First Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga

What First Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga does

First Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga is a historic, non-profit religious organization and member congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), operating under a session of elders and committed to the Westminster Confession of Faith. Its sanctuary at 554 McCallie Avenue in downtown Chattanooga was dedicated in 1910, and it currently operates a secondary Student Center at 535 McCallie Avenue directly across the street, adjacent to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The organization runs a comprehensive ministry portfolio spanning Sunday worship services (a 9:00am contemporary service and an 11:15am traditional service), Sunday School at 10:15am, a Wednesday Midweek program with dinner, and small groups distributed across multiple Chattanooga submarkets including Hixson, Harrison, Ooltewah, Signal Mountain, Ridgeside, Brainerd, Lookout Valley, and Lookout Mountain.

The church's core offerings — Worship, Sunday School, Children's, Youth, College, Men's, Women's, Music & Worship, Congregational Care, Local Outreach, and World Missions — are delivered through a paid staff of approximately 20 people under Senior Pastor Gabriel N.E. Fluhrer (Ph.D., Westminster Theological Seminary), supported by a Senior Assistant Pastor and specialized pastors for college, discipleship, missions, and congregational care. Auxiliary sub-brand ministries include Vesper Point (a camp facility with its own director and podcast series), Beatitude Living (a women's 12-step recovery program), Virtual House of Prayer (weekly Zoom prayer), Rapha Fellowship (mercy ministry with Wednesday meals), Hearts & Hammers (monthly service projects), and Card-e-ology (approximately 3,000 cards produced annually). Operating technology is entirely third-party: ShelbyNext for membership and giving, KidCheck for child safety, Vimeo for livestream, Zoom for virtual programming, and Spotify/Apple Podcasts/Sermon Audio for sermon distribution.

The revenue model is donations-based and undisclosed. Funding comes from voluntary tithes and offerings, planned-giving vehicles (charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, donor-advised funds, appreciated stock/real estate, qualified charitable distributions from retirement accounts, and life insurance beneficiary designations), plus immaterial event fees ($6 midweek meals for adults, $8 IAWL senior lunches, $5 First Cup Tuesday breakfast). The church is currently in a multi-year Capital Campaign for a proposed two-story addition and rear remodel of the main campus, supported by member pledges and managed with The Canaan Group (campaign consultant), EMJ Construction, Rardin & Carroll Architects, and Shear Structural Engineers. Local outreach extends to Kids Hope USA mentoring and Good News Club at Orchard Knob Elementary, partnerships with Chatt Foundation and Vision of Mercy for homelessness services, a Friday ministry at the Salvation Army's McCallie Avenue facility, and a long-running prison mentorship program at Walker State Prison (Georgia) that reports a sub-10% reoffense rate against a roughly 80% national average.

Name

First Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga

Legal name

First Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga

Website

https://1stpresbyterian.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1910

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

First Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga is a historic, non-profit PCA congregation in downtown Chattanooga offering Sunday worship, Sunday School, midweek programming, and full-life-stage ministries from children through seniors, supported by donations and planned giving.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

Keywords

• Religious worship services
• Christian education programs
• Community outreach ministry
• Youth discipleship programs
• Congregational care services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chattanooga

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Voluntary financial contributions from church members and attendees. The church emphasizes that all contributions belong to God and are used to support ministry operations, local outreach, and global missions.
2. Planned Giving: Estate planning vehicles including charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, donor advised fund gifts, appreciated stock/real estate gifts, retirement account Qualified Charitable Distributions, and life insurance beneficiary designations.
3. Meal Fees: Midweek fellowship meals: $6 for adults and youth age 12+, $4 for children age 5-11, free for children age 4 and under, with a $20 maximum per family. First Cup Tuesday breakfast costs $5.
4. Event Fees: Senior fellowship program IAWL charges $8 for lunch at meetings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

First Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga is a confessional Presbyterian church that provides weekly worship services (contemporary and traditional), Christian education through Sunday School, age-specific discipleship ministries for children, youth, college students, men, and women, music and worship programs, congregational care services, local community outreach, and global missions support. The church also operates a separate ministry campus called Vesper Point and runs midweek fellowship programming.

