Grace United Methodist Church

What Grace United Methodist Church does

Grace United Methodist Church is a nonprofit religious congregation affiliated with the United Methodist Church denomination, headquartered at 3012 S Twyckenham Drive in South Bend, Indiana. Its primary function is to provide weekly Sunday worship services at 9AM and 11:15AM (with the 9AM service moving to the front lawn during summer months), alongside a comprehensive suite of age-segmented ministry programs: Nursery through 5th Grade children's ministries, youth programs for Grades 6-12 (including retreats, mission trips, and confirmation), and adult education through United Methodist Men, United Methodist Women, Bible studies, prayer groups, and faith formation classes. The church also operates Messy Church, a Wednesday-evening all-age worship experience, and provides congregational care through the Grace Cares program, which includes prayer support, visitation, meal ministry, grief support, and crisis assistance.

The organization supplements its core religious mission with event and facility services, including wedding ceremonies, building/facility rentals (Great Hall, Fellowship Room, Parlor, Classrooms, Prayer Chapel, Kitchen), and community outreach via the Paper Pantry ministry that distributes cleaning supplies and toiletry items to approximately 215 families each month. The leadership team comprises Senior Pastor Jim Clark (serving since January 2023, ordained elder in the Indiana UMC since May 2014), Director of Family Ministries and Office & Facilities Manager Melodie Ringer (since 2014), Music & Choir Director Dr. Siwon Kim (DMA from University of Michigan, current Bethel University faculty), and Director of Communications Jennifer Robinett (employed for 17 years). The church's revenue model is voluntary tithes and offerings from congregation members, with auxiliary income from facility rentals, weddings, and events, processed through the Breezechms online giving platform and supplemented by digital outreach via a YouTube livestream channel (SBGraceUMC), email newsletter, and the graceumc.net website. Strategic partnerships include Broadway Christian Parish (community service/Overnight Shelter for Homeless Men), UMCOR (international disaster relief), and Mission Guatemala 2026 (international mission trip).

Name

Grace United Methodist Church

Legal name

Grace United Methodist Church

Website

https://graceumc.net

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Grace United Methodist Church is a nonprofit United Methodist congregation in South Bend, Indiana, offering Sunday worship, age-segmented ministries (children, youth, adults), weddings, facility rentals, and community outreach including the Paper Pantry serving ~215 families monthly.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

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 Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD), Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE)

Keywords

• Religious services
• Worship services
• Youth ministry
• Community outreach
• Congregational care

Headquarters

HQ city

South Bend

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Grace United Methodist Church delivers Sunday worship services (9AM and 11:15AM), age-segmented faith formation programs (Children's Ministry, Youth Ministry grades 6-12, Adult Ministries), family ministry via Messy Church, wedding ceremonies, congregational care (Grace Cares), and community outreach including Paper Pantry and Overnight Shelter partnerships. Services are provided in-person at the South Bend, Indiana facility, supplemented by livestream, online giving, and email communication.

