First United Methodist Church (FUMC) Bakersfield

What First United Methodist Church (FUMC) Bakersfield does

First United Methodist Church (FUMC) Bakersfield is a private religious nonprofit organization and the first Protestant congregation in Bakersfield, California, founded November 12, 1870 by Rev. James Corwin as part of the Kern River Circuit. Operating under the legal name First United Methodist Church and doing business as FUMC Bakersfield and First Church, it is independently governed by a Church Council and affiliated with the broader United Methodist Church denomination. Its headquarters and sole campus are located at 4600 Stockdale Highway, Bakersfield, CA 93309.

FUMC delivers four weekly worship service formats — 7:30 AM Chapel (casual, historic A-frame), 9:00 AM Traditional (sanctuary with pipe organ and Chancel Choir), 10:00 AM Growing In Faith (all-ages interactive), and RENEW (contemporary casual with praise band, currently on summer break) — along with Sunday school, small groups, family ministries, senior ministries, preschool education (First Experiences Preschool, ages 2-6), and mission/outreach programs serving foster youth, Title I school teachers, and the broader Bakersfield community. Digital infrastructure is limited to a website, YouTube live-streaming via @firstumcbakersfield589, an embedded Google Calendar, a Tally.so Communication Card, and Shelby Next / ShelbyGiving for online donations. The staff of approximately 12 includes Senior Pastor Jason Thornton (appointed July 2023), a Preschool Director, an Organist, Chancel Choir Director, Pianist, Camera Coordinator, and facility staff.

The church's revenue model is donations-based: members and visitors contribute voluntary tithes and offerings, either in-person during worship gatherings or online through the ShelbyGiving platform. There is no formal pricing, no fee-for-service revenue, and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. Outreach and awareness rely primarily on the church website, YouTube live streaming, community word-of-mouth, and the denominational United Methodist Church network; the church does not disclose proprietary technology, data assets, or formal customer/congregant acquisition metrics.

Name

First United Methodist Church (FUMC) Bakersfield

Legal name

First United Methodist Church

Website

https://fumcbakersfield.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1870

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

First United Methodist Church Bakersfield is a 155-year-old Protestant nonprofit operating a single Bakersfield campus with four weekly worship service formats, a preschool (ages 2-6), and online giving via ShelbyGiving, serving congregants through voluntary tithes and community outreach programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and faith-based community services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Religious Orders & Monastic Communities (Monasteries, Convents) (BPAGAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Preschools (EDACABAF)

Keywords

• Religious worship services
• Congregational ministries
• Early childhood education
• Community outreach programs
• Online tithing platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Bakersfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Members and visitors contribute financially through in-person giving during worship gatherings or online via Shelby Next platform. The church views giving as affirmation of their role in the Church's mission and vision.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

First United Methodist Church Bakersfield delivers weekly Christian worship services in four distinct formats (Chapel, Traditional, Growing In Faith, and RENEW) to congregants in Bakersfield, CA. It also operates the First Experiences Preschool for children ages 2-6 and provides pastoral ministries, family and senior programs, mission outreach, and online tithing capabilities to support its religious mission.

Product overview

First United Methodist Church (FUMC) Bakersfield is a traditional church offering a multi-service worship program with four distinct service styles (Chapel, Traditional, Growing In Faith, and RENEW), supported by music and worship staff. The church operates First Experiences Preschool for children ages 2-6 and provides online giving through ShelbyGiving integration. Additional programs include ministry committees, mission teams, family ministries, and live streaming of services via YouTube.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Worship Services Four weekly Christian worship service formats for congregants and visitors in the Bakersfield area: 7:30 AM Chapel (casual hymns and praise choruses in the historic A-frame Chapel), 9:00 AM Traditional (traditional music with pipe organ, piano, and Chancel Choir in the Sanctuary), 10:00 AM Growing In Faith (all-ages interactive lessons in Rooms 6 & 7), and RENEW (casual contemporary worship with praise band, currently on summer break).
• First Experiences Preschool An on-site early childhood education program for children ages 2-6, operated at the FUMC Bakersfield campus under the oversight of the Preschool Board. The preschool is a separate affiliated ministry with its own website (firstpreschool.org) and contact number (395-0225) for enrollment information.
• Online Giving (ShelbyGiving) A digital tithing and donation platform enabled through Shelby Next, providing congregants with a personalized online giving web page to support the church's mission and operations.
• Service Live Streaming YouTube-based live streaming of FUMC Bakersfield worship services via the @firstumcbakersfield589 channel, enabling virtual attendance for those unable to visit the campus in person.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• First Experiences PreschoolminorOthersRelated ministry located at the same campus serving children ages 2-6. Operates as a separate entity with its own website (firstpreschool.org) and phone number (395-0225). The church provides facilities and has a Preschool Board overseeing the relationship.
• United Methodist Church (Denominational)coreOthersAffiliation with the broader United Methodist Church provides theological framework, denominational resources, connectional ministry opportunities, and leadership development. Through this connection, the church participates in regional, national, and international mission work and service.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Pushpay: Church-focused giving and engagement software platform serving thousands of US congregations. Functionally comparable to FUMC's ShelbyGiving integration via its digital tithing and donor-management capabilities for faith-based organizations.

Broad incumbents

• Asbury United Methodist Church: Large multi-generational United Methodist congregation with traditional and contemporary services, family ministries, and outreach programs. Directly comparable denominational framework and programming mix at larger scale.
• Saddleback Church: Large multi-site Methodist-affiliated congregation in Lake Forest, CA offering traditional, contemporary, and specialized services plus extensive community programs. Comparable in denominational heritage, multi-format strategy, and adult-education breadth, but at materially larger scale.
• Highland Park United Methodist Church: Large historic United Methodist congregation in Dallas, TX with extensive preschool, children's, and senior ministries. Comparable programming breadth (preschool, multiple services, family/senior ministries) at significantly larger operational scale.

Direct peers

• First Baptist Church of Bakersfield: Large historic Protestant church in Bakersfield offering comparable multi-format worship services, Sunday school, children's ministries, and community outreach. Closest geographic and tradition-based peer for member-comparison analysis.
• St. Paul's United Methodist Church, Manteca: United Methodist congregation where Senior Pastor Jason Thornton previously served for six years before his 2023 transfer to FUMC. Identical denominational structure, governance model, and connectional ministry framework.
• Epworth United Methodist Church, Fallon Nevada: United Methodist congregation where Pastor Thornton previously served. Identical denominational structure, connectional governance, and small-congregation scale with comparable family-ministry and community-outreach emphasis.
• First Presbyterian Church Bakersfield: Mainline Protestant congregation in Bakersfield providing traditional worship, Christian education, and community programs. Directly comparable in denomination tradition, scale, and demographic positioning within the same local market.
• Woodland United Methodist Church: United Methodist congregation in Northern California where Pastor Jason Thornton experienced his faith conversion. Same denominational polity, comparable community-mission orientation, and similar small-to-mid church scale.

Emerging players

• Primrose Schools: Faith-affiliated national franchise preschool chain serving ages 6 weeks to 12 years. Comparable through First Experiences Preschool's early-childhood offering, though Primrose operates at materially larger commercial scale and broader geographic footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@firstumcbakersfield589/streams
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/first-united-methodist-church-bakersfield

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 First United Methodist Church (FUMC) Bakersfield