First Centenary United Methodist Church

What First Centenary United Methodist Church does

First Centenary United Methodist Church is a non-profit religious organization based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, formed in 1967 through the merger of First Methodist Church and Centenary Methodist Church. It operates as a local congregation of the United Methodist Church under the Holston Conference and serves the Chattanooga community through religious services, pastoral care, and community outreach. The church maintains a permanent endowment to support long-term operational and capital needs.

The organization runs more than 40 ministries and programs across a wide service surface. These include the Children's Enrichment Center (a daycare operation that generates earned revenue), social-outreach programs such as Mustard Tree Ministries and Golden Cross, recovery programs including Celebrate Recovery and Recovery at the Margins, the Ramp School adult education initiative, and grief and divorce support programs (Grief Share, Divorce care). The church is staffed by approximately 42 employees spanning pastoral, administrative, educational, and program roles.

The business model is non-profit and relies on a mix of tithes and offerings from congregants, online giving, endowment income, and earned revenue from the daycare. The church has deployed live-streaming of services and an online giving platform, extending its reach beyond physical attendance. There are no indications of AI/ML capabilities, proprietary technology platforms, or venture-style growth ambitions; the organization's positioning is consistent with a stable, established community institution rather than a growth-stage enterprise.

Name

First Centenary United Methodist Church

Legal name

First-Centenary United Methodist Church

Website

https://firstcentenary.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

First Centenary United Methodist Church is a Chattanooga, Tennessee-based non-profit United Methodist congregation serving its community through 40+ ministries spanning worship, childcare, recovery, education, and family support, funded by tithes, fees, and a permanent endowment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services / House of Worship

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (813110), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG), Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD), Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE)

Keywords

• Religious worship services
• Community outreach ministries
• Early childhood education
• Faith-based youth programs
• Homelessness services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chattanooga

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Traditional Sunday worship offerings collected during services. Congregants can give in-person during worship, via bank draft, mail, or kiosk.
2. Online Giving (Subsplash): Digital giving through Subsplash platform enabling one-time or recurring donations, with options for general fund, specific ministries, or designated purposes.
3. Permanent Endowment Fund: Charitable gifts through wills, retirement assets, life insurance, and real estate donations. Managed by Holston Conference Foundation. Earnings used for designated purposes beyond regular budget.
4. Children's Enrichment Center Tuition: Daycare program fees for children 10 weeks to 4 years old. Full and part-time positions available for educators.
5. United Women in Faith Membership: Women's organization raising up to $20 million annually for programs related to women, children and youth globally. Local unit contributions support mission work.
6. Program Fees: Wednesday Prime Time meals ($10 adults, $5 children, $30 family), Memorial Garden interment fees ($600), and various program registration fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

First-Centenary United Methodist Church operates as a non-profit religious congregation providing traditional and contemporary worship services, over 40 ministry programs spanning children's education, youth, college, music, care, and outreach, plus a non-profit daycare, community theater, and a separately incorporated homelessness ministry. Its core deliverable is spiritual formation and community services for the greater Chattanooga area, funded by member tithes, program fees, and endowment income.

Product overview

First Centenary United Methodist Church operates a unified church platform offering traditional and contemporary worship services (Sanctuary and The Vine) with livestreaming, online giving via Subsplash, and a digital engagement suite including Mobile Welcome and a Past Service Library. The church's ministry portfolio spans multiple sub-brands: children's programming (First Kids Children's Ministry, Children's Enrichment Center), youth (Shouting Stones) and college ministries (FCCollege), outreach (The Centenary after-school program, Mustard Tree Ministries, ABIDE Respite Ministry), arts (The Oak Street Playhouse community theater with On The Stage ticketing), music (Chancel Choir, handbell choirs, Vine Band), and care ministries (Congregational Care, GriefShare, Connect Visitation). Supporting programs include Sunday School, Prime Time Wednesday, Creation Care, Marriage Enrichment, Positive Christian Singles, United Women in Faith, and a Missions Program with international partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Centenary: Outreach ministry nurturing children through academic tutoring, physical education, life skills development, and spiritual expression since 1967
• Children's Enrichment Center
• First Kids
• Mustard Tree Ministries
• The Oak Street Playhouse
• The Vine
• The Sanctuary

Products and services

• Sunday Worship Services Traditional and contemporary worship services held every Sunday at 8:30am (Traditional), 10:45am (Traditional & Contemporary), and 5:00pm (Contemporary), offered to congregants and visitors of First-Centenary.
• Children's Enrichment Center Tennessee-licensed non-profit daycare and early childhood education program for children 10 weeks to 4 years old, operating Monday through Friday 8am-5:15pm, using a Reggio Inspired Emergent Curriculum.
• The Centenary After-School and Summer Program After-school and summer outreach ministry providing academic tutoring, physical education, life skills development, and spiritual formation for K-12 students in the Chattanooga community.
• Mustard Tree Ministries Faith-based nonprofit outreach ministry addressing homelessness and poverty through Sunday worship services, meals, sustainable farming at Mustard Tree Farms in Harrison, Tennessee, and the CommunityFirst! micro-home development program.
• The Oak Street Playhouse

