The Falls Church Fellows

What The Falls Church Fellows does

The Falls Church Fellows is a nine-month, post-graduate Christian leadership fellowship program operated as an integral ministry of The Falls Church Anglican (an evangelical congregation in Falls Church, Virginia, 8 miles from Washington D.C.). Founded in 1994 by Rev. Dr. John Yates with the support of Wall Street executive Doug Holladay, the program targets recent college graduates (typically aged 22-24) seeking to integrate Christian faith with vocational calling. The program combines accredited graduate-level coursework through Reformed Theological Seminary (up to 6 credits), paid professional internships with a curated network of more than 70 employers across government, law, finance, education, healthcare, defense, and nonprofits (at minimum $20/hour, 24 hours per week, Tuesday-Thursday), personal mentoring from a senior leadership roster of former executives and academics, spiritual formation through weekly Bible studies and home groups, and community living with volunteer host families from the church congregation. The cohort is intentionally small at 13-16 Fellows per year, with priority application deadlines on November 15 and January 15 and rolling admissions thereafter; the program is currently recruiting the Class of 2028.

Revenue mechanics are hybrid: participant program fees of $6,500 per Fellow cover direct program expenses (seminary tuition, books, retreats, conferences, events), while administrative overhead and staff salaries are subsidized by donations from The Falls Church Anglican congregation. Housing and meals are provided in-kind by host families at no cost to Fellows. The program does not charge employers and does not monetize the 70+ employer network; internships are part of the value proposition for Fellows. Go-to-market is primarily event-driven and relationship-driven, with website applications, monthly live webcasts hosted by Program Director Bracey Fuenzalida, social media presence (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), a content blog, and word-of-mouth referrals through the church network and alumni body. The program also operates The Fellows Initiative, a replication vehicle that has helped launch 36 similar programs in churches across the United States, all modeled on the founding program.

The organization operates with approximately 11 staff and volunteer leadership, is privately funded (no venture, private equity, or public ownership), is governed by a Steering Committee chaired by Darin Powers, and is accountable to the rector of The Falls Church Anglican (Rev. Dr. Samuel D. Ferguson since 2019). Revenue is concentrated in donations from the parent church with a small program-fee overlay; total operating budget is not publicly disclosed but is estimated in the low single-digit millions.

Name

The Falls Church Fellows

Legal name

The Falls Church Fellows

Website

https://fallschurchfellows.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Falls Church Fellows is a nine-month, postgraduate Christian leadership fellowship based in Falls Church, Virginia, serving 13-16 recent college graduates annually through seminary coursework, paid internships, mentoring, and host-family community living near Washington D.C.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Leadership Fellowship Programs

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Educational Services (611), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Seminaries (Graduate Theology & Ministry) (EDAHAKAA), Ministerial Training Institutes (Clergy Formation) (EDAHAKAE), Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

Keywords

• Faith-based fellowship
• Leadership development
• Graduate fellowship program
• Spiritual formation
• Professional internship

Headquarters

HQ city

Falls Church

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Program Fees: Fellows pay a program fee of $6,500 covering all program expenses including seminary courses, books, study materials, retreats, conferences, speaker engagements, and special events. Administrative costs and staff salaries are covered by The Falls Church Anglican church.
2. Donations: The congregation of The Falls Church Anglican provides financial support to the program. Donations are collected through TFCA and are tax-deductible. These donations help expand recruiting efforts and provide enriching experiences for fellows.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Falls Church Fellows operates a nine-month, post-graduate fellowship program for recent college graduates combining accredited graduate-level seminary coursework at Reformed Theological Seminary (up to 6 credits), paid professional internships (minimum $20/hour for 24 hours/week) with a network of 70+ Washington D.C. employers, personal mentoring and spiritual formation, and residential community living with volunteer host families. The program runs from September through May and is designed to integrate Christian faith with vocational calling in a marketplace leadership context.

