Franklin First United Methodist Church

What Franklin First United Methodist Church does

Franklin First United Methodist Church is a local nonprofit religious organization headquartered at 107 N College Street in Franklin, Kentucky, with continuous roots dating to 1820, when Methodists and Presbyterians organized a Union church in the town. The church operates as an autonomous congregation within The United Methodist Church denomination under the Kentucky Annual Conference, governed locally through a combination of appointed clergy and elected lay leadership. Its current structure is the fourth building to house the congregation, comprising a sanctuary (dedicated 1915), a Christian Life Center (consecrated 1997), and educational buildings, with approximately 40 staff and ministry personnel. The church is historically notable for hosting the marriage of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash on March 1, 1968, an event commemorated by a historical marker in downtown Franklin and used as a brand differentiator.

The church's product portfolio centers on two weekly Sunday worship services (9:00 am Traditional and 11:15 am Contemporary), Sunday School classes for all ages at 10:15 am, Wednesday Night Bible Study and meal programming, a Chancel Choir and Handbell Program directed by long-tenured musicians, youth and children's ministries, multiple adult small groups, and a Facility Use Program that rents campus space to aligned community groups. Online worship is delivered via livestream on Facebook and YouTube, with archived sermons accessible online. Technology is supplied entirely by third-party SaaS — The Church Co platform provides website hosting, livestreaming, and basic church management — with no proprietary systems, no mobile application, no public API, and no AI/ML capability in evidence.

The business model is donations-driven: the church is funded by voluntary tithes, regular offerings, and special contributions to ministries and building funds, with no formal pricing structure and no facility-use fee schedule published. No revenue figures, endowment balances, or capital campaign results are publicly disclosed. The customer base is a local congregation and the broader Franklin, Kentucky community, segmented by life stage (Children and Families, Youth, Young Adults, Adults and Seniors) rather than by commercial persona. Marketing and outreach rely on the church website, organic social media (Facebook, YouTube), and community events.

Name

Franklin First United Methodist Church

Legal name

Franklin First United Methodist Church

Website

https://franklinfirstumc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1820

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Franklin First United Methodist Church is a 200-year-old local United Methodist congregation in Franklin, Kentucky, serving its community through traditional and contemporary worship services, age-tiered faith formation programs, and music ministries, funded by voluntary congregational tithes and offerings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Worship Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Educational Services (611)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Religious worship services
• Faith formation programs
• Christian community ministry
• Biblical education classes
• Church facility rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Franklin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: The church operates on voluntary contributions from its congregation including tithes (regular offerings) and special donations for various ministries and building funds.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Franklin First United Methodist Church provides Christian worship services and ministry programs for the Franklin, Kentucky community, including two Sunday worship formats (Traditional at 9:00 am and Contemporary at 11:15 am), Sunday School for all ages at 10:15 am, mid-week Bible study and meals, youth and children's ministry, music programs (Chancel Choir and Handbell Program), small groups, and community facility use. Online worship is delivered via Facebook and YouTube livestream with archived sermons, extending the church's reach beyond its physical campus.

