second Baptist Church Houston: Large multi-site Southern Baptist church in the Houston metro area with comparable worship, education, recreation, and missions programs — a direct competitor for congregants, donors, and wedding/event venue revenue in the same geography.
• Lakewood Church: One of the largest churches in the U.S., based in Houston, operating at comparable mega-church scale with televised services, worship, and extensive community programs — directly comparable in operational model and Houston market.
• The Woodlands Church: Multi-site church serving the Houston-area North suburbs (The Woodlands, Conroe) with similar worship, discipleship, children, and recreation programming — directly competitive for Houston metro congregants.
• North Point Ministries: Andy Stanley-led multi-site church network with multiple Atlanta-area campuses — an industry pioneer of the multi-site church model with comparable discipleship, worship, and digital content distribution.
• Church of the Highlands: One of the largest U.S. multi-site churches (Alabama) with a comparable model of distributed campuses, recovery/addiction programs, and digital streaming — directly relevant for multi-site operating benchmarks.
• Elevation Church: Multi-site church based in Charlotte with comparable worship, children, and digital content operations — relevant peer for next-gen engagement and multi-site replication strategy.
• Life.Church (LifeChurch.tv): Large multi-site U.S. church known for pioneering online church and the YouVersion Bible app — directly comparable in digital ministry and multi-site distribution approach.

Broad incumbents

• Willow Creek Community Church: Pioneering large multi-site church with substantial teaching, music, and community programming — comparable in scale and multi-site philosophy, operating in the Chicago region.
• Saddleback Church: Historic large multi-site Southern California church with extensive community programs, counseling, and retreat offerings — comparable in operating model and program breadth, though regionally distinct.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/houstonsfirst
• Xx.com/houstonsfirst
• Facebookfacebook.com/HoustonsFirst

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 Houston's First Baptist Church