Frienship Baptist

What Frienship Baptist does

Friendship Missionary Baptist Church (FMBC) is a large African American Baptist congregation headquartered at 3400 Beatties Ford Road in Charlotte, North Carolina, led by Senior Minister Rev. Dr. Clifford A. Jones, Sr., who has served in pastoral leadership for over 40 years. The church's main campus features a 3,000-seat Sanctuary equipped with a Ruffatti Organ built in Italy with 6,000 pipes and steeple bells cast in France by the Paccard Foundry, alongside a Conference Center and administrative offices. Secondary facilities on 3301 Campus house the Marizetta Kerry Child Development Center (operating 50+ years), and a Sportsplex on Cindy Lane is operated jointly with Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation.

FMBC runs an integrated ecosystem of wholly-owned subsidiaries and ministries addressing needs across the life span: the Friendship Day School (K-4 sciences and arts), CORA's Intergenerational Center (adult day care for Alzheimer's, Dementia, and Parkinson's), the Friendship Community Development Corporation (My Sister's House transitional housing, Great Things! Resale Boutique, Sweet Creations, Friendship Gardens), Youth Opportunity University (7-week summer enrichment), the Genesis Charitable Fund for Catastrophe Relief, the Coleman W. Kerry Scholarship Fund, and The Gallery retail shop. Global mission work spans South Africa, Guyana, Jamaica, Haiti, Zimbabwe, and Ghana through partnerships with the Lott Carey Foreign Baptist Mission Convention and the Journey with the Girls of Ghana program.

The church's digital infrastructure is built on a Subsplash-powered FMBC Mobile App (iOS/Android) for sermons, events, giving, and prayer requests; PushPay online giving with text-to-give and envelope channels; CCB Church management software for membership and communications; and YouTube and Facebook Live for streaming weekly 8:00a and 10:00a worship services. Revenue is generated through voluntary tithes, offerings, donations, and capital campaigns (currently 'Giving Today for a Brighter Tomorrow'), with no disclosed pricing model or public financials. Worship services are free to attend, and the church serves congregants, youth, seniors, and broader Charlotte-Mecklenburg community members through both spiritual programming and human services.

Name

Frienship Baptist

Legal name

Friendship Missionary Baptist Church

Website

https://friendshipcharlotte.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Friendship Missionary Baptist Church is a large historic African American Baptist congregation in Charlotte, NC, led by Dr. Clifford A. Jones, Sr., operating a 3,000-seat sanctuary and an integrated ecosystem of wholly-owned subsidiaries spanning education, child and senior care, community development, and global missions, funded by voluntary tithes and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Institution Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (813110)

SIC

Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG), Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE)

Keywords

• Religious services
• Worship services
• Christian education
• Community outreach
• Child development

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Congregants contribute tithes and offerings during worship services, with options for online giving through PushPay, text-to-give, and traditional envelope/in-person drop-off methods.
2. Donations and Contributions: Various donation campaigns including capital campaigns (e.g., 'Giving Today for a Brighter Tomorrow' campaign for facility improvements), seasonal appeals, and general fund contributions through multiple channels including mail, online, and mobile.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Friendship Missionary Baptist Church is a Christian Baptist congregation that provides in-person and online worship services, Bible study, religious education for children and adults, and pastoral care. It also operates an ecosystem of affiliated ministries including a K-4 private school, child development centers, adult day care, community development programs, a retail gallery, and global mission outreach in countries such as South Africa, Haiti, Jamaica, Zimbabwe, Guyana, and Ghana.

