Grace Church Cathedral

What Grace Church Cathedral does

Grace Church Cathedral is a historic Episcopal cathedral founded in 1846 in Charleston, South Carolina, and a 501(c)-equivalent nonprofit religious organization operating within the Diocese of South Carolina. It conducts four Sunday services plus daily noon Holy Eucharist services, weekday services, and life-event ministries (baptisms, confirmations, marriages, funerals) for a congregation of parishioners and the broader Charleston community. The cathedral runs an unusually broad programmatic footprint for a parish of its size: multiple choirs spanning early-childhood through adult (St. Cecilia, Junior, St. Nicholas, St. Gregory, Tower Bells); a youth ministry (EYC) for grades 6–12; children's formation including The Little School; adult education; and an active outreach portfolio (Community Supper, Grace to-Go, Tea Room & Mouse Boutique raising $22,000 for local nonprofits, and partnership with Episcopal Relief & Development). Professional music talent — Canon Organist Nicholas Quardokus and Sub-Organist Owen Tellinghuisen — anchors a distinctive choral program, including YouTube live-streaming of services.

The organization's core technology consists of the third-party Realm Connect online community platform (member directory, group registration, event sign-ups, ministry engagement), a WordPress/FaithConnector website, and YouTube live-streaming. Revenue is generated predominantly through recurring voluntary stewardship pledges and tithes, supplemented by event revenue (Tea Room, Oyster Roast at $30/person, Petals and Pinot at $25-$30, RiverDogs outing at $12), bookstore sales at Gifts of Grace (e.g., The Sum of Us at $18), planned giving and stock gifts, and a multi-year Transforming Grace capital campaign targeting $10 million for facility improvements (over 50% reached by January 2023). Auditor-reported metrics show 89 cents of every dollar directed to mission and a 26% debt reduction. The cathedral owns and operates a multi-building campus at 98 Wentworth Street with ancillary facilities (Dotterer Library, Hanahan Hall, Bishop Guerry Chapel, Garden of Remembrance, Johnson Building) and relocated staff to 5 Coming Street in 2021.

The cathedral's 15-member elected vestry governs operations under the leadership of Dean and Rector The Very Reverend J. Michael A. Wright, supported by Vicar and Subdean Canon Calhoun Walpole, Canon Precentor Robertson Donehue, Canon Missioner Bryce Wandrey, Canon for Children's Ministries Jodi Bennett, and Director of Youth Ministries. Revenue concentration is concentrated in stewardship pledges from member households, with no external ownership and no parent entity; event and capital-campaign funding diversify the income mix.

Name

Grace Church Cathedral

Legal name

Grace Church Cathedral

Website

https://gracechurchcharleston.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1846

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Grace Church Cathedral is a historic Episcopal cathedral in Charleston, South Carolina, operating worship services, professional choral music programs, youth and children's ministries, and community outreach for its congregation and the surrounding Charleston area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Episcopal Church Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311), Religious Organizations (813110)

akta.pro primary industry

Denominational & Ecclesiastical Governance Bodies (Dioceses, Synods, Conferences) (BPAGAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE)

Keywords

• Episcopal worship services
• Religious education programs
• Community outreach services
• Youth ministry programs
• Choral music programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Charleston

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. Stewardship Pledges and Tithes: Voluntary financial contributions from members through annual stewardship pledges and regular tithes/donations
2. Transforming Grace Capital Campaign: Major capital campaign raising funds for facility improvements and church programs, having raised over 50% of the $10 million goal
3. Event Revenue (Tea Room, Oyster Roast, Flower Festival): Revenue from signature events including the Tea Room & Mouse Boutique, Parish Oyster Roast ($30/person), and Fall Flower Festival. The Mouse Boutique/Tea Room cleared $22,000 distributed as grants to local nonprofits.
4. Gifts of Grace Bookstore: Sale of religious books, gifts, and merchandise including The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee ($18.00)
5. Memorial Contributions and Planned Giving: Donations made in memory of loved ones, planned giving programs, and gifts of stock

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Grace Church Cathedral is an Episcopal parish church offering regular Holy Eucharist worship services, religious education for children, youth and adults, multiple choral music programs led by professional musicians, pastoral care, and community outreach initiatives. It operates as a spiritual community hub serving Charleston, South Carolina with in-person services, online streaming, and digital member engagement through the Realm Connect platform.

