Church at the Oaks

What Church at the Oaks does

Church at the Oaks is a private, non-profit Christian church founded in January 2021 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, operating as the third church plant within the Well Church Network, a multiplying movement of disciple-making congregations in southeastern U.S. university cities. The church is led by founder and lead planter Britton Latham (alongside his wife Jessica) and explicitly targets the University of Alabama and Shelton State student population as its strategic demographic, while also serving children, middle and high school students, adults and families, and alumni through a segmented ministry portfolio.

The church's "products" are its ministry programs: weekly Sunday services held at 9:30 a.m. at the Moody Music Building; Oaks Kids (children's ministry nursery through 5th grade); Oaks Middle and High School (Greenhouse gatherings plus MS/HS Tribes led by college students); Oaks College (Late Night monthly worship, Campus Tribes); Tribes (community groups of 10–15) and Huddles (discipleship groups of 3–5); Oaks Worship; Missions (8 long-term overseas missionaries plus short-term trips via NAMB/IMB); and Baptism and Membership pathways. The underlying technology stack is minimal and entirely third-party: the Church Center SaaS platform handles membership, giving, forms, and group enrollment, while YouTube is used for live streaming and sermon-on-demand distribution via the Oaks Podcast. There is no proprietary technology, mobile app, or AI component.

Revenue is generated entirely through voluntary giving across three funds: the Oaks Fund (recurring tithes and offerings supporting general operations), the Legacy Fund (a three-year, three-phase capital campaign targeting $31.5M for facilities near campus, with 10% earmarked for new church plants), and the Supporters Fund (giving from non-attending aligned donors). Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven — small groups, college ministry, children's programs, monthly worship gatherings, mission trips, and an Alumni program designed to retain graduated members as long-distance advocates and donors.

Name

Church at the Oaks

Legal name

Church at the Oaks

Website

https://churchattheoaks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Church at the Oaks is a non-profit Christian church founded in 2021 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, serving college students, families, and youth through segmented ministries, small groups, and missions work as part of the Well Church Network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE), Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI)

Keywords

• Religious worship services
• Christian discipleship ministry
• Small group community
• College campus ministry
• Youth ministry programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Tuscaloosa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Members and attendees give tithes (10% of income as a biblical standard) and offerings to support the church's general budget and operations. The Oaks Fund supports the general budget and everyday disciple-making work.
2. Legacy Fund Campaign: Capital campaign raising funds for facilities. Phase 1 aims for $1.5M for a ministry center, Phase 2 seeks $5M for land acquisition near campus, and Phase 3 targets $25M for a 40,000 sq ft facility. 10% of Legacy Fund is dedicated to starting new churches within the network.
3. Supporters Fund: Giving avenue for non-attendees who share the church's vision and want to invest in the mission. Provides a way for external supporters to contribute financially to church planting and missions work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Church at the Oaks is a Gospel-centered church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that delivers weekly multigenerational worship services and structured Christian discipleship programs for children, youth, college students, adults, and families. The church organizes community formation through small groups (Tribes and Huddles), runs a Sending Team that supports local and global missions through NAMB and IMB, and is conducting a three-phase Legacy Campaign raising $31.5M to secure facilities near the University of Alabama campus.

Product overview

Church at the Oaks is a Gospel-centered church with a multi-ministry portfolio structured around collegiate ministry and community formation. The church operates through several interconnected programs: Oaks Kids (children's ministry), Oaks Middle and High School (youth ministry with Greenhouse and MS/HS Tribes), Oaks College (college ministry featuring Late Night gatherings and Campus Tribes), and Oaks Alumni. Community life is organized through Tribes (small groups of 10-15 people for community building) and Huddles (discipleship groups of 3-5 members). The church also operates Oaks Worship (worship band and production), Missions (short-term and long-term missionary sending), Baptism, and Membership programs. Financial giving is facilitated through three funds: Oaks Fund (general operations), Legacy Fund (facilities campaign), and Supporters Fund. Media outreach includes the Oaks Podcast for sermon distribution. The church is actively planting new churches through the Well Network, including Church in the Valley in Knoxville. The Legacy Campaign is a three-phase capital campaign totaling $31.5M for facilities development near campus.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Oaks Kids: Children's ministry providing a safe, fun, and clean environment for children to build relationships and grow in their knowledge of Jesus.
• Oaks College
• Oaks Middle and High School
• Oaks Alumni
• Oaks Worship

