Candlewood Community Church

What Candlewood Community Church does

Candlewood Community Church is a private, nonprofit religious organization operating a house-church network in Lutz, Florida and surrounding Pasco County communities (including New Port Richey). Founded in 2007 as a daughter church of Oakwood Community Church in Tampa and granted full autonomy by the Evangelical Free Church of America's Southeast District on January 1, 2008, the church delivers its ministry through two primary programs: The Gathering — a biweekly large-group worship service hosted at the home of Elder Jim and Beth Reed in Lutz — and Community Groups, which are small-group Bible studies meeting every other week in homes across Lutz and New Port Richey (Petersen, Paolino, and Reed/Cooke groups). Supporting programs include an integrated children's/youth ministry, a prayer initiative called Candlewood Prays, an online sermon archive dating to 2014, and financial support for three missionary efforts (Scott Waller at Eidos Christian Center; Luke and Sarah Schrieber with ReachGlobal in Mexico City; and one anonymous family in a Gospel-hostile region).

The church operates with minimal technology infrastructure — a WordPress website built on the Genesis Framework with the Navigation Pro theme, online giving via PayPal, and organic social media presence on Instagram and Facebook. There is no proprietary software, mobile app, or API. Revenue is generated entirely through voluntary tithes and offerings (online, in-person, and check-by-mail); all ministry activities are provided free of charge, and no financial figures are publicly disclosed. Governance is provided by an Elder Team, with leadership transition recorded on August 1, 2023 when Gaetano Paolino succeeded founding pastor Ron Day. The organization has approximately 5 listed administrative/staff contacts and is led operationally by Pastor Gaetano Paolino, Secretary Rose DePalma, and Elders Jim Reed, Jerry Petersen, Steve Cooke, and Glenn Francis.

Name

Candlewood Community Church

Legal name

Candlewood Community Church

Website

https://candlewoodfl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Candlewood Community Church is a Lutz, Florida-based house church network founded in 2007, operating biweekly small-group community meetings in homes across Lutz and New Port Richey alongside a larger biweekly worship gathering. It serves local Pasco County residents through volunteer-led ministry funded by voluntary tithes and offerings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAJAA

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

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Religious & Faith-Based Organizations

SECONDARYBPAGAJAG

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Religious & Faith-Based Organizations

Keywords

• House church network
• Community worship services
• Small group ministry
• Biblical teaching
• Religious nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Lutz

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: The church relies on voluntary donations from congregation members through tithes and offerings. Members can give online via PayPal, by check through mail, or in person during The Gathering.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Candlewood Community Church is a house church network in Lutz, Florida and surrounding areas that conducts The Gathering (biweekly large-group worship service) and Community Groups (biweekly small-group Bible studies in homes) for scripture study, fellowship, prayer, and worship. The church also provides an online sermon archive, integrated children's and youth ministry, a prayer initiative, and supports domestic and international missionaries, all funded through voluntary donations.

