What Free Chapel does

Free Chapel is a multi-site, ECFA-accredited Christian church organization headquartered in Gainesville, Georgia, and led by Lead Pastor Jentezen Franklin. It operates nine physical campuses — five in Georgia (Alpharetta, Braselton, Gainesville, Gwinnett/Suwanee, and Midtown/Atlanta), one in South Carolina (Spartanburg), one in California (Orange County/Irvine), one in Florida (Destin, listed as Coming Soon), plus a global Online Campus streaming services on YouTube and the church website. The organization also runs two wholly-owned educational subsidiaries — Free Chapel College (ministry training) and Free Chapel Academy (preschool, ages 6 weeks through 2nd grade) — and a Spanish-language ministry, FC Español (Capilla Libre), serving Hispanic/Latino congregants with interpreted services, Spanish connection groups, and a Spanish School of Discipleship.

The underlying technology stack is composed of standard third-party SaaS rather than proprietary infrastructure: Rock RMS serves as the church management and giving platform, the YouTube API is used for live streaming and sermon archiving, Google Analytics tracks website traffic, and a custom mobile application (Free Chapel App) supports giving, devotionals, and content access. SMS-based Text-to-Give via shortcode 510510 enables mobile donations. Live prayer camera feeds from Jerusalem (Gethsemane, Golden Gate, Mount of Olives, Western Wall, Dead Sea, Judean Desert) provide differentiated content. Distribution extends beyond the campuses through national television broadcast partnerships with Daystar, TBN, and The Word Network.

Free Chapel's revenue is generated primarily through voluntary tithes and offerings from congregation members, with giving options including one-time and recurring online donations, mobile app giving, text-to-give, and non-cash gifts of stocks/securities. A planned-giving program through a FreeWill partnership enables estate/legacy gifts. Conference fees from Forward, Divine, and One Marriage events contribute additional revenue, as does tuition from the college and academy subsidiaries. All core worship services and ministries are provided free of charge; a few Discipleship courses carry nominal fees (e.g., Personal Finance Study $55, Colossians Study $25).

Name

Free Chapel

Legal name

Free Chapel

Website

https://freechapel.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Free Chapel is a multi-site Christian church operating nine campuses across Georgia, South Carolina, California, and Florida plus a global online campus, led by Pastor Jentezen Franklin. It serves a diversified congregation through worship, a two-year School of Discipleship, 300+ small groups, conferences, educational subsidiaries, and broadcast partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Educational Services (611), Religious Organizations (813110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Ministerial Training Institutes (Clergy Formation) (EDAHAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI), Denominational Theological Colleges (e.g., Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Evangelical) (EDAHAKAM)

Keywords

• Multi-site church ministry
• Christian worship services
• Biblical discipleship programs
• Religious community outreach
• Church education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Alpharetta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Recurring and one-time donations from congregation members. Members can give online, via mobile app, text-to-give, or by check. Recurring giving enables long-term planning and initiative execution.
2. Non-Cash Gifts: Donations of stocks, mutual funds, marketable securities from IRA or personal investment accounts. Direct transfer of securities to church brokerage account.
3. Planned Giving: Partnership with FreeWill provides free will-making services allowing donors to include Free Chapel in their estate planning.
4. Conference Fees: Revenue from Forward, Divine, and One Marriage conferences offered at various campuses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Free Chapel is a multi-site Christian church that delivers Sunday worship services, biblical teaching, and spiritual formation across 9 physical campuses (Georgia, South Carolina, California, plus a Florida campus coming soon) and a global online campus. It supplements services with a two-year School of Discipleship certification program, conferences (Forward, Divine, One Marriage), counseling, outreach initiatives (prison ministry, food banks), and affiliated educational institutions (Free Chapel College and Free Chapel Academy preschool). Funding is sustained through voluntary tithes, offerings, non-cash gifts, and planned giving.

Product overview

Free Chapel is a multi-site Christian church organization offering a unified ministry platform centered on in-person and virtual worship services, spiritual education, and community engagement. The core offering consists of physical campuses (Alpharetta, Braselton, Destin, Gainesville, Gwinnett, Midtown, Orange County, Spartanburg) plus an Online Campus, supported by the Free Chapel App for mobile engagement and giving. Spiritual growth pathways include Connection Groups, the School of Discipleship (a two-year certification program), and specialized ministries for college students, preschoolers (Free Chapel Academy), and the Hispanic community (Free Chapel Español). The organization hosts conferences (Forward, Divine, One Marriage), conducts outreach programs (prison ministry, food banks, pregnancy support), and offers features like Text to Give, Watch Parties, Counseling, and Live from Israel prayer cameras. Financial giving options include online giving, text-to-give, and planned giving through a FreeWill partnership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Free Chapel College: Training and equipping students to live out their God-given purpose
• Free Chapel Academy
• FC Español