Products and services

• Sunday Service Weekly multigenerational worship service featuring contemporary worship with a worship band, congregational singing, prayer, Bible reading and preaching, gospel sharing, and giving, held at 9:30am at the Moody Music Building in Tuscaloosa.
• Oaks Kids Disciple-making children's ministry providing a safe, fun, and clean environment where children from nursery through 5th grade can build relationships and grow in their knowledge of Jesus and His love for them.
• Oaks Middle and High School Youth ministry for middle and high school students focused on helping teenagers find answers, build real gospel-centered community, and be equipped as disciple-makers through Greenhouse gatherings and MS/HS Tribes small groups led by college students.
• Oaks College College ministry reaching, discipling, and equipping college students at the University of Alabama and Shelton State to be disciple-makers of Jesus, featuring Late Night monthly worship gatherings and Campus Tribes small groups.
• Oaks Alumni Alumni ministry connecting former members with opportunities to give faithfully, speak boldly, and pray continually for the ongoing mission of the church.
• Tribes Small groups of 10–15 people who come together to build community, support one another, and discuss Scripture, meeting in homes across the city at various times throughout the week. Includes City Tribes (adult/family led) and Campus Tribes (college led).
• Huddles Small discipleship groups of 3–5 members that meet weekly to study in-depth the Word of God and encourage one another to grow in Christ.
• Missions Sending Team that organizes short-term mission trips and assists students going on mission, partnering with NAMB and IMB, and currently supporting 8 long-term missionaries overseas.
• Oaks Worship Worship ministry consisting of a worship band and production team serving to help the church worship Jesus daily with contemporary worship songs and modern hymns.
• Baptism Public declaration of faith through water immersion, celebrating new birth and life with Christ, observed regularly during Sunday services.
• Membership Church membership process involving reading the membership covenant, completing an interest form, watching informational videos, and having a one-on-one conversation with church staff.
• Oaks Fund Primary giving fund supporting the church's general budget and the everyday work of disciple-making. Members are encouraged to give 10% of income (biblical tithe standard); one-time and recurring gift options available.
• Legacy Fund Capital campaign fund for securing exceptional facilities near campus, with 10% of funds dedicated to starting new churches within the Well Church Network in other college towns.
• Supporters Fund Giving avenue for those who do not attend Oaks but share the same vision and want to invest in the mission of church planting and missions work.
• Oaks Podcast Sermon podcast posting each weekly sermon so visitors never miss out, available through the Sunday Service Library.
• Legacy Campaign Three-year capital campaign (2025–2027) to secure exceptional facilities near campus, totaling $31.5M across three phases: $1.5M for ministry center, $5M for land purchase, and $25M for 40,000 sq ft facility construction.
• Church in the Valley Church plant being sent by Church at the Oaks through the Well Network, led by Ben and Beth Hewitt, to be planted in Knoxville, Tennessee as the seventh church planted through the Well Network.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8 long-term missionaries currently serving overseas
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Ben and Beth Hewitt (Church in the Valley)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Ben and Beth Hewitt joined the Well Church Planting Network in 2024 to plant Church in the Valley in Knoxville, TN - the seventh church planted through the Well Network. They graduated from Samford University and Ben obtained his MDiv from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. They previously served at a church in Birmingham, Alabama before joining the network and will move to Knoxville in June to launch the new church plant.
• The Well Network (Well Church Network)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Church at the Oaks is part of the Well Church Network, a movement of multiplying disciple-making churches in Southeastern university cities. Founded by Allen Tate as Executive Director, the network plants Gospel-centered churches to reach the City, Campus, and Nations. Oaks is committed to sending out a church plant every three years through this network. The relationship includes shared vision, church planting methodology, and mutual support for gospel work.
• NAMB (North American Mission Board)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch at the Oaks works alongside their Sending Team to help send students through NAMB. NAMB supports church planting and missionary sending efforts in North America. The partnership helps facilitate short-term mission trips and assists students anticipating going on mission throughout the year.
• IMB (International Mission Board)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch at the Oaks partners with IMB through their Sending Team to help send missionaries internationally. The church has 8 long-term missionaries currently serving overseas and sends several college students each summer through this partnership.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Elevation Church: Charlotte, NC multisite church with a comparable next-generation and college-aged focus. Operates at significantly larger scale but shares the modern worship, digital-first, and growth-oriented DNA.
• North Point Ministries: Atlanta-area multisite network (Andy Stanley). Built on a similar small-group-centric model with church-planting and leadership-development emphasis; broader scale and longer operating history.
• Saddleback Church: Lake Forest, CA church historically known for its small-group (CLASS) model and global church-planting strategy (PEACE Plan). Comparable emphasis on multiplication and structured discipleship.

Direct peers

• Church of the Highlands: Large multisite church founded in Birmingham, AL in 2001. Closest geographic and demographic peer — same Alabama region, college-town-adjacent audience, and similarly invests in church planting and next-gen leadership development at scale.
• The Summit Church: Durham, NC church with a strong church-planting and disciple-multiplying ethos (Acts 29 affiliated). Comparable model: emphasis on sending, small groups, and reproducing churches in university cities.
• Watermark Church: Plano, TX-based church known for its structured small-group (Community Group) model and emphasis on discipleship depth. Comparable in its deliberate community-group architecture and missional focus.
• Church in the Valley: Seventh church plant from the Well Network, launched in Knoxville, TN in 2024. Sister church under identical methodology, audience strategy, and leadership pipeline — most directly comparable operating peer.

Emerging players

• Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ): Parachurch organization focused on college campuses nationwide. Comparable audience (university students in Tuscaloosa) but operates as a student-movement organization rather than a local church congregation.

Regional players

• Relentless Church: Greenville, SC-based church with a strong college-town and next-generation orientation. Comparable model targeting young adults in a southeastern university city, though geographically separate from Tuscaloosa.

Others

• Acts 29: Church-planting network that supports many similarly modeled churches including church-planting methodology, leader assessment, and ongoing coaching. Comparable as an ecosystem peer rather than a direct church competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ChurchAtTheOaks/streams
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/church-at-the-oaks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 at the Oaks