FOREST HILLS UNITED METHODIST

What FOREST HILLS UNITED METHODIST does

Forest Hills United Methodist Church (FHUMC) is a private, nonprofit religious organization and a local congregation of The United Methodist Church, headquartered at 1250 Old Hickory Blvd., Brentwood, Tennessee. Founded in 1891 (originally as Waverly Place Methodist Episcopal Church South), the church self-describes as a mid-sized, intergenerational community of faith serving families with children, adults seeking spiritual growth, Day School families, and middle/high school youth in the Nashville metropolitan area. In 2016 the organization began a multi-year transformation from a traditional membership-centered model to a discipleship-centered model, formalized in a four-stage Discipleship Pathway (Starting Point, Connect to the Source SHAPE workshop, Journey Together small groups, Follow the Way courses) accompanied by an online Disciple Growth Assessment.

The church operates three core product lines: weekly Worship Services (Sunday 10 AM, in-person plus Resi.io/YouTube/Facebook livestream), the Discipleship Pathway and supporting Disciple Growth Assessment, and a licensed Tennessee Day School serving children ages 6 weeks through 5 years with tiered enrollment (T/Th, M/W/F, M-F) and extended care. Supporting offerings include Children & Youth ministries (Wonder Worship, Godly Play, Big Questions), a Music Ministry (choir, handbells, strummers), a weekly Wayfinder e-newsletter, a physical/online church library, and a curated set of community programs (Project Transformation volunteering, food donations, scholarship funds). The technology stack is built entirely on commodity third-party tools — WordPress for the website, Vanco for online giving, Dropbox for sermon archives, Google Forms for assessments and registrations, Zoom for virtual gatherings, and Resi.io for livestream — with no proprietary platform or AI components.

Revenue is generated entirely through three subscription/recurring streams: member tithes and offerings collected in service and online through Vanco, Day School tuition (rates not publicly disclosed; prospective families directed to phone enquiry), and extended-care fees. Distribution is single-campus: in-person at the Brentwood sanctuary and self-serve online via livestream. The organization is staffed by approximately eight paid positions (senior pastor, directors of discipleship/music, financial administrator, administrative assistant, Day School director, ministry mobilization leader, facilities coordinator) and is governed by a 2026 Leadership Board of volunteer members. The church has no parent entity, no subsidiaries, no disclosed funding rounds, and no M&A history; its only external commercial relationship is a transactional vendor arrangement with Vanco.

Name

FOREST HILLS UNITED METHODIST

Legal name

Forest Hills United Methodist Church

Website

https://foresthillsumc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1891

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Forest Hills United Methodist Church is a mid-sized, nonprofit United Methodist congregation in Brentwood, Tennessee, offering Sunday worship, a multi-stage Discipleship Pathway, and a licensed Day School for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years, serving families and adults in the Nashville metro area through a community-led, on-campus ministry model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious / Faith Community Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Early Learning Academies (EDACADAH), Faith-Based & Mission Service Programs (EDAIAGAI)

Keywords

• Religious services
• Congregational worship
• Faith community
• Christian education
• Early childhood ministry

Headquarters

HQ city

Brentwood

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, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Members and visitors contribute financially during Sunday worship services either via cash/check (offering plate) or online through Vanco payment processing. The church describes generous giving as a spiritual practice.
2. Online Giving: One-time or scheduled automated giving through Vanco payment platform.
3. Day School Tuition: The church operates a licensed Day School serving children ages 6 weeks through 5 years, with tuition-based enrollment. Extended care (Rise and Shine, Stay and Play) available for additional fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Forest Hills United Methodist Church is a local United Methodist congregation that delivers weekly worship services, a structured four-stage Discipleship Pathway (Starting Point, Connect to the Source SHAPE workshop, Journey Together small groups, Follow the Way courses), children and youth ministries, a music ministry, and a licensed Day School for children ages 6 weeks through 5 years. The church supplements in-person programs with online giving (Vanco), livestreamed worship (Resi.io), and a weekly e-newsletter (The Wayfinder).

Product overview

Forest Hills United Methodist Church is an intergenerational community of faith offering a comprehensive ministry portfolio centered on spiritual formation and community connection. The core offerings include weekly Worship Services (in-person and online), the Discipleship Pathway structured growth program, and a Day School for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years. Supporting ministries include Children & Youth Programs, Music Ministry, and the Disciple Growth Assessment self-evaluation tool. Digital offerings include Online Giving (via Vanco), Livestream Worship, the Wayfinder Newsletter, and a Church Library with online catalog access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Forest Hills UMC Day School: A ministry of the church serving children ages 6 weeks through 5 years and their families. It is a licensed childcare provider in the state of Tennessee.

Products and services

• Sunday Worship Services In-person and online worship gatherings held Sundays at 10 AM, featuring hymns, prayers, a message from Rev. Kristin, and music ministry selections; approximately one hour in length. Open to all individuals and families in the Nashville metro area.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• VancominorOthersVanco is described as a trusted vendor for the church's online giving platform (Gift Plus). Provides secure payment processing for tithes, offerings, and one-time or scheduled automated giving. Relationship is transactional/vendor-based rather than strategic.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Otter Creek Church of Christ: A Nashville-area evangelical congregation comparable in mid-sized church scale, family programming, and community engagement — competing for similar Brentwood/Franklin households.
• Mount Bethel Church: A large non-denominational church in the Nashville metro with extensive children's and family ministries. Comparable in mission and community focus but with a broader multi-site footprint.
• Brentwood Baptist Church: A large, established evangelical congregation based in the same city as Forest Hills UMC, competing for the same Williamson County families with comparable children's, youth, and community outreach programming.
• The Chapel at Brentwood: A non-denominational faith community in Brentwood, TN with comparable suburban Nashville demographic and similar family-oriented programming; competes for the same local member pool.

Broad incumbents

• West End United Methodist Church: A larger, well-established UMC congregation in Nashville with broader programming and resources. Comparable in denomination and faith formation mission, though it operates at a larger scale and more urban setting.

Emerging players

• The Goddard School: A national premium early childhood education franchise with locations across Middle Tennessee. Competes with the Forest Hills UMC Day School for faith-affiliated and premium childcare families in the same geographic market.
• Primrose Schools: A national franchise network of accredited early childhood education centers. Directly competes with Forest Hills UMC Day School for tuition-paying families in the Brentwood/Nashville childcare market.

Direct peers

• Belle Meade United Methodist Church: A UMC congregation in the Nashville metro area, similar in denomination and suburban setting. Forest Hills UMC's current Senior Pastor previously served as Associate Pastor here, indicating direct leadership and programmatic parallels.
• Brentwood United Methodist Church: A UMC church located in the same city as Forest Hills UMC, sharing the same denomination, suburban Nashville demographic, and competitive landscape for member households and Day School families.
• Christ United Methodist Church (Franklin, TN): A UMC congregation in nearby Franklin, TN — same denomination, similar Williamson County demographic, and overlapping staff lineage (Rev. Kristin Clark-Banks previously served as Minister of Children and Families here).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ForestHillsUnitedMethodistChurch
• Instagraminstagram.com/foresthillsumc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forest-hills-united-methodist

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 FOREST HILLS UNITED METHODIST