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ people helped off the street and reconnected with God, family, and community in past seven years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Apison United Methodist ChurchminorOthersChurch sponsor for Mustard Tree Ministries, supporting the organization's mission to eradicate homelessness and poverty.
• Brainerd United Methodist ChurchminorOthersChurch sponsor for Mustard Tree Ministries community outreach efforts.
• Chattanooga Area Food BankcoreOthersPartner in local mission work; supported through donations and volunteer efforts from First-Centenary and Mustard Tree Ministries.
• Habitat for Humanity ChattanoogaminorOthersChurch sponsor for Mustard Tree Ministries supporting affordable housing initiatives.
• Homeless CoalitioncoreOthersPartner in addressing homelessness in the Chattanooga area through coordinated community efforts.
• First Baptist Church of ChattanoogacoreOthersThursday evening free dinner and Bible study location for Mustard Tree Ministries outreach.
• Family PromiseminorOthersNational organization supporting families experiencing homelessness; First-Centenary supports through mission work.
• Volunteers in MedicineminorOthersChattanooga area healthcare nonprofit; supported through First-Centenary mission donations and volunteer efforts.
• Bethlehem CenterminorOthersChattanooga community center supported through First-Centenary mission outreach.
• Association for Creativity & Development of Guatemala (ACD Guatemala)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based nonprofit operating in Western Highlands of Guatemala. Mission partners serving children and families exposed to violence and irregular migration. Focus on education, development, medical and spiritual care. Headquarters in Quetzaltenango.
• United Methodist Missionaries Ray & Lidia ZirkelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMissionaries in Costa Rica supported by First-Centenary. Teams sent to help build Hogar Metodista children's home in Coronado.
• Romanian Methodist Churches (4 pastors, 6 churches)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with four pastors and six churches in different cities and villages in Romania. Consists of financial support and regular visits between pastors and laity.
• Holston ConferencecoreOthersAnnual conference of The United Methodist Church covering East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and parts of Georgia and Alabama. First-Centenary is member of Scenic South District.
• United Women in FaithcoreOthersLargest denominational faith organization for women with approximately 800,000 members. Local First-Centenary unit participates in global mission, leadership development, and advocacy for women, children and youth.
• The Wesley Center (UTC Campus)coreOthersDistrict-wide United Methodist student center located on University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus. Open and affirming group supporting students' journey with Christ through fellowship, discipleship, and worship. First-Centenary College Ministry partners with Wesley Center.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Henderson Hills Baptist Church: A large multi-ministry church in Edmond, Oklahoma offering extensive children's, youth, music, missions, and community service programs, with a comparable operational breadth and Oklahoma-style suburban congregational model analogous to First-Centenary's full ministry portfolio.
• Brentwood United Methodist Church: A large United Methodist Church in the Nashville, Tennessee region operating a comprehensive ministry portfolio including children's programs, music, missions, and community outreach, with comparable scale and multi-generational programming.
• Northside United Methodist Church: Another Chattanooga-area United Methodist Church within the Holston Conference, serving congregants in overlapping geographic territory with a similar ministry portfolio including worship services, children's and youth programs, and local outreach.
• McEachern Memorial United Methodist Church: A large multi-ministry United Methodist Church in Powder Springs, Georgia, known for extensive children's, youth, music, and outreach programs comparable in breadth to First-Centenary's 40+ ministry ecosystem, serving as a model for multi-program suburban UMC congregations.
• St. John's United Methodist Church: A fellow United Methodist congregation in the Chattanooga area under the Holston Conference, operating with a comparable multi-ministry portfolio including traditional and contemporary worship, youth programs, and community outreach, serving overlapping congregants in the same metropolitan market.
• Brainerd United Methodist Church: A Holston Conference United Methodist Church in Chattanooga that serves as a co-sponsor of First-Centenary's Mustard Tree Ministries. Operates as a peer congregation within the same denominational district, sharing local mission outreach and similar community programs.
• Signal Mountain United Methodist Church: A Chattanooga-area United Methodist Church within the Holston Conference operating traditional worship, children's programming, and community outreach, comparable to First-Centenary's ministry profile in the same regional market.
• Asbury United Methodist Church: A historic, multi-ministry United Methodist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma with longstanding community service programs, music ministries, and faith-based educational outreach serving a comparable urban congregational base.

Broad incumbents

• Highland Park United Methodist Church: A large United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas operating comprehensive worship, music, education, and community outreach ministries at a substantially larger scale than First-Centenary, providing a comparable multi-program operating model in a major metropolitan market.
• Church of the Resurrection: The largest United Methodist Church in the United States, headquartered in Leawood, Kansas, with an extensive multi-site, multi-ministry operating model including children's, youth, music, missions, and care programs. Operates at substantially greater scale than First-Centenary but is comparable in ministry architecture.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fcumcchatt
• Facebookfacebook.com/FirstCentenary
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/first-centenary-united-methodist-church

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Subsidiaries5 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 First Centenary United Methodist Church