Product overview

Candlewood Community Church is a house-church movement operating in Lutz, Florida and surrounding areas. The church's ministry is organized around two primary interconnected programs: The Gathering (a biweekly large-group worship service held in an Elder’s home) and Community Groups (small group Bible studies meeting every other week in homes throughout the area). Supporting programs include a sermon archive (offering online access to recorded sermons), children’s and youth ministry (integrated into adult gatherings rather than separate programs), a prayer ministry (Candlewood Prays), online giving via PayPal, and missions support for three missionary families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Gathering A biweekly large-group worship service held at the home of an Elder, featuring group singing, prayer, Scripture reading, small group Bible discussion, and teaching from the weekly passage. For individuals and families in the Lutz, Florida area.
• Community Groups Small group gatherings held every other week in homes throughout the northern Tampa area where members study the same Scripture passage discussed at The Gathering, pray for one another, and build authentic relationships. For members and attendees in Lutz, New Port Richey, and surrounding areas.
• Sermon Archive Online archive of recorded sermons featuring multiple preachers covering various Bible books, topics, and series, searchable by preacher, series, topic, and book of the Bible. For current and prospective members and the broader Christian community.
• Children's/Youth Ministry Integrated approach to raising children and teens in the faith, where children participate alongside adults in both large Gatherings and Community Group experiences rather than in separate children's programs. For families with children and youth in the Lutz, Florida area.
• Candlewood Prays A prayer focus initiative that provides weekly prayer requests to help Candlewood members pray beyond their borders, including both local and global prayer needs. For church members and community participants.
• Online Giving (PayPal) Online donation functionality through PayPal allowing members to give electronically, with additional options for in-person giving during Gatherings and check-by-mail donations. For church members and supporters.
• Missions Support Support for missionaries including Scott Waller (Eidos Christian Center), Luke and Sarah Schrieber (ReachGlobal in Mexico City), and an anonymous missionary family in a Gospel-hostile region. For church members who contribute and missionaries supported.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Oakwood Community Church (Carrollwood, Tampa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMother church that launched Candlewood Community Church as a daughter congregation. Oakwood's Minister of Congregational Life, Pastor Ron Day, and his wife Ardell led the Church Multiplication Task Force to establish Candlewood in Pasco County. Oakwood granted autonomy blessing on November 29, 2007.
• Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCandlewood is a member of the EFCA and Southeast District. Adheres to the EFCA statement of faith as members. Gained full autonomy and membership on January 1, 2008.
• Southeast District of EFCAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCandlewood gained membership in the South East District of the Evangelical Free Church of America on January 1, 2008, maintaining regional affiliation and oversight.
• Eidos Christian CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScott Waller is a fellow with Eidos Christian Center in Southern California. The center focuses on equipping and training believers to minister to a culture skeptical of the Christian worldview, particularly in educational settings. Candlewood supports Scott's work through prayer and financial contributions.
• ReachGlobal (EFCA Missions)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLuke and Sarah Schrieber are missionaries on staff with ReachGlobal, the EFCA's missions organization. They work with a team to strengthen and multiply transformational churches in Mexico City, focusing on reaching the poor, ignored, and avoided areas with the Gospel. Candlewood supports their missionary work.
• Anonymous Missionary FamilyminorOthersCandlewood supports one more missionary family serving in an area hostile to the Gospel. For safety reasons, their identity and country cannot be named publicly.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Northland, A Church Distributed: Large regional Florida congregation with multiple campuses and a distributed small-group ministry model. Comparable as a Florida-based church pursuing community engagement through small groups, though at significantly larger scale and with substantially more resources than Candlewood.
• Idlewild Baptist Church: Large Southern Baptist congregation headquartered in Lutz, Florida — directly in Candlewood's primary geographic market. Represents the well-resourced incumbent church that small, house-based congregations in the same zip codes must compete with for members and visibility.

Others

• ReachGlobal (EFCA Missions): EFCA's official global missions organization that directly sends and supports missionaries Luke and Sarah Schrieber, whom Candlewood financially backs. Functions as a faith-based enabling peer — the missional infrastructure through which Candlewood's outward giving is channeled.
• Eidos Christian Center: Southern California-based ministry that equips believers to engage culture and educational settings; Scott Waller, one of Candlewood's supported missionaries, is a fellow there. Comparable as a faith-based ministry ecosystem partner connected via Candlewood's missional giving.
• Church Multiplication Network (EFCA): EFCA's church-planting arm — the network that sponsored Candlewood's 2007 launch and continues to provide denominational alignment and oversight. Functions as an enabling/ecosystem peer for similar daughter-church plants within the same denomination.

Direct peers

• Sojourn Community Church: Louisville-based church with a comparable distributed small-group / missional-community model that intentionally blurs the line between Sunday gathering and weekly neighborhood community. Operates as a network of mid-sized neighborhood communities, mirroring Candlewood's house-church structure.
• Oakwood Community Church: Mother church of Candlewood located in Carrollwood, Tampa. Same EFCA denomination and evangelical theological DNA, and the organization that directly planted Candlewood in 2007 — making it the most directly comparable peer on mission, model, and heritage.

Broad incumbents

• The Village Church: Multi-site Texas church associated with Acts 29 and the missional-community movement. While substantially larger, it shares Candlewood's emphasis on gospel-centered teaching, small groups, and theological seriousness, making it a comparable ideological and methodological peer at greater scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CandlewoodFL
• Instagraminstagram.com/candlewood.cc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/candlewood-community-church

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Candlewood Community Church