Ladera Community Church

What Ladera Community Church does

Ladera Community Church is a private nonprofit religious organization and Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ, headquartered at 3300 Alpine Road in Portola Valley, California. It conducts weekly Sunday worship at 9:30 AM both in-person and via online streaming (Zoom, Facebook Live, YouTube), and serves a diverse congregation including traditional Christians, progressive Christians, atheists, agnostics, and members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community. The church also hosts the Haumalu 'o Langi Tongan-speaking worship congregation (with its own Sunday and Wednesday services and Sunday school), the Sharmila Montessori Preschool as an on-site tenant, and a portfolio of community programs including Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, Stanford Quads square dancing, the LCC Choir, the Peninsula Threshold Choir, children's and family ministries, the Ladera Creative Arts Program, and branded engagement pillars titled Quiet the Noise, Look Deeper, Find Connection, and Make a Difference.

The organization's revenue model rests on two streams: recurring and one-time donations/tithes from members and visitors, processed through an online portal and the Vanco Mobile Faith Engagement platform; and facility rental income from weddings, community groups, nonprofits, and events held at below-market rates. Technology infrastructure is intentionally lightweight, built on commodity SaaS: WordPress (website), Zoom and Facebook Live (live streaming), YouTube (sermon archive), Flickr (photo sharing), Google Calendar/iCalendar (event distribution), and Vanco (payments). There is no proprietary technology, no AI/ML capability, and no API surface. The organization employs 1-10 staff, with pastoral leadership led by Rev. Dr. Evelyn Vigil and Pastor Jeff Munnis, and operates under a congregational governance model with a Church Council providing oversight.

Strategically, the church is mid-execution on a multi-year facility revitalization: in 2022 the congregation approved funding to rebuild the on-site cottage and engaged CAW as architectural consultant for a site master plan; following community and congregational input (62 congregation and 180 community survey responses, two workshops), the February 2026 Congregational Meeting approved a $761,100 improvements project covering a new ADA ramp, Peabody Hall updates, new windows, and updated bathrooms. The organization maintains a long-standing service partnership with LifeMoves' Redwood City Navigation Center.

Name

Ladera Community Church

Legal name

Ladera Community Church

Website

https://ladera.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ladera Community Church is an Open and Affirming United Church of Christ congregation in Portola Valley, CA, providing Sunday worship (in-person and online), pastoral care, community programs, and facility rentals to a diverse congregation including LGBTQIA2S+ members and a Tongan-speaking worship community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Portola Valley

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Tithes: Members and visitors contribute through online donations, recurring donations, and traditional offerings. The church provides a donation portal for one-time and recurring contributions.
2. Facility Rental Income: The church generates revenue by renting out spaces at below-market rates to community groups, nonprofits, and for events such as weddings and celebrations.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Ladera Community Church delivers weekly Sunday worship services both in-person at its Portola Valley sanctuary and online via Zoom, Facebook Live, and YouTube. Beyond core worship, the church operates community and faith programs (choirs, meditation/spiritual exploration groups, social-justice initiatives, a children's creative-arts program), hosts a Tongan-language worship community (Haumalu 'o Langi) and an on-site Sharmila Montessori Preschool, and rents its facilities at below-market rates to community groups, nonprofits, and events including weddings.

Product overview

Ladera Community Church is a United Church of Christ congregation offering a multi-faceted ministry combining in-person and online worship, educational programs, community services, and facility rentals. The core offering centers on Sunday worship services at 9:30 AM, available both in-person and via Zoom/Facebook streaming, with archived sermons on YouTube. Supporting programs include the LCC Choir, Peninsula Threshold Choir, and Haumalu 'o Langi Tongan worship as distinct musical/ministerial programs; Sharmila Montessori Preschool as an on-site educational partner; and the Ladera Creative Arts Program for Children as a non-religious youth offering. Community connection programs include Quiet the Noise (meditation), Look Deeper (spiritual exploration), Find Connection (social groups), and Make a Difference (social justice). The church also generates revenue through facility rentals for community events, weddings, and programs like Stanford Quads square dancing and AA meetings, while Online Giving through Vanco enables digital donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Haumalu 'o Langi: Tongan-speaking worship community that holds weekly Sunday services and Wednesday worship services at the church.
• Sharmila Montessori Preschool

Products and services

• In-Person Worship Services

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• CAW (Architectural Firm)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 October 2022CAW was selected as the architect for Ladera Community Church's site plan and master planning process. The firm conducted assessments and developed plans for facility revitalization and development of unused space.
• United Church of Christ (UCC)coreOthersLadera Community Church is an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ. The UCC provides denominational affiliation, theological identity, and connection to a larger network of churches.
• LifeMoves (Redwood City Navigation Center)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLCC has a long-standing connection with LifeMoves, particularly through monthly lunch service at the Redwood City Navigation Center. Volunteers prepare and serve lunch to those in challenging transitions.
• Haumalu 'o Langi (Tongan Worship Community)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTongan-speaking worship congregation that holds weekly Sunday and Wednesday services at Ladera Community Church, including Sunday school for children.

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• First Congregational Church of Berkeley: Long-standing UCC-affiliated progressive congregation in Berkeley with worship, arts, social justice, and community programming. Directly comparable denominationally and theologically to Ladera's Open and Affirming UCC identity.
• First Congregational Church of Palo Alto: Nearby UCC-affiliated progressive congregation in Palo Alto offering worship, social justice programs, and community use of facilities. Directly comparable as another Bay Area UCC mainline church with a similar inclusive stance and community-oriented programming model.
• Aldersgate United Methodist Church: Bay Area mainline Protestant congregation offering worship, music programs, and community outreach. Comparable in mainline Protestant identity, community programming model, and Bay Area geography, though Methodist rather than UCC-affiliated.
• Peninsula Bible Church: Large multi-site evangelical congregation on the San Francisco Peninsula. Comparable as a Bay Area church providing worship, children's programs, and community engagement, though theologically more conservative than LCC.
• Skyline Church: Bay Area congregation offering Sunday worship, children's ministries, and community programs with comparable scale. Comparable in community programming model and Peninsula geography.
• Foothills Congregational Church: UCC congregation in Los Altos, CA — geographically proximate to Ladera with a similar mainline progressive identity, worship-plus-community-programs model, and Bay Area congregational demographics. Closely comparable in scale and programming philosophy.
• Glide Memorial Church: San Francisco-based progressive, inclusive congregation known for social justice and serving marginalized populations. Comparable to LCC's Open and Affirming model and social justice focus (Affordable Housing Task Force, Make a Difference), though larger in scale.

Broad incumbents

• United Church of Christ (national denomination): National UCC denomination that LCC is affiliated with as an Open and Affirming congregation. Comparable as the umbrella organization providing theological identity, denominational backing, and connection to a larger network of progressive churches.

Emerging players

• Mission Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation: Bay Area progressive non-creedal congregation drawing seekers and disaffected Christians similar to LCC's target audience. Comparable in welcoming diverse theological perspectives and offering community programs, though Unitarian Universalist rather than UCC.

Others

• Vanco Payment Solutions: Faith-based donation processing provider (Vanco Mobile Faith Engagement) integrated with LCC for online giving. Comparable as the technology/infrastructure enabling LCC's donation revenue stream rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCSiPa9KURcR4edOhSM1KdRQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/laderaucc
• Instagraminstagram.com/laderaucc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ladera-community-church

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Ladera Community Church