First Park Congregational Church

Religious Institution / Congregational Worshipparkchurchgr.org

First Park Congregational Church (Park Church) is a 189-year-old progressive UCC-affiliated congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan, serving local residents through weekly worship, faith formation programs, music ensembles, community outreach partnerships, and facility rentals from a National Historic Place building.

Company typePrivate
Founded1836
HeadquartersGrand Rapids, United States
Headcount251–500
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What First Park Congregational Church does

First Park Congregational Church (commonly known as Park Church) is a 189-year-old non-profit religious institution founded in 1836 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and affiliated with the United Church of Christ since 1961. It conducts weekly traditional worship services on Sundays at 10:30am in a Gothic-style sanctuary built in 1868, and serves the Grand Rapids community through progressive Christian theology, faith formation programs for children and youth, pastoral care, and an accessible-worship environment with hearing loops and elevator access. The church operates from a National Historic Place building (designated 1982) housing a significant 16-window Tiffany stained-glass collection.

The church's service portfolio includes in-person and YouTube live-streamed worship, Zoom-enabled Bible study, youth and children's programs, multiple music ensembles (Chancel Choir, handbell choirs, principal organist), the Music at Midday community concert series, and facility rentals for weddings and events. Community outreach is a core function, with active partnerships including Feeding America West Michigan, Degage Ministries, Palmer School, Days for Girls, Mel Trotter Ministries, and a multi-church Community and Service Center ministry serving Heartside neighborhood residents. The church is Open & Affirming (designation adopted 2010) and a designated Safe Church within the UCC.

Park Church operates as a private non-profit with member-elected governance (Trustees and Deacons boards) and no external parent company or subsidiaries. Its revenue model rests on voluntary tithes and offerings from the congregation, supplemented by facility rental income, free-will offerings at benefit concerts, and ancillary event revenue (e.g., $7 Music at Midday lunches). Technology use is limited to standard consumer platforms (YouTube for live streaming, Zoom for remote study, a WordPress website, email newsletter, and social media); no proprietary technology, AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or mobile applications are present in the organization's stack.

First Park Congregational Church firmographics

Firmographics

Name: First Park Congregational Church
Legal name: First (Park) Congregational Church
Website: https://parkchurchgr.org
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1836
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 251–500 employees
Short description: First Park Congregational Church (Park Church) is a 189-year-old progressive UCC-affiliated congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan, serving local residents through weekly worship, faith formation programs, music ensembles, community outreach partnerships, and facility rentals from a National Historic Place building.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

First Park Congregational Church industry classification

Industry

Product category: Religious Institution / Congregational Worship
NAICS: Religious Organizations (8131)
akta.pro primary industry: Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

Keywords

Congregational worship
Faith formation programs
Community outreach services
Event venue rental
Religious education

Where First Park Congregational Church is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Grand Rapids
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

First Park Congregational Church business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

Tithes and Offerings: Traditional congregational giving through weekly offerings collected during worship services and online giving platform.
Facility Rentals: Rental income from hosting weddings, business meetings, and events in the historic church spaces including fellowship hall and sanctuary.
Concert Programs: Free community concert series (Music at Midday) with optional lunch available for $7, generating modest ancillary revenue.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Music at Midday Concert Series

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

First Park Congregational Church product offering

Product offering

Core offering

First Park Congregational Church is a progressive Christian congregation that delivers weekly Sunday worship services (in-person and live-streamed), faith formation and education programs for all ages, and community outreach services. It also operates as a cultural and event venue, renting its historic 1868 Gothic sanctuary and fellowship hall for weddings, meetings, and concerts, and produces a free community concert series (Music at Midday).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Sunday Worship Services

Companies that use First Park Congregational Church

Customer profile

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

First Park Congregational Church technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

First Park Congregational Church partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