Product overview

Grace United Methodist Church offers a comprehensive suite of ministry programs centered on worship, faith formation, and community service. The core offerings include Sunday worship services (indoor and outdoor), Messy Church family ministry, and age-specific programs for children (Nursery, Children's Church, Sunday School), youth (grades 6-12), and adults (Bible studies, prayer groups, faith formation classes). Additional services encompass wedding ceremonies, building/facility rentals, and outreach programs including the Paper Pantry (serving 215+ families monthly) and Grace Cares (congregational care). The church also provides volunteer opportunities through worship assistance, choir, and various ministry teams.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sunday Worship Services Sunday morning worship services held at 9AM and 11:15AM in the sanctuary, with the 9AM service moving outdoors to the front lawn during summer months (weather permitting). Open to congregation members, families, and visitors.
• Messy Church An all-age, hands-on worship experience exploring God's love through creativity, crafts, games, stories, and shared meals. Held on Wednesday evenings (5:30PM dinner; 6PM-7:30PM activities) for families, friends, and neighbors of all ages.
• Children's Ministry Age-appropriate faith formation for children ages 0 through 5th grade, including Nursery (ages 0-3), Children's Church (Pre-K to 5th Grade), and Sunday School featuring Bible stories, songs, crafts, and games.
• Youth Ministry Youth group programming for grades 6-12, including Sunday School at 10AM, Lunch and Youth Group at 12:15PM, retreats, mission trips, and youth-led worship services. Designed for faith exploration, fellowship, leadership development, and service.
• Adult Ministries Adult ministry programs including United Methodist Men, United Methodist Women, Bible studies, prayer groups, and Adult Faith Formation classes such as J.O.Y. Class, Serendipity Class, and Pastor Jim's Class.
• Wedding Services God-centered wedding ceremonies held in the sanctuary, including ministerial officiant, pre-marital counseling, bridal and groom preparation spaces, and outdoor garden photography opportunities.
• Building Use / Room Rentals Rental of church facilities for ministry, community events, and personal celebrations. Available spaces include the Great Hall (banquets, receptions, concerts), Fellowship Room, Parlor, Classrooms, Prayer Chapel, and Kitchen Facilities.
• Grace Cares Congregational care program offering prayer support, visitation to homebound and hospitalized members, meal ministry, grief support, care packages, and crisis support to church members.
• Paper Pantry Monthly community outreach program distributing cleaning supplies and toiletry items to families in need on the 2nd Saturday of each month. Serves approximately 215 families in the South Bend area each month.
• Outdoor Worship Service Outdoor worship service held on the front lawn at 9AM on Sunday mornings during summer months (weather permitting). Congregants may bring their own lawn chair or blanket, with chairs available if needed.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Mission Guatemala 2026minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026International mission trip partnership for 2026 focused on serving communities in Guatemala through Grace UMC mission involvement.
• Broadway Christian ParishcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership for serving the broader South Bend community, particularly in conjunction with Grace Overnight Shelter for Homeless Men Ministry and other community service initiatives.
• UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational disaster response and humanitarian relief organization of the United Methodist Church. Grace UMC participates in UMCOR packing projects and mission initiatives beyond South Bend.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Indiana Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church: The regional governing body of the United Methodist Church that oversees Grace UMC's pastoral appointments and denominational compliance. Functions as a parent-like institutional incumbent setting policy, training, and resource allocation.
• United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR): The United Methodist Church's international disaster response and humanitarian relief arm. Functions as both a partner and a broader institutional incumbent that channels relief funding and mission opportunities to local congregations like Grace.

Regional players

• Holy Cross College (Notre Dame, IN): Nearby Catholic-affiliated institution in the same South Bend region. Comparable as a faith-based community organization with religious programming, though at a larger institutional scale and different denomination.
• Center for the Homeless (South Bend): South Bend-based nonprofit serving homeless and at-risk individuals. A regional peer in community outreach scope, particularly around the Overnight Shelter partnership context in which Grace UMC participates.

Direct peers

• Faith United Methodist Church (South Bend area): A peer United Methodist congregation in the South Bend region operating under the same Indiana Annual Conference. Comparable in mission, denominational affiliation, and likely budget scale, serving the same community with similar Sunday worship, youth, and outreach programming.
• Broadway Christian Parish: Local Christian congregation in South Bend that Grace UMC explicitly partners with on the Grace Overnight Shelter for Homeless Men Ministry. Operates in the same geography serving overlapping community-outreach and worship functions.
• St. Joseph County United Methodist Churches (collective): Other United Methodist congregations in the same Indiana conference, sharing denominational structure, clergy appointment system, and UMCOR mission pipeline. Most direct comparables in terms of governance, programming, and revenue model.

Others

• Breezechms (online giving platform): The church management and online giving platform that hosts Grace UMC's giving portal. Adjacent enabling technology provider that supports Grace's digital giving operations rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SBGraceUMC/streams
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grace-united-methodist-church

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 United Methodist Church