Product overview

First Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga is a confessional church and member of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) offering a comprehensive ministry portfolio centered on spiritual development, relational connection, and missional engagement. The church's offerings include Sunday worship services (contemporary at 9:00am and traditional at 11:15am), Sunday School for all ages, Children's Ministry, Youth Ministry, College Ministry, Men's Ministry, Women's Ministry, Music & Worship (with multiple ensembles including Sanctuary Choir, Praise Team, and Orchestra), Congregational Care programs, Local Outreach initiatives, World Missions, Midweek Ministry, and Small Groups. The church also provides digital resources including sermon podcasts on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, the ShelbyNext membership app, and online giving through their website. The church is currently undergoing a Capital Campaign for facility renovations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vesper Point: A ministry location and program operated by First Presbyterian Church, featuring camp programs and related ministry activities.
• Kids Hope USA
• Hearts & Hammers
• Virtual House of Prayer
• Beatitude Living
• Rapha Fellowship

Products and services

• Sunday Worship Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Walker State Prison reoffense rate below 10% compared to ~80% national average
• +1 more outcomes

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• The Canaan GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampaign consultant group assisting with the Capital Campaign planning and fundraising efforts. Provides campaign coordination and consulting services for the facility renovation project.
• EMJ ConstructioncoreOthersConstruction partner for the Capital Campaign renovation project. Responsible for implementing the facility improvements outlined in the Master Plan.
• Rardin & Carroll ArchitectscoreOthersArchitecture firm designing the proposed two-story addition and rear remodel of the main campus as part of the Capital Campaign.
• Shear Structural EngineerscoreOthersStructural engineering firm providing engineering services for the Capital Campaign renovation project.
• Chatt FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal ministry partner meeting basic needs of hungry, homeless, and vulnerable people in the Chattanooga community while offering a path to self-sufficiency. First Pres supports through outreach ministry participation.
• Vision of MercymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinistry providing services to the homeless community in greater Chattanooga area, restoring hope and dignity. First Pres supports through outreach ministry participation.
• Salvation Army (Samaritan's Road Ministry)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFriday ministry where First Pres volunteers provide music, devotion, breakfast, and prayer for approximately 30 individuals at the Salvation Army on McCallie Avenue.
• Kids Hope USAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Christian organization partnering with churches to send trained mentors into elementary schools. First Pres mentors serve at Orchard Knob Elementary School, spending one hour per week with students during the school year.
• Child Evangelism Fellowship (Good News Club)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational initiative to bring the Gospel to children. First Pres partners to conduct Good News Club at Orchard Knob Elementary School.
• Presbyterian Church in America (PCA)coreOthersDenominational affiliation. First Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga is a member congregation, committed to Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms.
• Walker State Prison (Faith-based Character Program)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeorgia state prison where First Pres raises and trains male mentors to disciple inmates twice monthly as part of the Faith-based Character Program. Has achieved below 10% reoffense rate versus ~80% national average.
• The Next Door (Women's Halfway House)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHalfway house where volunteers serve and mentor women recently released from prison. First Pres Women's Prison Ministry connects with residents through mentoring relationships.
• Vesper PointmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeparate ministry/camp facility operated by First Pres, with its own Director of Vesper Point (Forrest Walker) and podcast series 'Stories from the Point' documenting interviews and stories from the facility.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• First Presbyterian Church, Panama City FL: PCA church where Pastor of Congregational Care Ron Brown previously served as Senior Pastor. Comparable in denomination, congregational mission focus, and ministry programming.
• Independent Presbyterian Church, Memphis TN: Major PCA congregation in Tennessee with historic sanctuary and established multi-generational programming. Comparable in denomination, building-centered ministry model, and adult education depth.
• Westminster Presbyterian Church, Nashville TN: Major PCA church in Tennessee with comparable historic profile, comprehensive multi-generational ministries, and downtown presence. Peer benchmark for large PCA congregational scale and program portfolio in the same state.
• First Presbyterian Church, Columbia SC: PCA church in a comparable mid-size Southern city where Senior Pastor Gabriel Fluhrer previously served. Comparable in denomination, historic presence, and congregational scale.
• Northside Presbyterian Church, Chattanooga TN: Local PCA church in Chattanooga competing for the same congregation and donor base. Comparable in denomination, theological orientation, and metropolitan market.
• Christ Presbyterian Church, Nashville TN: One of the largest PCA churches in Tennessee, with a similarly comprehensive ministry model and reformed theological orientation. Comparable in denominational affiliation, congregational programming breadth, and regional influence.
• Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church, Signal Mountain TN: PCA church in the Chattanooga metropolitan area serving some overlapping suburban communities. Comparable in denomination and geographic market.
• Second Presbyterian Church, Greenville SC: PCA church in the Southeast where Senior Pastor Gabriel Fluhrer previously served. Comparable in reformed confessional identity, downtown location, and PCA-affiliated ministry portfolio.
• First Presbyterian Church, Jackson MS: PCA church in a comparable Southern city where Senior Pastor Gabriel Fluhrer previously served. Comparable in denomination, congregational scale, and programming breadth.

Regional players

• New City Fellowship, Chattanooga TN: Local Chattanooga ministry with Presbyterian/reformed roots planted by Pastor Randy Nabors of First Pres. Direct ministry partner with overlapping theological commitments and shared community outreach footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeopen.spotify.com/show/75wTOIzIs2iCVK8s2YrC4A
• Instagraminstagram.com/1stpresyouthchatt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/first-presbyterian-church-of-chattanooga

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 First Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga