Free Methodist Church USA

What Free Methodist Church USA does

Free Methodist Church USA is a Wesleyan-Holiness denomination founded in 1860 by B.T. Roberts in Pekin, New York, and currently headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana at the World Ministries Center (5235 Decatur Blvd). The denomination operates across approximately 65 countries where roughly 96% of its members reside outside the United States, organizing its domestic presence through approximately 20 named Annual Conferences supervised by Superintendents and coordinating international ministry through FM World Missions with dedicated Area Directors for Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East/North Africa. Its ministry portfolio spans church planting, theological education (Roberts Wesleyan University, North Central University, Azusa Pacific University, Haiti Providence University, Hope Africa University, Congo University of Hope, Light & Life Bible College Philippines), healthcare (the 82-bed Kibuye Hope Hospital in Burundi, Claire Heureuse Hospital serving 250,000 in Haiti, Chikombedzi Mission Hospital in Zimbabwe), and humanitarian initiatives spanning child sponsorship, anti-trafficking, and women's empowerment.

FMCUSA's revenue model relies on member tithes, offerings, and designated donations collected through local churches and the FM Connect Give online portal (give.fmcusa.org). The most standardized pricing is the ICCM child sponsorship at $38 per month, active in more than 30 countries, alongside one-time donations ($5 Bibles, $50 goats via the Haiti Goat Project), annual operational goals (Haiti Bible Institute $15,000, Holy Light Theological Seminary $1,204,800 general fund), and Faculty-In-Training Program fees of $50,000 per year. Distribution and engagement channels include Light + Life Publishing (English) and Luz y Vida Magazine (Spanish), the Light + Life Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, ROOTS/FreeToBe/Seeds children's curricula, FM Church LIVE online worship, the Find a Church locator, FM Financial, and social media across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter/X, Pinterest, and Vimeo.

The organization governs itself through a Board of Bishops (Keith Cowart as Lead Bishop, with Kaye Kolde and Kenny Martin for the 2023-2027 term) and a Board of Administration (President Eric W. Logan, Vice President Amy Colgan-Clark, Secretary Kyle Welstad), supported by a National Leadership Team, Superintendents Leadership Team, Area Directors Leadership Team, and Chief Operating Officer Michael Forney. FMCUSA maintains 17 documented subsidiary ministries including FM World Missions, ICCM, Set Free Movement, Wunders, Light + Life Publishing, The Center for Pastoral Formation, FM Financial, Marston Memorial Historical Center, Men's Ministries International, NextGen Ministries, FM Bible Quizzing, National Prayer Ministry, Chaplains Association, Association of Human Service Ministries, Light + Life Bookstore, L+L Kids, and the Association of Free Methodist Educational Institutions. No proprietary technology stack, AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or SDKs are disclosed; the digital footprint is built on standard web and streaming infrastructure.

Name

Free Methodist Church USA

Legal name

Free Methodist Church USA

Website

https://fmcusa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1860

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Free Methodist Church USA is a Wesleyan-Holiness denomination founded in 1860 and headquartered in Indianapolis, operating across 65+ countries where 96% of members reside outside the US, funded by tithes and donations and organized through Annual Conferences, FM World Missions, and subsidiary ministries including ICCM child sponsorship, Set Free Movement, and Light + Life Publishing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Denomination Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Denominational & Ecclesiastical Governance Bodies (Dioceses, Synods, Conferences) (BPAGAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA), Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD), Faith-Based Healthcare Ministries (Hospitals, Clinics, Medical Missions) (BPAGAJAH)

Keywords

• Religious denomination services
• Global missions ministry
• Child sponsorship programs
• Theological education services
• Humanitarian aid coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis, IN

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Member Tithes and Offerings: Primary revenue from member donations, tithes, and offerings collected through local churches and the central giving portal (give.fmcusa.org)
2. Global Church Planting and Development: Designated giving to global church planting initiatives, missionary support, and development projects worldwide through FM World Missions
3. Special Ministry Funds: Donations to specific initiatives including Bishops' Crisis Response Fund, Set Free Movement anti-trafficking work, educational institutions, and compassion ministries
4. ICCM Child Sponsorship: Monthly sponsorship program for children in more than 30 countries at $38 per month

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels14 records

Core offering

Free Methodist Church USA is a non-profit Wesleyan-Holiness denomination founded in 1860 that provides denominational services, global mission coordination, child sponsorship, anti-trafficking programs, theological education, and publishing/curriculum resources to its affiliated churches, members, and global communities. It operates through Annual Conferences in the US and FM World Missions internationally, with 96% of its members located outside the United States across more than 30 countries.