Feeding America West MichigancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 June 2026Choir benefit concert 'Feed My Sheep' on June 14, 2026 to support Feeding America West Michigan's food distribution efforts. 100% of offering proceeds go directly to the organization. Co-hosted with All Souls Community Church of West Michigan (Unitarian Universalist).
Degage MinistriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer-run food ministry cooking and serving two meals monthly at Degage. Meals prepared in Park Church kitchen and served at Degage facility the following day.
Palmer SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing service and friendship relationship with Creston neighborhood school. Volunteers needed for reading, tutoring, encouraging, coaching, and larger events throughout the year.
Days for Girls Rockford South Michigan TeamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for 'kit creation days' where volunteers create feminine hygiene kits for women and girls globally. No sewing experience necessary - training provided.
All Souls Community Church of West MichigancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnitarian Universalist co-host for benefit concert 'Feed My Sheep' featuring the choirs of both congregations performing Kyle Pederson's 'A Vision Unfolding'.
United Church of ChristcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliation since 1961. Park Church is an Open & Affirming congregation of the UCC, which was founded in 1957 and known for progressive stances including first to ordain African American, woman, and openly gay person.
Mel Trotter MinistriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in the Community and Service Center ministry, along with Degage and seven downtown churches, providing weekday center for Heartside neighbors.
Community and Service CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative ministry of Degage, Mel Trotter, and seven downtown churches including Park Church. Weekday center for Heartside neighbors to gather, rest, share meals, and access services like housing, medical referrals, and employment assistance. Currently hosted at Westminster Presbyterian Church.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

First Park Congregational Church competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

First Congregational Church of Los Angeles: Large historic Congregational (UCC-affiliated) church in downtown Los Angeles with progressive social stance, a major music program, and community outreach; comparable in denomination alignment, congregational governance, and cultural-anchor positioning.
LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church: Grand Rapids Christian Reformed Church explicitly named in Park Church's data as the prior employer of its handbell director; a comparably-sized West Michigan historic mainline congregation with a strong music program.
Fountain Street Church: A large, progressive, downtown Grand Rapids congregation with a similar commitment to social justice, music programming, and community engagement; operates in the same city and competes for the same progressive Christian demographic.
Old South Church: A historic, large-membership United Church of Christ congregation in Boston with progressive theology, a renowned music program, and a significant historic building; closely comparable in denomination, mission, and programming mix.
Westminster Presbyterian Church (Grand Rapids): Identified in Park Church's own data as the current host of the multi-church Community and Service Center; a downtown Grand Rapids mainline congregation partnering on community outreach with overlapping mission and member profiles.
All Souls Community Church of West Michigan: Unitarian Universalist congregation in Grand Rapids identified in Park Church's data as co-host of the June 2026 Feed My Sheep benefit concert; comparable in progressive theology, mid-sized membership, and community-service orientation.

Broad incumbents

Riverside Church: A nationally prominent progressive interdenominational church in New York City with a major music program, community outreach, and historic building; comparable in progressive theology and cultural-anchor role though at a much larger scale.

Regional players

Trinity Lutheran Church (Grand Rapids): Named in Park Church's data as the church where its handbell director first began ringing and later directed the bell choir; a Grand Rapids mainline congregation comparable in liturgical music tradition and regional reach.
Central Reformed Church (Grand Rapids): Reformed tradition congregation in Grand Rapids with comparable scale and community programming; serves the same regional progressive mainline market as Park Church.
Christ Memorial Church (Holland, MI): A Reformed Church in America congregation in Holland, Michigan, with comparable scale, music programming, and community-engagement mission; serves the adjacent West Michigan progressive Christian market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

First Park Congregational Church financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

First Park Congregational Church leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

First Park Congregational Church funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

First Park Congregational Church M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about First Park Congregational Church

What does First Park Congregational Church do?

Is First Park Congregational Church a public or private company?

First Park Congregational Church is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was First Park Congregational Church founded?

First Park Congregational Church was founded in 1836. It employs 251 to 500 people.

Where is First Park Congregational Church based?

First Park Congregational Church is headquartered in Grand Rapids, United States, in the North America region.

How does First Park Congregational Church make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. Tithes and Offerings are the primary driver. The others are facility Rentals and concert Programs.

Who are First Park Congregational Church's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church, Fountain Street Church, Old South Church, Westminster Presbyterian Church (Grand Rapids) and All Souls Community Church of West Michigan. Riverside Church is listed as a broad incumbent. Regional players are Trinity Lutheran Church (Grand Rapids), Central Reformed Church (Grand Rapids) and Christ Memorial Church (Holland, MI).

Does First Park Congregational Church have an API?

No public API is recorded for First Park Congregational Church.

What industry is First Park Congregational Church in?

First Park Congregational Church's product category is Religious Institution / Congregational Worship. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAJAA, Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues). Its NAICS code is 8131.