Church of the Apostles, Columbia

What Church of the Apostles, Columbia does

Church of the Apostles, Columbia is an Anglican parish operating from a single campus at 1520 Bull Street, Columbia, SC 29201, and serving as the cathedral for the Diocese of the Carolinas within the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). Founded in 2003 under the Anglican Church of Rwanda (PEAR) and transferred to ACNA oversight in June 2016, the church functions as a 501(c)(3) religious nonprofit led by Dean Eric Speece (since June 16, 2024) and a nine-member elected Vestry. It delivers liturgical worship including a Sunday Eucharist at 11:00 a.m., a Wednesday morning mid-week Eucharist, and live streaming via the online.church platform, alongside an integrated Christian education program spanning adult classes (CotATalks, Anglicanism 201, CotAStudies, Life Together), children's ministry (nursery through 5th grade), youth ministry for middle and high school students, college ministry, and women's ministry.

The church's technical stack is built on standard commercial SaaS rather than proprietary infrastructure: Realm Church Management Software (by ACSTechnologies) handles parish records, online directory, event registration, and giving; the Connect mobile app (iOS and Android) provides on-the-go access; live streaming runs through the online.church platform; Constant Contact delivers the weekly "Cota Connection" newsletter; SignUpGenius coordinates event sign-ups; and YouTube and Dropbox host sermon archives and parking resources. There is no in-house engineering, no API surface, and no proprietary technology development.

The revenue model is voluntary: services are free, and the operating budget is funded by tithes, pledges, and donations from the congregation. No funding rounds, institutional investment, or financial disclosures are present in the source material. The church employs approximately 15-20 paid clergy and staff (Dean, Sub Dean, Associate to the Dean, Canon Missioner, Director of Music, Director of Children and Family Ministries, Youth Ministers, Parish Administrator, Nursery Director, Theologian in Residence, Assisting Clergy, deacons, and on-site counselors). Geographic reach is primarily the Columbia, SC metropolitan area with a secondary digital footprint via live streaming and sermon archives. The organization's ministry model includes a multi-city church planting pipeline through which clergy have been sent to Seattle, Atlanta, Houston, Wilmore KY, Jacksonville FL, Lynn Haven FL, Canton IL, and Lexington SC (All Souls Lexington).

Name

Church of the Apostles, Columbia

Legal name

Church of the Apostles, Columbia

Website

https://apostlescolumbia.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Church of the Apostles is an Anglican parish and cathedral for the Diocese of the Carolinas in Columbia, SC, offering liturgical worship, Christian education, youth and family ministries, on-site counseling, and live streaming to the local congregation, supported by voluntary tithes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Parish Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Anglican parish services
• Christian worship programs
• Pastoral counseling services
• Christian education ministry
• Religious community fellowship

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Church of the Apostles is an Anglican parish providing weekly liturgical worship services (Sunday Eucharist at 11a and Wednesday mid-week Eucharist), Christian education for all ages, pastoral and clinical counseling, and community fellowship programs including youth, children's, college, and women's ministries. The parish operates live-streamed worship, an online sermon library, and a mobile app for community engagement, supported by the Realm ChMS platform for parish records, event registration, and online giving.

Product overview

Church of the Apostles, Columbia is an Anglican parish offering worship and Christian formation through multiple integrated programs and platforms. The core offering centers on liturgical worship services including Sunday Eucharist (11a), mid-week Wednesday chapel services, and live streaming for remote participation. Educational programming includes adult Christian education classes (CotATalks, Anglicanism 201, CotAStudies, Life Together), children's ministry (CotAKids), youth ministry, and college ministry. Community building occurs through Koinonia small groups, women's ministry, newcomers programs (Newcomers Brunch, DiscoverCotA membership class), and pastoral counseling services. Digital infrastructure includes Realm Parish Management (ChMS), the Connect mobile app, online sermon library with archives, and live streaming via the online church platform. The church also offers specialized programs like Connected Families parent coaching and uses platforms including Constant Contact for communications and SignUpGenius for event coordination.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sunday Eucharist Worship Service Weekly liturgical Holy Communion service held Sundays at 11a following the ACNA 2019 Book of Common Prayer, with Christian Education at 9:45a, open to the general public.
• Mid-Week Eucharist Wednesday morning chapel worship service at 7:30a providing an additional Holy Communion opportunity during the week, with Fr Aaron White as regular celebrant.
• Live Stream Worship Services Real-time streaming of Sunday worship services and Holy Eucharist via the online church platform, allowing remote congregation members to participate in live liturgical celebrations.
• Sermon Library Archive of past sermon recordings organized by date and liturgical season, including audio downloads and order of service PDFs, accessible through the website and YouTube.
• Adult Christian Education Sunday morning educational programming at 9:45a featuring multiple simultaneous classes including CotATalks, Anglicanism 201, CotAStudies, Life Together, and College Hour.
• Koinonia Small Groups Multi-generational, single-gender small group ministry meeting bimonthly for Scripture-based study, prayer, and fellowship, with trained group leaders.
• CotAKids Children's Ministry Age-appropriate Christian education and formation programs for children from nursery through 5th grade, including Sunday school, VBS, and nursery care, partnering with families.
• CotA Youth Ministry Student discipleship program for middle and high school students focused on Bible study, prayer habits, service, and fellowship, led by Youth Ministers Micah and Abigail McCoy.
• College Ministry College-age student fellowship program meeting Sunday mornings in the Parlor for food, fellowship, and Bible study on the book of James.
• Women's Ministry Women's fellowship program offering Gather (Coffee Club, Pickleball, CotA Crafters), Grow (Bible study on Hebrews, Koinonia groups), and Give (communion serving, meal ministry) opportunities.
• Newcomers Brunch Welcome program for visitors featuring lunch with Dean Eric and staff to introduce the church community, mission, and membership opportunities.
• DiscoverCotA Membership Class Covenant membership orientation sessions teaching Anglicanism, church roots, and opportunities for involvement, led by Dean Eric on Sunday afternoons.
• Pastoral and Clinical Counseling Services Professional counseling services offered in church offices with pastoral counseling (Pam Helland) and clinical counseling (Katie Castor) for congregation members needing care beyond pastoral ministry.
• Connected Families Parent Coaching Parent coaching program using the Connected Families framework, with Julia Rupp providing free coaching sessions for CotA members to strengthen family discipleship.
• Realm Parish Management Platform Church Management Software providing online directory access, parish record management, giving history, event registration, and notification management for congregation members.
• Connect Mobile App Native mobile application for iOS and Android enabling church community connectivity, parish record access, and engagement features for members on the go.
• Weekly Email Newsletter (The Cota Connection) Email newsletter providing reminders, save-the-dates, announcements, and news through Constant Contact platform, keeping congregation informed of church activities and events.
• ACNA 2019 Book of Common Prayer Liturgical Text Official Anglican liturgical text used for worship services, available in PDF download and for purchase through Anglican Liturgy Press, guiding the church's sacramental and liturgical practice.

