What Pacific Unitarian Universalist Church does

Pacific Unitarian Universalist Church is a religious nonprofit congregation located at 5621 Montemalaga Drive in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Founded in 1957 and affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association, the church serves individuals and families seeking a liberal, inclusive spiritual community, with a stated mission of valuing people and encouraging spiritual, ethical, and intellectual development. It is certified as a Welcoming Congregation by the UUA, signaling formal commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion. The congregation spans 11-50 staff and operates as a member-supported religious community rather than a commercial enterprise.

The church's core offerings revolve around weekly Sunday worship services held at 10:30 AM in-person and live-streamed via YouTube and Facebook, alongside a portfolio of community programs. These include religious education for children and adults, the Pacific Sage Preschool, a music program with weekly choir rehearsals, pastoral care, small groups (covenant groups, book club, spiritual writing), social justice initiatives, and seasonal events. Distribution occurs through a single physical campus in the South Bay LA area supplemented by online streaming, an email newsletter (The View), Eventbrite for event registration, and community partnerships with groups such as Camp de Benneville Pines, CLUE Justice, Indivisible, and Restoration Diversion Services. Technology usage is limited to off-the-shelf digital tools (YouTube, Facebook, WordPress, Eventbrite, email) with no proprietary platform or AI components.

The business model is donation-driven: operating revenue comes from voluntary member donations, annual pledge drives (most recently the 2026-2027 cycle), facility rentals to outside organizations, and an annual fundraising auction. The church has no product pricing and is governed by an elected board with no parent company or external equity ownership. The congregation is currently led by Pastor Joshua Lewis Berg, who was installed as the settled minister in January 2026 after a multi-year search process that followed the departure of Rev. Steve Wilson and a transitional period under interim minister Chloë Briedé.

Name

Pacific Unitarian Universalist Church

Legal name

Pacific Unitarian Universalist Church

Website

https://pacificunitarian.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pacific Unitarian Universalist Church is a non-profit Unitarian Universalist congregation in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, offering Sunday worship, religious education, social justice programs, and community services funded by member donations and pledges.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Rancho Palos Verdes

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Member Donations and Pledges: The church relies on voluntary donations and annual pledges from members to fund operations. Annual pledge drives are conducted with themes such as 'Turn the World Around' and 'Pledge Drive 2026-2027'.
2. Facility Rentals: Outside organizations pay rental fees to use the campus facilities. When events are hosted by Pacific Unitarian, there is no rental fee.
3. Annual Auction: The church holds an annual auction as a fundraising event.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Pacific Unitarian Universalist Church is a religious congregation that delivers weekly Sunday worship services both in-person and via live stream, religious education programs for children and adults (including a preschool), pastoral care, social justice advocacy, and community fellowship programs such as music, small groups, and meditation. The organization operates as a Welcoming Congregation certified by the Unitarian Universalist Association, offering an inclusive liberal religious community for members and visitors.

