FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF OAK PARK

What FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF OAK PARK does

First United Methodist Church of Oak Park is a religious nonprofit organization and historic congregation established in 1870, making it the first congregation to settle in the Oak Park, Illinois area. The church operates from a designated Oak Park Historic Landmark building at 324 N. Oak Park Ave., constructed in 1923-1925 in the modern English Gothic Revival style with Bedford limestone and featuring Memorial Tower, Memorial Chapel, and Giannini and Hilgart stained-glass windows installed between 1957 and 1966. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church via the Northern Illinois Annual Conference and is led by Pastor Rev. Megan Tobola, supported by a small paid staff of approximately five (Music Director, Children's and Family Ministries Pastor, Administrative Assistant, and Custodian), supplemented by volunteers.

The church's core offerings are weekly Sunday worship services at 11 AM (in-person and livestreamed via fumcop.online.church with archives on Vimeo), Children's Ministry for ages 0 through 6th grade, a three-tiered Missions and Justice program (local, regional, global), Christian Education and small groups via Zoom and in-person, Justice Team initiatives including the convened Congregational Network for Social Justice, and volunteer opportunities across worship, education, outreach, and advocacy. There is no proprietary technology; the stack is composed of standard SaaS tools (Tithe.ly for giving, Mailchimp for email, Text In Church for SMS, Zoom for Bible study, Google Drive for worship guides).

The revenue model is entirely donation-based, with General Fund offerings supporting ministries, facility maintenance, and community outreach, supplemented by designated Missions Fund donations and non-monetary volunteer contributions. No pricing, fees, or commercial revenue streams exist. The organization serves the Greater Oak Park community and broader West Cook County area through faith formation, worship, social justice initiatives, and partnerships with Habitat for Humanity, Community of Congregations, UMCOR, and the Northern Illinois Annual Conference.

Name

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF OAK PARK

Legal name

First United Methodist Church of Oak Park

Website

https://firstumcoakpark.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1870

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

First United Methodist Church of Oak Park is a historic United Methodist congregation founded in 1870, serving the Oak Park, Illinois community through Sunday worship, children's ministry, missions, and social justice programs funded entirely by voluntary donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oak Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. General Fund Donations: Tithes and offerings from congregation members supporting all church ministries, worship services, building maintenance, and community outreach programs. Recurring and one-time donation options available.
2. Missions Fund Donations: Designated donations specifically supporting mission work both locally and globally, including support for denominational causes and community ministries.
3. Time and Talents (Volunteerism): Non-monetary contributions where members give their time, skills, and talents to support church programs and community service rather than financial donations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

First United Methodist Church of Oak Park delivers weekly Sunday worship services at 11 AM both in-person and via online livestream, supported by Christian education programs (Bible studies, small groups, Discipleship Exploration Classes), Children's Ministry for ages 0 through 6th grade (Sunday school, nursery care, and family activities), a three-tiered Missions and Justice program addressing local, regional, and global needs (including Habitat for Humanity builds, Holiday Food and Gift Baskets, and UMCOR disaster relief), and digital giving infrastructure through Tithe.ly for General Fund and designated mission contributions.

Product overview

First United Methodist Church of Oak Park is a traditional church offering a unified worship ministry centered on in-person and online Sunday services at 11 AM. The church provides integrated programming including Children's Ministry (with nursery, Sunday school, and family activities), Missions and Justice initiatives operating at local/regional/global levels, Christian Education through Bible studies and small groups, volunteer opportunities in worship leadership and community outreach, and online giving capabilities via Tithe.ly. The church's programs support spiritual growth, social justice advocacy, and community engagement through both in-person gatherings and digital platforms including livestreaming and Zoom-based studies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• In-Person Worship Services
• Online/Livestream Worship
• Children's Ministry
• Missions and Justice Program
• Justice Team and Congregational Network for Social Justice
• Christian Education and Small Groups
• Online Giving / e-Giving
• Volunteer and Outreach Opportunities

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

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.

• Habitat for HumanitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch sends volunteer teams to Habitat for Humanity Build Days to construct affordable housing in communities on Chicago's southside. This partnership provides hands-on mission opportunities for congregation members of all ages.
• Community of CongregationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership providing Holiday Food and Gift Baskets through the Adopt a Family program. Brings together multiple faith communities in West Cook County for joint service initiatives.
• United Methodist Commission on Relief (UMCOR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch contributes funds to UMCOR for disaster relief efforts globally. Supports those impacted by various natural disasters through the denomination's established relief network.
• Northern Illinois Annual Conference (United Methodist Church)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch is part of the Northern Illinois Annual Conference, connecting it to the wider United Methodist denomination regionally and globally. Provides denominational resources, training, and collaborative opportunities.
• Congretional Network for Social JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch provides leadership in convening this network supporting social justice initiatives by promoting anti-oppression and anti-racism learning while building relationships among West Cook neighborhoods and faith communities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Grace Episcopal Church of Oak Park: Affordable, inclusive Episcopal congregation located within Oak Park, sharing the same local market, progressive theological identity, and community-service orientation as FUMC Oak Park.
• First Presbyterian Church of Oak Park: Historic mainline Protestant church on the same Oak Park Avenue corridor, offering comparable inclusive-worship, mission, and Christian education programming to overlapping congregant demographics.
• First United Methodist Church of Evanston: Another progressive, medium-sized United Methodist congregation in suburban Chicago with active missions, justice, and online worship programming - directly comparable in denomination, scale, and program mix to FUMC Oak Park.
• First Congregational Church of Oak Park: Progressive mainline Protestant congregation in the same Oak Park neighborhood, with similar commitment to social justice, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and community outreach - serving the same local market with a comparable value proposition.

Broad incumbents

• Moody Church (Chicago): Long-established historic Protestant congregation in downtown Chicago with a national broadcast media footprint and active missions programming, comparable to FUMC Oak Park in heritage and worship scale though operating broader programming and outreach.
• Fourth Presbyterian Church (Chicago): Large, historic mainline Protestant church on Chicago's Gold Coast with a substantially broader programmatic footprint, including major mission and outreach operations - comparable in progressive identity and mission focus but operating at a larger scale.
• Trinity United Church of Christ (Chicago): Historic mainline progressive church on Chicago's South Side with a strong social-justice and community-development brand - overlapping with FUMC Oak Park in justice-focused programming but at significantly larger scale and broader regional reach.

Others

• Northern Illinois Annual Conference (United Methodist Church): The regional UMC denominational body to which FUMC Oak Park belongs, providing governance, clergy appointment, training, and shared-mission resources - the enabling ecosystem and 'parent' denominational network for the subject congregation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/firstumcoakpark
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/first-united-methodist-church-of-oak-park

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF OAK PARK