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered former, core and minor.

• Anglican Church of Rwanda (PEAR)formerOthers · 1 January 2003Original founding partnership - Rwanda responded to a call for help from American Anglicans seeking revitalization in 1998. Provided oversight, encouragement, guidance, and inspiration from 2003 until 2016 when parishes were transferred to ACNA.
• Anglican Church in North America (ACNA)coreOthersChurch of the Apostles is affiliated with ACNA through the Diocese of the Carolinas. The church uses the ACNA 2019 Book of Common Prayer for liturgy. ACNA unites approximately 112,000 Anglicans in nearly 1,000 congregations across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
• Diocese of the CarolinascoreOthersChurch of the Apostles serves as the cathedral for the Diocese of the Carolinas. The diocese transferred oversight from PEARUSA in June 2016. Bishop Steve Wood serves as Bishop of the Diocese of the Carolinas and Archbishop of ACNA.
• Harvest Hope Food PantryminorOthersWomen's ministry partners with Harvest Hope Emergency Food Pantry at 2220 Shop Road, Columbia SC 29201. Members serve on select Monday and Tuesday afternoons.
• Lighthouse for LifeminorOthersWomen's ministry participates in Meal Prep-and-Pray events to assemble meals for Lighthouse for Life rescue home ministry.
• YMCA Blue Ridge AssemblyminorOthersBi-annual Women's Retreat venue at YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, NC, scheduled for November 12-14, 2027.

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Church of the Resurrection, Charleston: ACNA parish within the Carolinas region offering traditional Anglican worship and Christian education; directly comparable denomination, geographic and programmatic profile.
• All Souls Anglican Church: Anglican congregation with similar small-group, formation and outreach programming; comparable as a traditional Anglican parish focused on spiritual formation and community.
• The Falls Church Anglican: Prominent ACNA congregation that broke away from the Episcopal Church; comparable in theological orientation (Anglo-Catholic/traditional), congregational scale, and digital program breadth.
• Cathedral Church of the Advent, Birmingham: Historic Episcopal cathedral in Birmingham, AL serving both as a worshipping congregation and the seat of a diocese — closely mirrors CotA's combined cathedral-parish role and traditional liturgical identity.
• Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Columbia: Episcopal cathedral also located in downtown Columbia, SC, offering traditional liturgical worship, Christian formation and diocesan-level programming — the most direct local comparable to CotA's cathedral-plus-parish mission.
• Christ Episcopal Church, Charleston: Long-established Episcopal parish in Charleston, SC with traditional liturgical worship, Christian education and community programming — an analogous congregation within the same state.
• St. John's Episcopal Church, Columbia: Episcopal parish in Columbia, SC offering traditional liturgy, formation for all ages and pastoral care — a local peer competing for the same congregational pool as CotA.
• Truro Anglican Church: Well-known ACNA parish in Fairfax, VA with strong liturgy, adult formation and outreach programming; a directly comparable traditional Anglican parish model.
• Church of the Incarnation (Anglican): Anglican parish with comparable traditional worship, formation offerings, and family/children programming to CotA's multi-generational ministry model.

Broad incumbents

• Anglican Church in North America (ACNA): Provincial-level body governing the denomination to which CotA belongs; broader incumbent shaping the canonical, liturgical and missional environment in which CotA operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cotacola
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/church-of-the-apostles-columbia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 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 Church of the Apostles, Columbia