Product overview

Franklin First United Methodist Church offers a unified portfolio of worship services and ministry programs. The core offerings include Traditional Worship (9:00 am) and Contemporary Worship (11:15 am) on Sundays, complemented by Sunday School classes at 10:15 am for all ages. Mid-week programming includes Wednesday Night Bible Study and Wednesday Night Meal at 5:30 pm. The church provides age-specific ministries for Kids (Children's Church), Youth (Youth Group), and Young Adults, as well as music programs including Chancel Choir, Handbell Program, and Contemporary Worship Team. Additional offerings include Small Groups ministry, Facility Use for community events, and Online Worship with livestream capabilities via Facebook and YouTube. The church's Christian Life Center and educational facilities support these programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Traditional Worship Service Sunday worship service held at 9:00 am featuring traditional hymns and classic liturgical elements, intended for congregants who prefer a classic worship style.
• Contemporary Worship Service Sunday worship service held at 11:15 am featuring modern music and a contemporary worship style, intended for congregants who prefer a modern worship experience.
• Sunday School Classes Religious education classes held at 10:15 am on Sundays for children, youth, and adults, including Children's Sunday School, College and Career Class, Youth Class, Young Adults Class, and various adult Bible study groups.
• Children's Church Age-appropriate worship program for children during Sunday services, held in the Christian Education Wing during the 9:00 am and 11:00 am services.
• Youth Group Youth ministry program for middle and high school students, meeting Sundays at 6:00 pm on a seasonal basis, currently on hiatus.
• Wednesday Night Bible Study Mid-week Bible study and fellowship program held Wednesdays at 6:15 pm in the Chapel, preceded by a Wednesday Night Meal at 5:30 pm.
• Chancel Choir Adult choir program directed by Bonita Schwab, providing musical leadership during worship services through regular rehearsals and performances.
• Handbell Program Handbell ensemble led by Bonita Schwab, providing musical accompaniment for worship services and special events at the church.
• Small Groups Ministry Various small group programs including Fellowship of Friends Class, Harmony Class, Winsome Class, Women's Class, and others, providing community and spiritual growth opportunities for adults.
• Facility Use Program Church campus facilities available for community use including worship areas, fellowship halls, classrooms, and meeting rooms for events and gatherings aligned with the church's mission and values.
• Online Worship Livestream Virtual worship experience available via Facebook and YouTube livestream for both the 9:00 am Traditional and 11:15 am Contemporary services, with archived sermons accessible online.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• The United Methodist ChurchcoreOthersFranklin First United Methodist Church is part of the larger United Methodist denomination, following its theological tradition, governance structure, and connectional system. The church aligns with Methodist beliefs including the primacy of grace, the importance of Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience as guides for faith. The church is also affiliated with the Kentucky United Methodist Conference.
• Kentucky United Methodist ConferencecoreOthersThe church operates under the jurisdiction of the Kentucky United Methodist Conference, participating in the connectional ministry and mission of the broader Methodist church in the region.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Tithe.ly: A digital giving and church engagement platform serving faith communities. Comparable as an emerging technology-enabled peer in the religious services ecosystem, addressing the same donor-engagement and online ministry needs Franklin First UMC is starting to pursue.

Broad incumbents

• The United Methodist Church (Global Denomination): The parent denominational body to which Franklin First UMC belongs. Operates broadly across worship, formation, missions, and governance as part of a much larger portfolio, of which this church is a local node.
• Christ United Methodist Church: Another United Methodist congregation offering traditional and contemporary services plus age-segmented ministries. Useful as a comparable peer for programming structure and congregational operations within the same denomination.
• Highland United Methodist Church: An established United Methodist congregation with a comparable mix of traditional and contemporary worship, Sunday School, music programs, and small groups — serving as a model of comparable scale and programming in the same denomination.
• Asbury United Methodist Church: A larger United Methodist congregation serving a broader regional audience. Comparable in denomination and ministry mix, and illustrates the kind of multi-campus, larger-scale Methodist congregation toward which Franklin First UMC's offerings are benchmarked.
• Kentucky Conference of the United Methodist Church: The regional governing body of the United Methodist Church in Kentucky. Comparable as the umbrella organization providing oversight, resources, and pastoral appointments to affiliated congregations including Franklin First UMC.

Others

• The Church Co: The website, livestream, and church management platform vendor actually used by Franklin First UMC. While a vendor rather than a peer congregation, it represents the technology ecosystem the church depends on for its digital ministry footprint.
• The Carter Family Fold: A heritage venue in Hiltons, Virginia tied to the Carter Family and June Carter Cash. Not a religious peer but thematically linked through the Johnny Cash / June Carter heritage that Franklin First UMC also commemorates, making it a relevant adjacency for cultural-heritage strategy.

Direct peers

• First Baptist Church of Franklin, KY: Another established Protestant congregation serving the same Franklin, Kentucky community. Comparable in scale and ministry scope, making it the most direct local competitive peer for members and tithing dollars.
• First Presbyterian Church of Franklin, KY: A mainline Protestant congregation in Franklin, KY historically linked to Franklin First UMC — the two congregations originally shared a Union church building in 1820 — and now competes for the same local mainline demographic.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@FranklinFirstUMC-KY
• Facebookfacebook.com/franklinfirstumc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/franklin-first-united-methodist-church

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 Franklin First United Methodist Church