Product overview

Pacific Unitarian Universalist Church offers a unified set of spiritual and community programs centered around weekly Sunday services. The church provides religious education for children and adults, a preschool (Pacific Sage Preschool), social justice programming, music programs including choir and concerts, pastoral care, small groups, and a monthly newsletter (The View). These programs work together to support the congregation's mission of valuing people and encouraging spiritual, ethical, and intellectual development in an inclusive, Welcoming Congregation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sunday Services Weekly Sunday worship services held at 10:30 AM, offered both in-person at the Rancho Palos Verdes campus and via live stream on YouTube and Facebook, serving congregation members and visitors seeking spiritual community.
• Religious Education Program Structured religious exploration programs for children, youth, and adults including Coming of Age classes, youth groups, and adult learning opportunities.
• Pacific Sage Preschool An early childhood education preschool operated by the church.
• Social Justice Programs Community engagement and advocacy programs including social justice movie nights, vigils, and partnerships with organizations such as CLUE Justice and Indivisible.
• Music Program Adult choir rehearsals on Wednesdays, annual Black and White Concert, and music-focused Sunday services led by Choir Director Dr. Severin Behnen.
• Pastoral Care Spiritual support and care services provided by the pastoral team to congregation members.
• Small Groups Covenant groups, book club, spiritual writing group, and other small fellowship opportunities for adult members.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPacific Unitarian is a member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association. The church participates in UUA events including General Assembly, follows UUA guidelines for ordination and ministry, and participates in the UUA's Welcoming Congregation program for LGBTQ+ inclusion.
• Camp de Benneville PinescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA UU camp in the San Bernardino National Forest owned by UU congregations. Pacific Unitarian holds an annual camp weekend (June 5-7, 2026) with activities for all ages including hiking, archery, arts and crafts, s'mores, stargazing, and talent shows.
• Restoration Diversion ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA drop-in center in Compton that helps rescue individuals from sex trafficking. Pacific Unitarian partnered with them for a joint presentation on local sex trafficking response, with Deatra Handy, Program Director, presenting at a Sunday service.
• UU Women's FederationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAntoinette Hollamon, guest speaker at Pacific Unitarian, is on staff at the UU Women's Federation and serves as Commissioned Lay Minister for First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles.
• UU Justice Ministry of CaliforniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAntoinette Hollamon is on staff at this organization and is involved in social justice, racial equity, and literary activism rooted in Unitarian Universalist faith.
• Pacific Southwest Assembly / Pacific Western RegioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPacific Unitarian hosted the Pacific Southwest Assembly April 24-26, 2026. The assembly brings UU congregations together with speakers, workshops, and events. The 2026 assembly featured Rev. Summer Albayati, Rev. Dr. Susan Ritchie, CLUE Justice, and Indivisible.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• First Parish in Cambridge (Unitarian Universalist): Historic UU congregation with parallel programs (Sunday services, RE, social justice, music, pastoral care). Same denomination, similar liberal theological orientation, and comparable organizational structure.
• Throop Memorial Church (Pasadena): Historic UU congregation in Pasadena offering Sunday services, RE programs, music programs, and progressive social action — comparable in denomination, programming, and Southern California liberal-faith market.
• Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church (Pasadena): A nearby UU congregation serving the Pasadena/LA area with comparable Sunday service formats, religious education for youth and adults, social justice engagement, and Welcoming Congregation-style inclusion — a close geographic and programmatic peer.
• All Souls Church Unitarian (New York City): Large, long-established UU congregation offering Sunday services, RE, social justice, music, and pastoral care. Comparable in faith tradition and programming, though larger in scale; useful for top-end size benchmarking.
• First Unitarian Society of San Diego: A Southern California UU congregation with similar structure: Sunday services, RE, social justice, music, and pastoral care. Comparable size and programming mix, useful as a same-state benchmark.
• First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles: Another UU congregation in the greater Los Angeles area offering Sunday services, religious education, social justice programming, and pastoral care to a similar liberal, inclusive demographic. Directly comparable in faith tradition, programming mix, and regional mission.
• First Unitarian Society of Madison: Mid-sized UU congregation offering worship, religious education, social justice, music, and small groups — broadly similar programming portfolio and operating model to Pacific Unitarian.

Emerging players

• Unity Church of the Hills: A New Thought spiritual community that, like Pacific Unitarian, attracts the 'spiritual but not religious' demographic with inclusive, non-dogmatic programming and social justice engagement — overlapping audience but different theological tradition.
• Metropolitan Community Church of Los Angeles: LGBTQ+-affirming progressive Christian congregation in LA offering worship, community programs, and social justice work. Partial overlap in audience (inclusive-seekers) and mission, but different faith tradition.

Others

• Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA): The national denominational body to which Pacific Unitarian belongs; not a competitor but the umbrella organization governing ordination, Welcoming Congregation certification, and inter-congregational programming referenced throughout the data.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCYArsLRa02k3e0uq_ClCWDw
• Facebookfacebook.com/pacificunitarian
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/about

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Pacific Unitarian Universalist Church