FIRST EVANGELICAL CHURCH OF GLENDALE

What FIRST EVANGELICAL CHURCH OF GLENDALE does

First Evangelical Church of Glendale (FECG), also known as FECG or 格蘭岱爾羅省基督教會, is a nonprofit, multi-congregational evangelical church established in 1965 in Glendale, California. The organization operates as a single church with three language-specific congregations — English (9:30 AM), Cantonese (9:30 AM), and Mandarin (11:30 AM, 國語堂) — and serves an average weekly attendance of approximately 400 members across generations. Its functional offering is spiritual community, biblical teaching, and faith formation rather than commercial products or services.

The church's programmatic portfolio includes age-tiered ministries (Children's Ministries for nursery through 5th grade, Ignite Youth Ministry for grades 6–12, and Lifespring Fellowship for seniors 60+), small-group discipleship via Lifegroups and Fellowships (Trellis, Agape, Koinonia, Renovare), and community outreach programs (Compassion Ministry for refugees, USC Worldwide Friends for international students, Ascencia partnership for homeless services, and the Global Seeds Initiative for India missions). FECG runs a digital infrastructure on Planning Center / Church Center (adopted in 2024) for giving, group communication, event registration, and volunteer scheduling, with Stripe as payment processor; sermons are distributed via YouTube live streaming, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and a RightNow Media video library. The church is a founding member of the First Evangelical Church Association (FECA, formed 1997), which has planted churches in greater Los Angeles (FEC San Gabriel Valley, FEC Cerritos, FEC Diamond Bar, FEC Arcadia, Epicentre Pasadena) and internationally (Russia, Serbia, India, East Asia).

The organization's revenue model is donation-based, not transactional. Income is derived from voluntary tithes and offerings collected during worship services and through online giving platforms, framed by the church as worship rather than payment. Pricing is therefore not applicable — ACH bank transfers carry a flat $0.30 fee and credit/debit/Apple Pay transactions carry a 2.15% + $0.30 fee at the payment-processor level, which is passed through to donors. The church has 6 staff members, no external investors or capital structure, and is governed by pastoral leadership (currently Rev. Michael Hsu, Senior Pastor since 2022) and a Board of Trustees. FECG is not a commercial enterprise and has no publicly disclosed financial statements.

Name

FIRST EVANGELICAL CHURCH OF GLENDALE

Legal name

First Evangelical Church Glendale

Website

https://fecg.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

First Evangelical Church of Glendale is a nonprofit multi-congregational evangelical church founded in 1965, serving approximately 400 weekly attendees across English, Mandarin, and Cantonese services. It offers worship, age-tiered ministries, and community outreach programs funded by voluntary donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311), Religious Organizations (813110)

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), Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)

Keywords

• Religious worship services
• Multilingual church ministries
• Youth and children's ministry
• Community outreach programs
• Biblical teaching and fellowship

Headquarters

HQ city

Glendale

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Voluntary financial contributions from congregation members collected during worship services and through online giving platforms. Members encouraged to develop biblical habits of financial stewardship through regular, cheerful, and generous giving.
2. Online Giving via Church Center: One-time and recurring donations processed through Stripe and Planning Center. ACH bank transfers have flat $0.30 fee; credit/debit/Apple Pay transactions have 2.15% + $0.30 fee.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

First Evangelical Church of Glendale operates a multi-congregational evangelical church delivering Sunday worship services in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese, alongside age-specific ministries (children, youth, seniors), small-group Lifegroups and Fellowships, digital streaming and podcasts, and community outreach programs. The church is donation-funded and supported by online giving processed via Church Center and Stripe.