Product overview

The Free Methodist Church USA operates a portfolio of interconnected ministry products and services centered on its core mission of bringing wholeness to the world through loving God, loving people, and multiplying followers of Jesus. The primary offerings include publications (Light + Life Magazine, Luz y Vida Magazine, Light and Life Bookstore), children's curriculum programs (ROOTS, Free To Be, Seeds), digital media (L+L Podcast, FM Church LIVE online worship), and global missions initiatives through FM Global Ministries encompassing FM World Missions, ICCM child sponsorship, Set Free Movement anti-trafficking, and Wunders women's empowerment. Additional services include church finder tools, pastoral formation resources, financial services (FM Financial), historical archives, prayer ministries, youth programs including Bible Quizzing, and the official Book of Discipline governance document.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FM Global Ministries: Global missions and missionary coordination ministry of the Free Methodist Church USA
• FM World Missions
• ICCM - International Child Care Ministries
• Set Free Movement
• Wunders
• Light + Life Magazine
• Luz y Vida
• Light + Life Bookstore
• The Center for Pastoral Formation
• FM Financial
• L+L Kids - ROOTS
• FreeToBe Kids Lessons
• Seeds Kids Curriculum
• FM Bible Quizzing
• Men's Ministries International
• NextGen Ministries
• National Prayer Ministry
• The Free Methodist Way

Products and services

• Light + Life Magazine The flagship publication of the Free Methodist Church offering articles, discipleship content, and media resources for church members and leaders.
• Luz y Vida Magazine Spanish-language digital publication providing discipleship materials and resources for the Spanish-speaking Free Methodist community.
• Light and Life Bookstore Online bookstore offering books, curricula, and church resources for Free Methodists including the Book of Discipline and historical materials.
• L+L Kids: ROOTS Curriculum A comprehensive children's curriculum helping children ages 3-12 know Jesus personally through structured lessons.
• L+L Kids: Free To Be Free lesson resources teaching the history and identity of the Free Methodist Church through stories of John Wesley and B.T. Roberts.
• L+L Kids: Seeds Children's ministry curriculum designed to plant seeds of faith in young children.
• L+L Podcast Podcast ministry of the Free Methodist Church available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
• FM World Missions Global missions ministry mobilizing the global church and empowering international leaders to establish transformational churches worldwide.
• ICCM: International Child Care Ministries Child sponsorship ministry active in more than 30 countries, providing support for children's education and well-being at $38 per month per sponsored child.
• Set Free Movement Movement dedicated to ending modern slavery and human trafficking through awareness, prevention, rescue, and rehabilitation.
• Wunders Program equipping girls and women with sustainable menstrual supplies and community education to keep girls in school and prevent trafficking.
• FM Church LIVE Online worship services directory for Free Methodist churches offering virtual participation options.
• Find a Church Searchable map tool helping individuals locate Free Methodist churches in their area.
• FM Financial Financial services ministry providing professional planning, investing, and giving services to individuals and organizations from a biblical perspective.
• The Center for Pastoral Formation Resource center for theological education and practical training to equip the next generation of ministry leaders and uphold standards for ministerial credentialing.
• Book of Discipline 2023 Official governing document of the Free Methodist Church USA containing doctrine, polity, and standards.
• Association of Human Service Ministries Coalition providing faith-driven solutions to challenging social concerns, serving as the hands and feet of Jesus Christ.
• Marston Memorial Historical Center & Free Methodist Archive Archive preserving Free Methodist heritage and providing access to historical e-books, online resources, and historical newsletters.
• National Prayer Ministry Ministry helping create and sustain the passion and practice of intercessory prayer for local, regional, and national transformation.
• Men's Ministries International International ministry equipping and connecting Free Methodist men for discipleship and service.
• NextGen Ministries Ministry focused on engaging and developing the next generation of Free Methodist leaders.
• Bible Quizzing Competitive Bible study program for youth to learn and memorize Scripture.
• FM Global Ministries Umbrella organization encompassing FM World Missions, ICCM, Set Free Movement, and Wunders for global ministry coordination.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 million baptisms and 30,000 churches planted in 10 years through Community Church Planting partnership
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Roberts Wesleyan UniversitycoreOthersFounded in 1865 by Benjamin Titus Roberts, Roberts Wesleyan University was the first graduate school for ministry in the Free Methodist Church. It remains a key educational institution within the FMC network.
• North Central UniversitycoreOthersAffiliated Free Methodist educational institution providing higher education services.
• Azusa Pacific UniversitycoreOthersMajor evangelical university affiliated with the Free Methodist Church, part of Association of Free Methodist Educational Institutions (AFMEI).
• Asbury Theological SeminarystrategicOthersPartnership for Latin America offering Certificate in Pastoral Leadership to cohort of 20 students, with $33,750 total cost for FMWM Latin America to assist students in completing 2.5-year program.
• FM World MissionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe global mission arm of FMCUSA that makes disciples by mobilizing the global church and empowering international leaders to establish transformational churches.
• ICCM: International Child Care MinistriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChild sponsorship ministry active in more than 30 countries, providing education, nutrition, and spiritual development for vulnerable children.
• Set Free MovementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnti-human trafficking initiative fighting slavery one neighborhood at a time, protecting the vulnerable through awareness, education, prevention, rescue and restoration programs.
• WundersstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram equipping girls and women with locally made sustainable menstrual supplies and community-informed education to keep girls in school and prevent trafficking vulnerability.
• Free Methodist World ConferencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational overarching body of the Free Methodist denomination providing global coordination and fellowship.
• Community Church Planting (CCP)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with CCP has seen 1 million baptisms and 30,000 churches planted in 10 years, with over 200,000 members added in Central Africa. Focuses on multiplying disciples, pastors and churches among unreached communities.
• Hope Africa UniversitystrategicOthersFMWM partnership in Burundi where HAU has established Health Sciences division for training nurses and doctors called The Frank Ogden Medical School.
• Luke 10 for Europe (L:10:E)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerDiscipleship and church planting initiative contextualizing CCP methodology for European cultural and political realities.
• Shared Sustainability (Business as Mission)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-vocational training for indigenous pastors in Southeast Asia providing 4-part sustainability plan including teaching, community banking, micro businesses, and agriculture training.
• Association of Free Methodist Educational Institutions (AFMEI)coreOthersCoordinates Free Methodist seminaries, universities, colleges, and schools including Roberts Wesleyan, Azusa Pacific, North Central, and other institutions.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Southern Baptist Convention: Largest US Protestant denomination; competes for the same domestic donor base and offers a comparable combination of church planting, publishing, and missions infrastructure (IMB, NAMB) at a vastly larger scale.
• Assemblies of God: Much larger US-based Pentecostal denomination with global missionary sending (Assemblies of God World Missions), affiliated colleges, and competing for the same evangelical donor and member pool.
• United Methodist Church: The broader Methodist tradition from which FMCUSA split in 1860; operates at significantly larger scale with similar Book of Discipline-style governance, UMCOR humanitarian arm, and affiliated universities.

