Forest Park Church

What Forest Park Church does

Forest Park Church is a religious nonprofit organization founded in 1846 and headquartered in Joplin, Missouri, with a second campus in Carthage, Missouri. The church operates as a multi-site evangelical congregation offering both traditional and contemporary worship services alongside a portfolio of age-segmented ministry programs: Kid City (children), Student Ministry, Young Adults, Women's Ministry (anchored by the annual Abound Women's Conference), AWANA, and Vacation Bible School. Adult discipleship is delivered through LifeGroups, and community engagement is channeled through Mission Joplin and other volunteer programs. Congregational demographics span families with children through older adults; programming emphasizes intergenerational participation and small-group formation.

The organization's operating model is donation-funded, relying on congregational tithes, offerings, and minimal programmatic fees (for example, AWANA at approximately $30 per student, with VBS offered free). There is no commercial revenue line. The church runs on a standard small-to-mid-sized church technology stack: SnapPages for website hosting, the Church Center App by Ministry Centered Ministries for congregant communication, digital giving, and event scheduling, and RightNow Media for on-demand Bible-study and discipleship video content. Headcount is reported at 11–50 employees across both campuses. Leadership comprises Lead Pastor Brian and Pastor Ryan Bauer, with dedicated directors for Kids (Denise Remington), Students (Mike Jakaitis), AWANA/Children's (Cori), and Worship (Brock).

Forest Park Church's strategic posture is community-rooted continuity rather than expansion-oriented growth. The entity has maintained a two-campus footprint, sustained its legacy programming cadence, and layered digital engagement tools that are typical of established evangelical churches. There is no investor structure, no disclosed financials, no commercial monetization model, and no evidence of proprietary technology development. As a 501(c)(3)-style nonprofit, financial performance is best assessed in terms of congregational reach, programmatic participation, and stewardship rather than revenue or margin.

Name

Forest Park Church

Legal name

Forest Park Church

Website

https://forestpark.church

Company type

Private

Founded year

1846

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Forest Park Church is a multi-campus religious nonprofit founded in 1846 in Joplin, Missouri, with a second campus in Carthage. It offers traditional and contemporary worship alongside children's, student, and adult ministries funded by congregational donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services (House of Worship)

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAJAL

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Religious & Faith-Based Organizations

SECONDARYBPAGAJAG

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Religious & Faith-Based Organizations

SECONDARYBPAGAJAD

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Religious & Faith-Based Organizations

Keywords

• Religious services
• Church worship services
• Children's ministry
• Biblical education
• Community discipleship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Joplin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Forest Park Church is a religious nonprofit that delivers weekly in-person worship services at two Missouri campuses (Joplin and Carthage) and a suite of age-targeted faith-formation programs including children's ministry (Kid City, AWANA, Vacation Bible School), student ministry, adult LifeGroups, midweek equipping groups, and the annual Abound Women's Conference. Digital engagement extends the offering through a Sermon/Media Library, free RightNow Media access for regular attenders, and the Church Center mobile application for event registration, LifeGroup connections, and prayer requests.

Product overview

Forest Park Church is a multi-generational, multi-campus church with two locations (Joplin and Carthage, MO) founded in 1846. The church offers in-person worship services at both campuses, with traditional and contemporary worship styles. Core programming includes Kids Ministry (Kid City) with AWANA on Wednesdays, Student Ministry, Adult Groups (LifeGroups), and the Abound Women's Conference. The church provides digital engagement through its Church Center mobile app, an online Sermon/Media Library with RightNow Media access, and annual VBS programs. Midweek activities (September–May) feature AWANA for children and Adult Equipping Groups. Membership pathways include Explore Forest Park and All In classes at both campuses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Worship Services In-person worship services at two campus locations (Joplin and Carthage, MO). Joplin campus offers traditional (9am, choir and orchestra) and contemporary (10:30am, band-led) services. Carthage campus offers contemporary services at both 9am and 10:30am.
• Kids Ministry (Kid City) Children's programming from infant through 12th grade, featuring fun activities, crafts, Bible lessons, and stories on Sundays, plus the AWANA program on Wednesday nights for Bible memorization and scripture retention.
• LifeGroups Small group Bible study communities where members grow through Scripture, deepen relationships, and engage in mission serving the community and church.
• AWANA Program Wednesday night children's program (September–May) for grades K-12 focused on Bible memorization, scripture retention, and faith development. Includes uniforms, books, awards, and AWANA store.
• Vacation Bible School (VBS) Annual free summer program for completed kindergarten through 6th grade, featuring games, worship, crafts, snacks, Bible adventures, and friendships. Called 'Illumination Station' for 2026.
• Abound Women's Conference Annual women's conference featuring live biblical teaching, worship, prayer, and fellowship. Event includes guest speakers and optional after-hours networking.
• Sermon Library / Media Library Online archive of recorded sermons organized by series, topics, speakers, and scripture. Includes sermon notes, fill-in blanks, and searchable Bible book references.
• RightNow Media & Library Digital video Bible study resource provided free to members/regular attenders through the RightNow Media platform, plus physical Forest Park media library and LifeGroups curriculum.
• Church App (Church Center) Mobile application for iOS and Android providing push notifications, LifeGroup connections, event registrations, prayer request submissions, and church information access.
• Midweek Program Wednesday evening activities including AWANA for kids/students, Adult Equipping Groups covering subjects like Missions, Bible studies, and spiritual growth. Runs September–May.
• Membership Classes (Explore Forest Park & All In) Newcomer and membership classes offered at both campuses to help visitors learn about the church and existing members take next steps in membership, serving, and spiritual growth.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• North Point Ministries: Andy Stanley's multi-campus church network in the Atlanta metro, operating several physical locations with shared teaching content — a comparable multi-site model to Forest Park's Joplin/Carthage campuses.
• Elevation Church: Steven Furtick's multi-site church in the Charlotte region with strong digital and media production capabilities; comparable to Forest Park in operating multiple physical campuses alongside online streaming.
• Southeast Christian Church: Louisville-based multi-campus church with multiple physical locations and online streaming; comparable in scale and multi-site operational complexity to Forest Park's dual-campus operation.
• Gateway Church: Multi-campus Texas-based church running concurrent worship services across several locations; structurally similar to Forest Park's dual-campus traditional/contemporary worship format.
• Church of the Highlands: One of the largest multi-site churches in the U.S., operating numerous campuses across Alabama with strong digital/app infrastructure; structurally analogous to Forest Park's multi-campus operating model.
• Saddleback Church: Large multi-campus church with campuses across Southern California and a global church planting network; comparable in operating multiple worship locations simultaneously with traditional and contemporary tracks.
• NewSpring Church: South Carolina-based multi-site church running campuses across multiple cities; comparable to Forest Park in running concurrent worship services at multiple locations with shared leadership and digital tools.
• Life.Church: Multi-site church that pioneered online streaming and the free Church Online Platform; comparable to Forest Park in operating multi-campus worship with strong digital infrastructure and free member resources.

Regional players

• James River Church: Multi-campus church based in Ozark, Missouri — directly comparable geographic peer to Forest Park, operating multiple Missouri campuses with similar mid-size church program offerings.
• Cross Church: Northwest Arkansas-based multi-campus church; geographically proximate to Forest Park and comparable as a mid-size multi-site church serving a similar Bible Belt regional market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/fpmissionjoplin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forest-park-joplin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 Forest Park Church