Product overview

First Evangelical Church Glendale is a multi-language, multi-generational non-denominational evangelical church offering a unified portfolio of worship services and ministry programs. The core offering consists of three congregation-based worship services (English at 9:30 AM, Cantonese at 9:30 AM, and Mandarin at 11:30 AM) held at the Glendale campus. These are supported by age-specific ministry programs including Children's Ministry (nursery through 5th grade), Ignite Youth Ministry (grades 6-12), and Lifegroups & Fellowships for small group community. The church extends its reach through Online Streaming & Podcasts (YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify) and Online Giving via Church Center/Stripe. Additional programs include Community Outreach Ministries (Compassion Ministry, USC Worldwide Friends, Ascencia), and RightNow Media for faith-based video content. The church's campus includes the Sanctuary, Fellowship Hall, Children's Ministries Center (CMC), Christian Education (CE) Building with classrooms, and Auxiliary Chapel.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• English Worship Service Sunday worship service conducted in English at 9:30 AM in the Sanctuary, featuring songs, Bible study, and prayer for the English-speaking congregation.
• Mandarin Worship Service (國語堂) Sunday worship service conducted in Mandarin at 11:30 AM in the Sanctuary, serving the Chinese-speaking congregation.
• Cantonese Worship Service (粵語堂) Sunday worship service conducted in Cantonese at 9:30 AM in the Fellowship Hall, serving the Cantonese-speaking community.
• Children's Ministry Age-specific programs for children from nursery (under 2) through 5th grade, held in the Children's Ministries Center (CMC), including Sunday School, Children's Church, and age-appropriate Bible learning activities.
• Ignite Youth Ministry Youth ministry for students in grades 6-12, offering Friday Youth Fellowship, Sunday Youth Service (1st & 3rd Sundays), and Sunday School, focused on faith development and spiritual maturity.
• Lifegroups & Fellowships Small group communities meeting in homes for accountability, prayer, and Bible study, including Trellis Women's Ministry, Agape Fellowship, Lifespring, Koinonia, and Renovare Fellowship for different life stages.
• Online Streaming & Podcasts Live streaming of Sunday worship services via YouTube for English (9:30 AM) and Mandarin (11:30 AM) congregations, plus weekly sermon podcasts available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
• Online Giving Digital donation platform enabling one-time and recurring gifts via credit/debit card, Apple Pay, or ACH bank transfer, processed through Church Center with Stripe as payment processor.
• Community Outreach Ministries Compassion Ministry supporting refugees, USC Worldwide Friends for international students, Ascencia partnership for homelessness, and Global Seeds Initiative for international missions in India.

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• First Evangelical Church Association (FECA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997FECG is a founding member of FECA, formed in 1997 to further the work of member churches in church planting, missions, spiritual formation, and social concern. FECA has planted churches in St. Petersburg, Russia, Serbia, India, and East Asia.
• Serving Foundation International (SFI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFI is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to serving impoverished communities. FECG supports the Global Seeds Initiative (GSI) project started by SFI in 2017, focused on unreached people groups in India including evangelism, leadership training, church planting, and distributing Bibles and resources like bicycles, chickens, and sewing machines to new leaders.
• AscenciaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAscencia's mission is to lift people out of homelessness. FECG partners as 'Guest Chefs' to feed shelter residents by planning menus, purchasing ingredients, cooking and serving meals.
• World VisionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFECG participates in World Vision Global 6K for Water events to raise funds for clean water initiatives.
• Church Center / Planning CentercoreTechnology or IntegrationChurch management software platforms used for online giving, group communication, event registration, volunteer scheduling, and worship planning.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• First Evangelical Church of Arcadia: FECG daughter church planted in 2001, FECA member. Comparable evangelical church plant serving the Chinese-American community in greater LA with similar worship and small-group model.
• First Evangelical Church of Diamond Bar: FECG daughter church planted in 1999, FECA member. Operates as an independent multilingual evangelical congregation in greater LA with the same theological and operational DNA as FECG.
• Evangelical Formosan Church (EFC): Historically spun off from FECG in 1970 when the Taiwanese congregation grew large enough to become independent. Directly comparable in faith tradition, language focus, and historical lineage.
• First Evangelical Church of Cerritos: FECG daughter church planted in 1988, independent FECA member. Same denomination, language profile, and ministry model, providing the closest like-for-like comparison for congregation size and program scope.
• First Evangelical Church of San Gabriel Valley: FECG's first planted church (1986), now an independent FECA member. Directly comparable as a sister congregation within the same association, serving the Chinese-American evangelical community in the San Gabriel Valley.
• Epicentre Church Pasadena: FECG church plant from 2003 and FECA member. Comparable congregation in Pasadena reaching a similar demographic with overlapping ministry programs.

Regional players

• McKinley Chinese Grace Memorial Church: Historic Chinese-American congregation serving the greater LA area. Comparable in mission focus on Chinese-speaking communities, multi-generational ministries, and Asian-American evangelical identity.
• Chinese for Christ Church of Los Angeles: Large multilingual Chinese-American evangelical congregation in greater Los Angeles. Comparable in target demographic, multilingual services, and community-based ministry model, though at larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• Saddleback Church: Large established evangelical church in Southern California with multiple campuses and small-group philosophy. Overlapping values around community, missions, and small groups, but at significantly larger scale and with English-only services.

Others

• Serving Foundation International (SFI): FECG's missional partner on the Global Seeds Initiative (India). Included as an ecosystem partner that complements FECG's outreach and provides a window into comparable faith-based nonprofit operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/FECGlendale/live
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/first-evangelical-church-of-glendale

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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