Products and services

• Free Chapel App Mobile application for iPhone and Android enabling congregation members to give, access devotionals (FreeChapel+), and engage with Free Chapel content.
• Online Campus Virtual campus providing live-streamed Sunday worship services at 9 & 11AM ET plus on-demand messages accessible globally.
• Free Chapel College Higher education and ministry-training institution preparing students to live out their Christian purpose through academic and spiritual development.
• Free Chapel Academy (Preschool) State-of-the-art preschool and early education program for children from 6 weeks old through 2nd grade.
• FC Español Spanish-language ministry serving the Hispanic community with connection groups, Discipleship School, community events, and live interpretation at all campuses and conferences.
• School of Discipleship (Escuela de Discipulado) Two-year biblical certification program divided into four 12-week phases that equips believers to grow in spiritual maturity and fulfill their calling. Nominal course fees apply (e.g., Personal Finance Study $55, Colossians Study $25).
• Conferences (Forward, Divine, One Marriage) Multi-day spiritual growth and community enrichment conferences — Forward, Divine, and One Marriage — hosted at Free Chapel campuses with associated registration fees.
• Counseling Services Professional faith-based counseling supporting congregation members through life challenges, marital issues, grief, addiction, and mental health struggles.
• Outreach Programs Community outreach initiatives spanning prison ministry, food bank distribution, pregnancy resource support, nursing home visits, and partnerships with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, and CarePortal.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor, major and moderate.

• ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability)coreOthersFree Chapel is a member of ECFA, demonstrating financial accountability and transparency. Founded in 1979, ECFA has over 1,500 leading Christian nonprofit members. ECFA membership allows donors to verify financial practices.
• FreeWillminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFreeWill partnership provides free legal will-making services to donors. Allows members to include Free Chapel in estate planning, creating a legacy giving program.
• Rock RMScoreTechnology or IntegrationRock RMS is the church data management and giving platform used by Free Chapel for managing member information, donations, and church operations.
• YouTubecoreTechnology or IntegrationYouTube API used to provide timely sermon messages on the website. Services stream live on YouTube channel.
• Daystar Television NetworkmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerBroadcast partner for Jentezen Franklin sermons - Sunday 8:30 AM broadcasts. Daystar is a major Christian television network.
• TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerBroadcast partner - Sunday 9:00 AM, Monday-Thursday 11:30 AM-12:30 PM. TBN is a global Christian television network.
• The Word NetworkmoderateGTM or Marketing PartnerBroadcast partner for Sunday 10:30 AM and Monday 9:30 AM programming. Christian satellite television network.
• Habitat for Humanity - Hall CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOutreach partnership to build houses for families in need. Teams from Gainesville campus volunteer for construction projects.
• Choices Pregnancy CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with pregnancy resource center. Baby Boutique Outreach team repacks and organizes donations every other Tuesday.
• Good News at Noon (Homeless Shelter)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHomeless shelter partnership. Serves homemade breakfast and dinner to homeless men and women on 2nd and 4th Saturdays and Wednesdays.
• Meals on WheelsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOutreach program packing and delivering hot lunches to seniors Monday through Friday. Volunteer drivers needed, commitment can be as little as once monthly.
• Georgia Mountain Food BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to serve families experiencing food insecurity. Distribution occurs 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at 5:00 PM at Gainesville campus.
• CarePortalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnline platform where churches and individuals can respond to verified needs of local children and families in the foster care system.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Gateway Church: Robert Morris's multi-site Dallas-Fort Worth megachurch with comparable broadcast reach, conferences, and educational/diploma programs.
• Elevation Church: Steven Furtick's multi-site megachurch based in Charlotte, NC with strong media/youth appeal and broadcast distribution — directly comparable scale and GTM approach.
• Saddleback Church: Rick Warren's multi-site Southern California megachurch with comparable educational programs (Saddleback College) and global church-planting strategy.
• Christ Fellowship Church: Multi-site South Florida megachurch with comparable broadcast, online campus, and family ministry programs — direct regional-adjacent peer.
• McLean Bible Church: Multi-site Washington DC-area megachurch with a global online campus and broadcast presence — comparable model and mid-Atlantic demographic reach.
• Life.Church: Multi-site church known for pioneering the online church experience and the YouVersion Bible app — directly comparable digital-first, multi-campus GTM with global reach.
• North Point Ministries: Multi-site Atlanta-area church network led by Andy Stanley with a similar campus model, broadcast/media emphasis, and small-group ecosystem — the most directly comparable peer in the same metro area.

Broad incumbents

• Willow Creek Community Church: Historic multi-site Chicago-area megachurch known for pioneering the seeker-sensitive model and small-group/connection group programming that Free Chapel mirrors.
• Lakewood Church: Joel Osteen's Houston-based megachurch — much larger incumbent in the televangelist/evangelical megachurch category with comparable TV broadcast distribution model.

Regional players

• Southeast Christian Church: Large Louisville, KY-based multi-site church with comparable small-group ecosystem and educational ministries; serves a different region but similar evangelical Protestant positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/freechapel
• YouTubeyoutube.com/freechapel
• Facebookfacebook.com/freechapel
• Instagraminstagram.com/freechapel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/free-chapel

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 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 Free Chapel