What Free Methodist Church does

Free Methodist Church of Santa Barbara (FMCSB) is a local congregation of the Free Methodist denomination founded in 1963, operating from a single campus at 1435 Cliff Drive in Santa Barbara, California, and serving members across the Carpinteria-to-Goleta corridor. Its core offering is Sunday worship services held at 8:30am and 10:15am, with the 8:30am service livestreamed globally on YouTube. The church runs a horizontal ministry portfolio spanning children's education, youth programs, college and young adult ministries, adult small groups, senior adult fellowship, and global mission support in India, Costa Rica, Madagascar, Kenya, Scotland, and Asia.

The church's wholly-owned subsidiary, Cliff Drive Care Center (CDCC), operates three branches: preschool and children's educational programs (preschool, Pre-K, After-School, Summer Camp), a senior adult luncheon program serving 55-60 attendees per luncheon and delivering meals to 20-25 homebound seniors, and Cliff Drive Christian Counseling Services providing affordable sliding-fee Christian counseling. Community-impact programs include Food for the Kitchenless (over 83,000 bags distributed cumulatively), a Sack Lunch program producing approximately 350 lunches per week, and a Young Adult Mental Health Fund offering up to $500 in therapy reimbursement for ages 23-29.

The business model is donations-and-tithes based with no pricing for attendance or participation. Revenue streams include Sunday offering plate contributions, online giving via Tithely (web, SMS text-to-give at (833) 476-8752, and a church mobile app), stock gifts processed through the Free Methodist Foundation, and in-kind food donations. Fee-for-service revenue is generated through CDCC preschool tuition and counseling fees on a sliding scale. The organization is a private nonprofit religious corporation with no parent company, no public ticker, and no disclosed funding rounds. Functionally, FMCSB operates as a hybrid faith-and-social-services nonprofit where the church subsidizes community programs through congregational giving.

Name

Free Methodist Church

Legal name

Free Methodist Church of Santa Barbara

Website

https://fmcsb.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Free Methodist Church of Santa Barbara is a 501(c)-equivalent local congregation founded in 1963 that serves the Carpinteria-to-Goleta community through Sunday worship, a Christian preschool, senior meal programs, sliding-fee counseling, and global mission support, funded primarily by congregational tithes and offering donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI)

Keywords

• Worship services
• Children's ministry
• Youth ministry
• Senior programs
• Global missions

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Barbara

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, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Traditional church giving through Sunday morning offering plate, checks payable to Free Methodist Church
2. Online Giving: Digital donations via tithe.ly platform, accessible through church website. Donors can designate gifts to specific funds through a dropdown menu.
3. Text Giving: Mobile text-to-give option - send text to (833) 476-8752 with 'fmcsb' to receive giving link
4. Church App Giving: Giving through the church's mobile application
5. Stock Gifts: Stock gifts processed through Free Methodist Foundation, with donation receipt provided
6. Food/In-Kind Donations: Non-perishable single-serving food item donations for Food for the Kitchenless program

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Free Methodist Church of Santa Barbara delivers Sunday worship services (in-person and online via YouTube livestream) and a portfolio of integrated ministry programs through the wholly-owned Cliff Drive Care Center, including preschool and children's education, senior adult luncheons, and Christian counseling services. The church also runs age-specific ministries (children, youth, college, young adults, seniors), small groups, mental health support, local food distribution, and global missionary partnerships, supported by an online giving platform.

Product overview

Free Methodist Church of Santa Barbara is a local congregation offering a unified portfolio of worship and ministry programs. The core offering is Sunday worship services (in-person and online via YouTube livestream), supplemented by the Cliff Drive Care Center (preschool, senior programs, and Christian counseling), youth and children's ministries, small groups, a Young Adult Mental Health Fund, and global missions support. The church also provides an online giving platform via Tithely for digital donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cliff Drive Care Center (CDCC): Ministry consisting of preschool and children's educational programs, senior adults' luncheon program, and Christian counseling services
• Cliff Drive Christian Counseling Services
• Cliff Drive Christian Counseling Center

Products and services

• Worship Services Sunday worship services held in-person at 8:30am and 10:15am in the sanctuary, with the 8:30am service also livestreamed on YouTube. Open to the community free of charge.
• Cliff Drive Care Center (CDCC) Wholly-owned multi-branch ministry of FMCSB located at 1435 Cliff Drive, encompassing Cliff Drive Children (preschool, Pre-K, After-School, Summer Camp), Senior Programs, and Cliff Drive Christian Counseling Services.
• Cliff Drive Christian Counseling Services Affordable professional Christian counseling services for individuals, couples, and families on a sliding fee scale, with educational classes and referrals for Christian counseling resources throughout the community.
• Senior Lunch Program Luncheon program serving 55-60 seniors at each gathering, with meal delivery to 20-25 homebound shut-ins, supported by over 30 volunteers participating twice monthly.
• Food for the Kitchenless Food distribution program providing bags of non-perishable single-serving food items to food-insecure community members; the program has distributed over 83,000 bags in total.
• Sack Lunch Program Sack lunch distribution program producing approximately 350 sack lunches per week (as of April 2026) for food-insecure community members.
• FM Kids Children's Ministry Children's ministry for infants through 5th grade meeting during the 10:15am service with age-specific classes, crafts, and Bible lessons, plus special events such as Easter activities.
• FM Youth Ministry Youth ministry program for 6th-12th graders including Wednesday PAUSE gatherings, Sunday services, Life Groups, service opportunities, and summer activities.
• College Ministries College student outreach including college hangouts, connections to Westmont/UCSB/SBCC, WhatsApp group communications, and leadership opportunities for the 2025-2026 school year.
• Young Adult Leadership Lab (YALL) Young adult ministry for ages 23-29 offering leadership development, fellowship events, and service opportunities, including the Young Adult Mental Health Fund providing up to $500 reimbursement for therapy sessions.
• Small Groups Small group offerings including Bible/Book Studies, Grow Groups (New Believer, Firm Foundation, Spiritual Life tracks), and seasonal groups for congregants.
• Global Missions Support Global mission program supporting missionaries and projects in India (A Touch of Love Foundation, Immanuel University), Costa Rica (Pura Vida Church), Madagascar and Kenya (Accelerated Restoration Collaborative, Sarobidy Maternity Center, Rift Valley Academy), Asia, and Scotland (Upper Room Church) through Free Methodist World Missions.
• Online Giving Platform Digital giving system powered by Tithely enabling donations via website, text-to-give (text 'fmcsb' to (833) 476-8752), and the church mobile app, with donor-designated fund selection. Stock gifts are processed through the Free Methodist Foundation.