Product overview

The Falls Church Fellows is a single, unified post-graduate fellowship program that combines accredited seminary coursework through Reformed Theological Seminary, professional internship placements via a network of 70+ employers, personal mentoring and spiritual formation, and community living with host families. The program runs for nine months (September-May) and is designed for recent college graduates seeking to integrate Christian faith with vocational calling in the Washington D.C. area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Falls Church Fellows Program A nine-month post-graduate fellowship program that equips emerging Christian leaders through accredited seminary coursework, paid professional internships, personal mentoring, spiritual formation, and community living with host families near Washington D.C. Runs September through May with a participant fee of $6,500.
• The Fellows Initiative A replication and expansion initiative operated by The Falls Church Anglican that helps other churches launch their own fellows programs modeled after the founding Falls Church Fellows, providing the program model to 36 affiliated church programs across the U.S.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 6 graduate-level credits from Reformed Theological Seminary
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

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 flagship and core.

• The Fellows InitiativeflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunched by The Falls Church Anglican to meet demand from pastors who wanted to start similar programs in their churches. The Fellows Initiative has helped establish 36 fellows programs in churches across the country, all modeled after the founding program at TFCA.
• Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS)coreTechnology or IntegrationFellows take two graduate-level courses at RTS Washington D.C. campus, earning up to 6 accredited credits. Courses explore the Christian worldview as a total way of life and its application to cultural challenges. All courses are held on campus, not online.
• Host Families (TFCA Congregation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer families from The Falls Church Anglican provide free housing and meals for Fellows during the 9-month program (September through May). These households practice intentional hospitality and serve as examples of gospel-shaped community. Over the last decade, some host families have housed up to 7 Fellows.
• 70+ Employer NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCompanies across industries including Capitol Hill offices, law firms, Christian organizations, schools, finance, healthcare, non-profits, PR/advertising, and defense provide paid internship placements (minimum $20/hour, 24 hrs/week). Employers include Rep. Robert Aderholt, Senator Steve Daines, Greenberg Traurig LLP, C.S. Lewis Institute, Keel Point, and others.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Young Life: Large, established evangelical youth and young adult ministry with volunteer leadership pipelines and similar faith-based formation outcomes; broader in scope but adjacent in mission and target demographic.

Direct peers

• The Fellows Initiative (Network): Umbrella organization launched by The Falls Church Anglican to replicate the Fellows model in other churches; effectively the parent cohort ecosystem of which the Falls Church program is the founding node.
• Nashville Fellows: Church-based post-graduate fellowship blending seminary coursework, professional internships, mentoring, and community living in Nashville. One of the closest models replicated from TFI's network and a near-twin in program design.
• Redeemer City to City (Redeemer Fellows): Urban, faith-based fellowship program for recent college graduates that combines theological training, mentorship, and vocational internships. Most analogous program in structure, audience, and missional approach to The Falls Church Fellows.
• Denver Fellows: Faith-based fellowship for recent graduates integrating theological education with professional work experience in a major U.S. metropolitan area; part of the broader TFI replication family.

Others

• Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS): Accredited seminary that supplies the graduate-level coursework for the Fellows Program; core curricular partner and a comparable theological education provider in the same tradition.

Emerging players

• The Trinity Forum: Faith-based leadership think tank in the DC area providing fellowships and programming; comparable audience of Christian professionals and a documented internship partner of the Fellows Program.
• Acton Institute: Faith-and-freedom leadership organization that trains Christian professionals in worldview and public engagement; comparable audience and missional alignment with the Fellows' vocational formation emphasis.
• Colson Center Fellows Program: Christian worldview and leadership formation program for professionals; a program coordinator of the Fellows is a Colson Fellow, indicating programmatic and ideological overlap in formation training.
• C.S. Lewis Institute: Discipleship and mentoring organization for Christian professionals; partners with the Fellows Program for internship placements and offers overlapping curriculum on Christian worldview and vocational integration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/fallschurchfellows
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fallschurchfellows
• Instagraminstagram.com/fallschurchfellows

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Falls Church Fellows