St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

Name

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

Legal name

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

Website

https://www.ssecdurham.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Episcopal Parish / Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD), Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI)

Keywords

• Episcopal worship services
• Christian formation programs
• Religious community outreach
• Parish music ministry
• Sacramental preparation

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Annual Giving and Tithes: Annual pledge campaigns where parishioners make yearly financial commitments to support parish operations, ministries, and outreach. Regular tithes and offerings collected during worship services.
2. Special Offerings and Donations: One-time donations for specific purposes such as Breakfast Ministry at St. Joseph's, Hearts to Home Welcome Kits for Housing for New Hope, and other targeted outreach efforts.
3. Planned Giving: Legacy gifts including bequests through wills, IRA/401(k) beneficiary designations, life insurance policies, donor-advised funds, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, and charitable lead trusts. The Founders Legacy Society recognizes members who have made planned giving commitments.
4. Online Giving Platform: Electronic giving through the church's website allowing for one-time contributions, pledge payments, and recurring donations to various outreach efforts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church provides weekly Episcopal worship services (including Holy Eucharist Rite I and Rite II), Christian formation education for all ages via a three-year curriculum cycle, music and choral programs (Parish Choir, Kenan Choral Scholars, Organ Scholar), sacramental preparation (baptism and confirmation), and community outreach partnerships addressing homelessness, food insecurity, and educational needs in Durham, NC. The church operates from a 14-acre wooded campus featuring worship spaces, a meditation trail, labyrinth, outdoor chapel, and Memorial Gardens.