Product overview

Grace Church Cathedral offers a comprehensive suite of Episcopal worship services and community programs centered around its core Sunday and weekday Holy Eucharist services. The church operates multiple choir programs for all ages, youth and children's ministries including EYC and Sunday School, and community outreach initiatives. The Realm Connect digital platform enables online community engagement. Major annual events include the Fall Flower Festival and various seasonal programs. The church also conducts capital campaigns (Transforming Grace) for facility improvements and operates a bookstore.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sunday Worship Services Regular Sunday worship services including Holy Eucharist at 8:00am, 9:00am Family Eucharist, 11:00am Choral Eucharist, and 5:30pm services for the parish community and visitors.
• Weekday Holy Eucharist Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 89 cents per dollar of income goes toward mission (nonprofit efficiency metric)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Episcopal Relief & DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal outreach partnership supporting the church's charitable mission and development programs
• Diocese of South CarolinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent ecclesiastical body for the cathedral. The Dean serves in diocesan leadership roles and the cathedral hosts significant diocesan events including bishop consecrations.
• Memminger (Elementary School)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership providing parking for Sunday services. The Memminger Elementary School parking lot is opened for Grace parishioners on Sundays and certain weekdays.
• Downtown Episcopal Churches of the New South (DECONS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with other downtown Episcopal churches. Dean Wright attends DECONS meetings which have shown member congregations increasing membership by a third since 1977 while overall Episcopal Church membership declined by a third.
• Glory Ridge (Madison County, NC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth mission trip partner. Grace Church youth travel to Glory Ridge for summer service projects including home repairs, working alongside youth from St. Paul's Beaufort and St. Paul's Wilmington.
• Kanuga Conference CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual parish retreat location in the mountains of North Carolina. Grace Church holds its annual Labor Day weekend parish retreat at Kanuga.
• St. Mark's Episcopal Church (Charleston)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanon Walpole has served as priest-in-charge at St. Mark's during periods of need. St. Mark's was founded on Easter Day in 1865 and has a significant African American history in the diocese.
• St. John's Episcopal Church (John's Island)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanon Walpole was asked by Bishop Ruth to serve St. John's temporarily to help rebuild and restore the parish as an Episcopal church after the diocesan schism. Founded in 1734, it is one of the first churches in the Diocese.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• St. Mark's Episcopal Church (Charleston): Episcopal parish in Charleston founded Easter Day 1865 with significant African American history in the diocese; Canon Walpole has served there as priest-in-charge, making it a closely linked Episcopal peer.
• St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Charleston): Episcopal parish in Charleston and a DECONS consortium member; comparable congregation within the same local Episcopal ecosystem facing similar community dynamics.
• St. Philip's Church: Historic Episcopal parish in Charleston, SC, also founded in the 17th/18th century and serving as a comparable downtown congregation with deep historical roots, similar worship tradition, and overlapping diocesan membership.
• Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul: Episcopal cathedral in Charleston, SC, part of the same DECONS consortium of downtown Episcopal churches; directly comparable as a sister cathedral within the Diocese of South Carolina.
• Christ Church (Charleston): Historic Anglican/Episcopal congregation in Charleston, SC, with deep colonial roots; directly comparable historic Episcopal peer in the same local market.

Broad incumbents

• Washington National Cathedral: The Episcopal cathedral in Washington, DC; a much larger established cathedral with national profile, comparable as an Episcopal cathedral serving a major American city with strong music and tourism.
• St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue (New York): Prominent Episcopal church in New York City renowned for its music program (where Grace's Canon Organist previously served); a larger, more established comparable Episcopal parish with a distinguished music tradition.
• Cathedral of St. John the Divine (New York): The largest Episcopal cathedral in the world, located in New York City; comparable as a historic Episcopal cathedral with strong music programming and community outreach mission.
• Trinity Church Wall Street (New York): Historic Episcopal parish in lower Manhattan known for its music program, real estate endowment, and community outreach; a larger-scale comparable Episcopal parish with a distinguished choral tradition.

Others

• Episcopal Relief & Development: The Episcopal Church's international relief and development agency and a formal outreach partner of Grace Church Cathedral; comparable as the denomination-aligned mission partner through which Grace channels charitable giving.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/GraceChurchChrlstn
• Facebookfacebook.com/GraceFlowerGuild
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grace-church-cathedral

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Grace Church Cathedral