Others

• World Relief: Faith-based humanitarian organization focused on child sponsorship, refugee resettlement, and global relief; adjacent model to FMCUSA's ICCM child sponsorship and compassion ministries, useful as an ecosystem peer.

Direct peers

• Evangelical Covenant Church: Mid-sized evangelical denomination with affiliated higher education (e.g., North Park University), global mission partnerships, and a holiness/Wesleyan heritage that overlaps meaningfully with FMCUSA.
• Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA): Evangelical denomination with a comparably strong global missionary identity, church-planting emphasis, and integration of compassion ministries; overlaps directly with FMCUSA's FM World Missions model.
• Church of God (Anderson, Indiana): Hoosier-rooted holiness denomination with strong missionary sending tradition and global footprint, very similar in theology, polity, and geographic origin to FMCUSA.
• Church of the Nazarene: Global Wesleyan-holiness denomination with very similar doctrine, congregational polity, missionary sending structures, and university network (e.g., Nazarene Higher Education), operating at a slightly larger scale.
• Wesleyan Church: North American holiness denomination with Wesleyan/Methodist roots, parallel polity, affiliated universities (Indiana Wesleyan University), and global church-planting footprint—directly comparable theological and structural profile to FMCUSA.
• Salvation Army: Global Methodist-rooted organization combining worship, social services, addiction recovery, and humanitarian relief; comparable mission-driven structure and operating model to FMCUSA's healthcare and compassion ministries.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/fmchurchusa
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@fmcusa
• Facebookfacebook.com/fmcusa
• Instagraminstagram.com/fmcusa
• Pinterestpinterest.com/FreeMethodistChurchUSA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/free-methodist-church-usa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Subsidiaries18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Free Methodist Church USA