Product overview

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church offers a comprehensive set of worship, educational, and community programs. The core offerings include in-person and livestreamed Sunday worship services (Holy Eucharist Rite I and II), Christian formation programs for all ages with a three-year curriculum cycle, music and choral programs (Parish Choir, Kenan Choral Scholars, Organ Scholar), Creative Belonging community-building initiatives, community outreach and mission partnerships addressing homelessness/hunger/education, and campus spiritual spaces (Meditation Trail, Labyrinth, Outdoor Chapel). Additional services include online giving, a parish directory, baptism/confirmation preparation, and arts programming. The church operates from a 14-acre wooded campus in Durham, NC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online/Livestream Worship Livestreamed worship services via YouTube for remote participation by parishioners and visitors unable to attend in person.
• In-Person Worship Services Weekly Sunday worship services including Holy Eucharist Rite I (8:00am) and Holy Eucharist Rite II (10:15am), with additional Thursday services and seasonal liturgies, open to all in the Durham community.
• Christian Formation Programs Educational programs for all ages including Sunday morning formation classes, Bible studies, and a three-year formation cycle covering topics like Wisdom, Proverbs, and Scripture.
• Creative Belonging Program Parish-wide program creating conditions for belonging across lines of difference, using a theo-aesthetic approach blending theology and arts.
• Community Outreach & Mission Outreach partnerships addressing homelessness, housing insecurity, hunger, children's needs, and creation care through local and global partnerships with Durham nonprofits.
• Music & Choral Programs Music ministry including Parish Choir, Kenan Choral Scholars program, Organ Scholar program, Musikgarten for children, and special musical events.
• Baptism & Confirmation Preparation Sacramental preparation for Holy Baptism, Adult Inquirer's Class, and Youth Inquirer's Class for confirmation.
• Meditation Trail & Outdoor Spiritual Spaces Campus features including Outdoor Chapel, Labyrinth, Stations of the Cross, Memorial Garden, and Meditation Trail with QR-coded markers documenting church history.
• Arts at St. Stephen's Arts programming including organ concerts, choral performances, Evensong, and special musical events open to the community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves lunch at Urban Ministries of Durham one Saturday per month
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Housing for New HopecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-time parish partner addressing homelessness and regional housing insecurity in Durham and Orange counties. HNH provides rapid rehousing, case management, and permanent supportive housing. St. Stephen's provides financial support, congregational engagement, and Hearts to Home Welcome Kits for clients moving into new housing.
• Urban Ministries of DurhamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-time partner addressing food insecurity and homelessness. UMD serves three meals daily, operates a shelter, and provides Food Pantry, Clothing Closet, Community Café, and Bread for the Journey programs. St. Stephen's serves lunch one Saturday monthly and collects food/clothing donations.
• Durham Congregations in Action (DCIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFull member of DCIA, 1 of 58 congregations. Participates in monthly assembly lunches and events including Durham CROP Hunger Walk.
• BackPack BuddiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram providing Durham children with backpacks filled with food for weekends when schools are not providing meals. Supported for many years.
• Crayons2CalculatorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization providing school supplies to children across Durham Public Schools. St. Stephen's supports through donations and volunteer efforts.
• Durham Public Schools FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported the 2020 digital equity campaign providing computers, electronics for virtual learning, and food security during the pandemic. Also supports school supplies for Hope Valley Elementary, Forest View Elementary, and The UNC Hospital School.
• Episcopal Center at DukeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides Episcopal presence for Duke students, faculty, and staff with Sunday Eucharist at 5:00pm followed by dinner. Members of St. Stephen's support worship, fellowship, and provide dinners.
• Episcopal Relief and DevelopmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organization responding to human suffering through emergency assistance, community rebuilding, and poverty alleviation. Supported through Mission and Outreach Operating Budget and individual donations.
• Health in HarmonyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting the ASRI Project in West Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia. Funds being raised to build a community hospital and training center.
• Meals on Wheels of DurhamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood drives to stock kitchens and volunteers to deliver weekend meals to homebound adults.
• Penick VillageminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing support of Penick Village in Southern Pines through annual appeal and individual donations. Mother's Day offering donated annually.
• Salvation ArmyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRed Kettle Bell Ringers from St. Stephen's raise money for the Salvation Army every December.
• Duke University String SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChamber music camp held in July on St. Stephen's campus. Week and a half long with afternoon concert. About 40 string players ages 5-18 attend daily. Volunteers help in many ways.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• St. Philip's Episcopal Church (Durham, NC): The founding parish that helped establish St. Stephen's as a mission in 1959. Same denomination (Episcopal), same city (Durham), comparable size and tradition — a direct local peer for members, stewardship capacity, and community footprint.
• St. Titus' Episcopal Church (Durham, NC): Episcopal parish in Durham where Archdeacon Sarah Woodard previously served. Same denomination and city, making it a direct peer for congregational competition, programming, and Episcopal identity in the Durham market.
• Chapel of the Cross (Chapel Hill, NC): Episcopal parish in Chapel Hill where Rev. Stephen Elkins-Williams served as Rector from 1985–2015. Comparable regional Episcopal peer with similar liturgical and outreach tradition, sharing the Triangle NC market for members and donors.

Broad incumbents

• The Episcopal Church: National denomination to which St. Stephen's belongs. Operates at much larger scale across policy, formation resources, and brand identity, providing a broader incumbent context that shapes parish resources, governance, and member expectations.
• Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina: Regional diocesan body overseeing Episcopal parishes across central North Carolina including St. Stephen's. Provides governance, shared programming, and clergy deployment — a broader incumbent operating one level above the parish.
• Duke University Chapel: Larger ecumenical worship and formation institution adjacent to St. Stephen's Episcopal Center at Duke ministry. Operates at significantly greater scale, but serves overlapping Duke-affiliated populations in Durham.

Regional players

• Edenton Street United Methodist Church (Raleigh, NC): Mainline Protestant congregation in downtown Raleigh where Director of Music Dr. Filippa Duke previously served. Different denomination and geography but comparable liturgical/musical tradition and similar Mainline Protestant membership dynamics in the Triangle.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ssecdurham/videos
• Xx.com/ssecdurham
• Facebookfacebook.com/ssecdurham
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ssecdurham82

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 St. Stephen's Episcopal Church