The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

What The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church does

The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (CME Church) is a connectional African American Wesleyan Methodist denomination founded in 1870 in Jackson, Tennessee, now headquartered at 4466 Elvis Presley Blvd, Memphis, TN. It serves more than 1.2 million members through a network of 1,200+ local churches organized into 11 Episcopal Districts across the United States, with mission presence in Haiti, Jamaica, and 14 African nations. Governance is exercised by 12 active bishops operating under a quadrennial cycle, with the 41st General Conference convened June 13-19, 2026 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas.

Core operational products and platforms include CME Web Services (cmechurches.org), The Christian Index publication, the Weekend Digest newsletter, a Publishing House, a Technology Portal offering negotiated vendor discounts to member churches, a Zoom-based virtual ministry platform, and a Yapp mobile application supporting the 2026 General Conference. The Bold Steps Strategic Plan governs denominational priorities for the 2026-2030 quadrennium. No proprietary AI/ML capabilities, patents, or technology product lines beyond standard digital communications tools are evident in the input.

As a 501(c)(3) religious nonprofit, the CME Church's central operating budget is funded through connectional apportionments from local churches — a percentage of member giving routed to the general church — supplemented by publishing revenue, conference registration fees, and donations. The headquarters operates with a headcount of 11-50 staff, and the organization does not publicly disclose audited financial statements.

Name

The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

Legal name

Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

Website

https://thecmechurch.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1870

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church is a 155-year-old African American Wesleyan Methodist denomination headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, serving 1.2 million members across 1,200+ churches in 11 Episcopal Districts, with missions in Haiti, Jamaica, and 14 African nations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Denomination Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (81311)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Denominational & Ecclesiastical Governance Bodies (Dioceses, Synods, Conferences) (BPAGAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based & Religious-Affiliated HBCUs (EDAHAMAG)

Keywords

• Religious denomination services
• Worship ministry services
• Christian education programs
• Community outreach ministries
• Faith-based publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Memphis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church is a historically African American Wesleyan Methodist denomination that delivers religious worship, Christian education, evangelism, missions, publishing, and community ministry services to more than 1.2 million members across 11 Episcopal Districts in the United States and international missions in Haiti, Jamaica, and fourteen African nations. It operates through a connectional structure of local churches, regional districts, affiliated HBCUs and a theological center, supplemented by digital platforms including a website, weekly newsletter, official periodical, and a General Conference mobile app.

Product overview

The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church operates a portfolio of digital and physical products and services for its denomination. These include: CME Web Services (cmechurches.org) for church website hosting and design; The Christian Index as the official denomination publication; The Weekend Digest as a weekly digital newsletter; the CME Church Publishing House for religious materials; a Technology Portal offering member discounts on hardware and software from major vendors; the General Conference 2026 mobile application; and community initiatives like the Day of Reading literacy program. The church also maintains the Bold Steps strategic plan for 2026-2030. The overall architecture is a collection of interconnected ministry resources rather than a unified software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CME Web Services (cmechurches.org)

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• United Methodist Church (UMC): Larger mainline Methodist body with shared Wesleyan heritage, comparable connectional structure, global mission footprint, and affiliated seminaries, but significantly broader and more heterogeneous in membership.
• The Episcopal Church: Mainline Christian denomination with comparable Episcopal-style governance, diocesan structure, affiliated seminaries, and publishing operations, though serving a different demographic.
• Presbyterian Church (USA): Mainline Protestant denomination with a comparable connectional/presbytery structure, publishing arm, affiliated seminaries, and global mission engagement, operating as a broader incumbent in adjacent faith space.

Direct peers

• African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AME Zion) Church: Another historically Black Methodist denomination with a connectional structure, Episcopal districts, affiliated educational institutions, and a comparable member base to CME.
• African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church: The largest historically African American Methodist denomination, sharing Wesleyan Methodist roots, a connectional Episcopal governance structure, affiliated HBCUs, and a comparable member base, publications, and global mission footprint.
• American Baptist Churches USA: Mainline Protestant denomination with a comparable connectional structure, regional governance, educational institutions, and publishing arm, operating in adjacent faith-market space.
• Progressive National Baptist Convention: Historically Black Baptist denomination with comparable size, urban footprint, education publishing, and social-justice orientation, serving overlapping demographic and ministry markets.
• National Baptist Convention USA: The largest historically African American Baptist denomination, serving a similar member demographic with comparable publishing, educational, and convention structures.
• Church of God in Christ (COGIC): One of the largest historically Black Pentecostal denominations in the U.S., comparable in scale, demographic focus, jurisdictional governance, and community-based ministry model.

Others

• Christian Methodist Episcopal Church Publishing House (Lane College): Affiliated HBCU closely tied to CME; comparable faith-based HBCU peer operating within the same denominational ecosystem, with shared alumni and donor pools.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/cmechurch
• Facebookfacebook.com/thecmechurch
• Instagraminstagram.com/thecmechurch
• Xx.com/CMEChurch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/christian-methodist-episcopal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church