Product overview

Friendship Missionary Baptist Church operates a digital ecosystem centered around its FMBC Mobile App, which serves as the primary digital engagement platform for its congregation. The church also maintains an online presence through live streaming on YouTube and Facebook Live, and utilizes Pushpay for online giving. The church offers various ministry programs including Youth Opportunity University (Y.O.U.) summer enrichment program, Vacation Bible School, and operates several community entities including The Gallery retail shop, CORA'S Intergenerational Center, Friendship Day School, and Marizetta Kerry Child Development Center. The church provides facility rentals through its Conference Center at the 3400 Beatties Ford Road campus.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FMBC Mobile App
• Marizetta Kerry Child Development Center
• CORA'S Intergenerational Center
• Friendship Day School for the Sciences and the Arts
• Youth Opportunity University (Y.O.U.)
• Friendship Community Development Corporation Community revitalization subsidiary operating programs including My Sister's House Transitional Living Program, Great Things! Resale Boutique, Sweet Creations, and Friendship Gardens.
• The Gallery at Friendship Retail shop offering Christian merchandise to congregants and visitors.
• Conference Center at Friendship Facility rental venue at the 3400 Beatties Ford Road campus available for booking workshops, seminars, and conferences.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sanctuary capacity accommodates 3,000 worshippers with accessibility features
• +2 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Lee Institute of CharlotteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Facilitated the 'Achieve Together' project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which led to the establishment of the Social Justice Ministry in 2010.
• Lott Carey Foreign Baptist Mission Convention (Washington, D.C.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational mission partnership supporting educational, medical, economic development, cultural exchange and evangelism efforts globally, particularly in Haiti and other mission fields.
• Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to operate the Friendship Sportsplex on Cindy Lane in west Charlotte. The facility sits on church-owned land and is managed by Park and Recreation, offering baseball/softball fields, picnic shelter, and playground for athletes across Mecklenburg County.
• When We Vote (Michelle Obama Initiative)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for 'Fuel the Vote' voter engagement initiative at Charles L. Sifford Golf Course on Remount Road.
• Mecklenburg Board of ElectionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership to demonstrate new voting machines at Friendship to prepare county citizens for elections.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• First AME Church (Los Angeles): One of the oldest and largest African American Methodist congregations in the Western U.S., with extensive community programs and historic significance. Comparable as a large historic Black church with multi-entity social services and global reach.
• Lakewood Church: Houston-based mega-church with one of the largest sanctuaries in the U.S. and a sophisticated broadcast/digital operation. Comparable at the broad incumbent level as a globally broadcast mega-church with diversified community programming.

Direct peers

• Elevation Church: Charlotte-based mega-church founded by Steven Furtick with multiple locations and a strong digital/streaming presence. Comparable as a regional mega-church competing for the same Charlotte congregant and donor pool, with a notably younger demographic skew.
• Greater Grace Temple Church: Large predominantly Black charismatic congregation with a substantial sanctuary and multi-entity ministry structure. Comparable as a similarly scaled, community-anchored Black church operating schools, social services, and broadcast ministry.
• First Baptist Church Charlotte: Historic Charlotte Baptist congregation with a comparable downtown-area footprint and long-tenured pastoral leadership. Directly comparable as a fellow large Charlotte Baptist church serving similar congregant demographics with overlapping community programs.
• Ebenezer Baptist Church (Atlanta): Historic African American Baptist congregation in Atlanta with global civil rights legacy and a comparable community-development footprint. Closely comparable as a similarly historic, large Black Baptist church with extensive community programming, educational subsidiaries, and civic leadership.
• New Birth Missionary Baptist Church: Large metro-Atlanta African American Baptist megachurch with a Cathedral of Faith campus and extensive community development subsidiaries. Comparable in sanctuary scale, multi-subsidiary structure, and pastoral leadership concentration.

Regional players

• Providence Baptist Church (Charlotte): Large Charlotte-area Baptist congregation. Regional peer operating in the same metropolitan market with overlapping member demographics but smaller institutional footprint.

Others

• Urban Ministries of Charlotte / Crisis Assistance Ministry: Faith-rooted Charlotte-Mecklenburg social services organizations addressing food insecurity, housing instability, and poverty. Comparable as adjacent faith-rooted community-service providers in FMBC's primary service geography.
• Salvation Army Charlotte Area Command: Faith-based nonprofit in the same Charlotte-Mecklenburg geography providing overlapping social services (food security, transitional housing, disaster relief). Comparable as a faith-based ecosystem player addressing overlapping community needs in the same catchment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FMBCCharlotte
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@friendshipcharlotte
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/frienship-baptist

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries8 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 Frienship Baptist