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles8 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Free Methodist World MissionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal missionary sending organization. Church supports missionaries annually and participates in World Missions prayer and giving programs. Contact Pastor Doug Ranck.
• A Touch of Love FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with Free Methodist Church in India. Operates orphanage started after 2004 tsunami, provides food, medical care, education, and clothing to children. Sustainable village development programs.
• Pura Vida ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch planting ministry in Costa Rica led by Dennis and Kyle Leon. Ministry includes preaching, worship, sustainable gardens, counseling, job training, and medical assistance to coastal communities.
• Accelerated Restoration Collaborative (ARC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerForest restoration and sustainable job creation initiative in Madagascar and Kenya. Supported by the Shattenberg family.
• Sarobidy Maternity CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaternal health center in Madagascar providing safety and training for mothers and children.
• Rift Valley AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool in Kenya providing education for missionary children, including the Shattenberg family children.
• Immanuel University (India)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution in India supported by the church through prayers and funding.
• Set Free MovementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnti-human trafficking ministry. Church supports through local outreach and prayers.
• International Child Care MinistriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFree Methodist child sponsorship program providing education, clothes, food, and medical care to children worldwide. Contact: 1-800-342-5531 or www.childcareministries.org
• Upper Room Church (Glasgow, Scotland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvangelism and discipleship ministry to people of Muslim-background from Iran seeking asylum in Scotland, led by Jake Elliott as lead pastor.
• Cliff Drive Care CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOn-site ministry including preschool, Pre-K, After-School, Summer Camp, Senior Lunches, and Christian counseling services addressing physical, mental, emotional, and relational needs of the community.
• Westside CollaborativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal community partnership supporting collaborative initiatives on Santa Barbara's Westside.
• Unity ShoppeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal resource organization providing assistance to community members in need.
• Santa Barbara ACT (SBACT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition for Action and Collaboration Together - local advocacy organization.
• Santa Barbara Rescue MissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHomeless shelter and recovery services organization in Santa Barbara.
• Habitat for Humanity (Santa Barbara)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHousing construction organization building homes locally.
• Transition HouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransitional housing organization - church provides homemade dinners for residents.
• FoodbankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood distribution organization serving Santa Barbara County.
• JOLT (Justice/Outreach Leadership Team)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternal church team promoting justice and outreach opportunities to congregation members.
• Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDisaster response coordination organization.
• Young Adult Leadership Lab (YALL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternal church team including Kaylie Grant, Travis Smelley, Mary Woodyard, Alysse Mastromarino, Nick Noormand, Matt Smith, and Pastor Nikki that developed the Young Adult Mental Health Fund.
• Keith and Julie (Asia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-cultural workers in Asia since 1995, serving in a creative access country, equipping leaders and caring for God's people. Contact office for newsletters.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Life.Church: Large multi-site digital-first church known for free online giving and ministry tools; comparable in adoption of digital channels (app, online giving) for member engagement and in family ministry focus.
• Elevation Church: Multi-site church with comprehensive family ministry programming including children's and outreach components, comparable in ministry diversification though operating at much larger scale.
• Watermark Church: Multi-ministry church operating extensive discipleship, counseling-adjacent, community service, and member-care programs similar in philosophy to FMCSB's whole-person ministry approach, though at larger scale.
• Saddleback Church: Large multi-ministry church in Southern California offering worship, children's education, senior programs, counseling, and global missions—comparable in ministry breadth though operating at significantly larger scale.
• Willow Creek Community Church: Established multi-ministry church with extensive children's, adult, small group, and global missions programming comparable in ministry breadth, though at significantly larger scale.
• Free Methodist Church USA: Parent denomination of FMCSB operating hundreds of churches nationwide, sharing the same Wesleyan theology, global missions infrastructure, and Free Methodist Foundation financial services referenced in the church's stock-gift processing.

Direct peers

• Trinity Episcopal Church Santa Barbara: Established Santa Barbara-area congregation offering worship, formation, and community outreach programs comparable in scope and serving the same regional demographic.
• First United Methodist Church of Santa Barbara: Methodist-tradition church in Santa Barbara sharing the Wesleyan theological heritage with Free Methodism and operating worship, children's, and community outreach programs in the same local market.
• Reality Santa Barbara: Non-denominational Christian congregation based in Santa Barbara serving a similar coastal Southern California demographic with comparable multi-generational programming, comparable in size and ministry scope to FMCSB.
• Santa Barbara Community Church: Local Santa Barbara congregation offering multi-generational ministry and community outreach programs in the same regional market with comparable congregational scale and program breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCGYmHwuyDVRrlOl11ZTGUiA
• Facebookfacebook.com/fmyouthsantabarbara
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/free-methodist-church

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Free Methodist Church