Great Lakes Annual Conference of the Global Methodist Church

What Great Lakes Annual Conference of the Global Methodist Church does

The Great Lakes Annual Conference of the Global Methodist Church is a regional denominational body covering Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Established as a Provisional Annual Conference on July 1, 2023, it operates under the Global Methodist Church's Book of Doctrines and Discipline and is led by Conference Superintendent Rev. Dr. Scott Pattison (appointed January 1, 2025). It serves 313 member churches and 532 clergy across four states through a connectional structure of presiding elders, regional Board of Ministry vice chairs, and a six-person core staff (Conference Superintendent, Director of Operations/Treasurer, Director of Equipping, Operations Coordinator/Bookkeeper, Office Manager, Office Manager-adjacent prayer/intercessory coordinator). The conference grew from 4 founding churches to its current scale in roughly four years.

The organization's core "products" are ministry services rather than commercial offerings: the School of Lay Ministry (Certified Lay Minister training via Knack portal), Mission Match (a tool connecting disciples with congregations for Great Commission service), Annual Conference sessions held at rotating university and conference-center venues, the ENGAGE Missions Conference (a two-day GMC Kingdom Advancement Commission training), a Leadership Discovery Tool for identifying service gifts, and downloadable Church & Clergy Profile Forms. The technology stack is built on third-party SaaS (Knack, Church Center, JotForm, YouTube, MinistrySafe) rather than proprietary platforms; there is no AI/ML capability and no API offering.

Revenue is generated through a subscription-equivalent connectional funding model: member churches calculate and remit contributions based on their operating income, with a 2026-27 budget projecting approximately $1.9 million in income. The conference also accepts individual donations (via Church Center), receives grants (notably a $250,000 Lilly Endowment grant for ministerial education with a potential $1.2 million total match impact), and has accumulated roughly $973,000 in reserves. International missional partnerships extend to the Ethiopian Nazrawiyan Annual Conference, Oasis Annual Conference, and Grain Coast Conference (Liberia/Guinea). Go-to-market is relationship-driven, with prospective churches and clergy engaged through presiding elders, district leadership, and Board of Ministry application review rather than commercial sales processes.

Name

Great Lakes Annual Conference of the Global Methodist Church

Legal name

Great Lakes Annual Conference of the Global Methodist Church

Website

https://greatlakesgmc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Great Lakes Annual Conference is a regional body of the Global Methodist Church serving 313 churches and 532 clergy across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. It provides denominational affiliation, clergy ordination, and ministry support funded primarily by member-church connectional giving on a ~$1.9 million annual budget.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Denominational Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Bible Colleges (Undergraduate Ministry & Biblical Studies) (EDAHAKAB), Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Denominational ministry services
• Clergy credentialing programs
• Church planting support
• Connectional funding
• Lay ministry training

Headquarters

HQ city

Kokomo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Connectional Funding: Member churches calculate and contribute connectional funding, sending portions to both the general church and the Great Lakes Conference. Local congregations are not billed unless they request it. The 2026-27 budget projects approximately $1.9 million in income.
2. Donations and Charitable Giving: Individual donations accepted through the church center platform for various causes including Formed and Sent campaign, missions, and Venezuela earthquake relief.
3. Ministry Endowments and Grants: Lilly Endowment granted $250,000 for ministerial education with additional $150,000 matching funds. Dollar-for-dollar match on pledges up to $400,000 over three years, potentially doubling impact to $1.2 million.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Great Lakes Annual Conference provides denominational administrative, credentialing, training, and connectional support to 313 member churches and 532 clergy across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Its core offerings include the School of Lay Ministry certification program, ordination and clergy credentialing, the Mission Match tool, Annual Conference sessions, the ENGAGE Missions Conference, church planting support, and connectional funding administration under the Global Methodist Church's Book of Doctrines and Discipline.

Product overview

The Great Lakes Annual Conference is a regional church administrative organization of the Global Methodist Church covering Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Rather than a software product company, it provides ministry support services including: the School of Lay Ministry for Certified Lay Minister training, Mission Match for connecting disciples with mission opportunities, annual conference sessions with worship and business meetings, downloadable church/clergy profile forms, a Leadership Discovery Tool for identifying service gifts, and the ENGAGE Missions Conference for missional training. The conference also offers various digital platforms for donations, registration, and member portals through third-party integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mission Match Tool that connects disciples eager to serve with congregations already living the Great Commission, facilitating mission matching within the conference for member churches and lay volunteers.
• School of Lay Ministry Courses and training program for becoming a Certified Lay Minister (CLM) in the Global Methodist Church, with Fall 2026 courses and registration available through the online Knack portal.
• Annual Conference Sessions Annual in-person conference sessions held at rotating locations (Indiana Wesleyan University, Spring Arbor University, Green Lake Conference Center) featuring worship, business sessions, breakout training, and ordination services for member churches and clergy.
• Church & Clergy Profile Forms Fillable PDF forms for churches and clergy to submit profiles to the conference for administrative purposes.
• Leadership Discovery Tool Assessment tool to help identify and connect people to conference service opportunities based on their gifts and calling.
• ENGAGE Missions Conference Two-day interactive training in best practices for Acts 1:8 local and global missions, sponsored by the GMC Kingdom Advancement Commission, held September 22-24, 2026 at Pathfinder Church in Portage, MI.

Quantifiable outcome

• Grew from 4 churches and 6 pastors to 313 churches and 532 clergy in four years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Venezuela Now, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerApproved Global Methodist Church partner headquartered in North Georgia that has served in Venezuela for years. Working with GM Church leadership on earthquake relief efforts following June 2026 earthquakes.
• Ethiopian Nazrawiyan Annual ConferencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMissional partnership supporting global Methodist work in Ethiopia. Conference members invited to Q&A sessions with Anbessu Feyissa.
• Oasis Annual ConferencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMissional partnership. Conference members invited to Q&A sessions with Dan Miller.
• Grain Coast Conference (Liberia and Guinea)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresented a handmade map as a token of friendship at 2026 Annual Conference, representing international connection and call to multiply disciples globally.
• MinistrySafeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for child protection policies and procedures. Conference updated guidelines for protecting children, youth, and vulnerable adults through this partnership.
• Church AnswersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides certification for church consulting and revitalization services. Rev. Dr. Scott Pattison is a Certified Church Consultant and Church Revitalizer through Church Answers.
• Fresh Expressions US and United SeminaryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCertification partner for Fresh Expressions coaching. Rev. Dr. Scott Pattison received certification as a Fresh Expressions Coach through this partnership.
• GMC Kingdom Advancement CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsors the ENGAGE missions conference, providing Kingdom Advancement training for Great Lakes Conference churches to carry out Acts 1:8 local and global missions.
• Grace Global Methodist Church of New Albin, IowacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNewly received church from far northeast corner of Iowa, representing continued growth of the movement. First church from Iowa to join the conference.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Church Answers: Provides church consulting and revitalization certification referenced by Great Lakes GMC leadership (Rev. Dr. Scott Pattison is certified through them); adjacent ecosystem partner rather than a direct competitor.

Emerging players

• Church Multiplication Network: Church-planting focused network serving evangelical denominations and networks; relevant as a peer in the church multiplication strategy Great Lakes GMC is prioritizing.

Broad incumbents

• Christian and Missionary Alliance: Evangelical denomination with district structure, ordained clergy, and district-level leadership comparable to a Methodist Annual Conference's presiding elder model.
• Michigan Area United Methodist Church: UMC regional body covering Michigan, with similar conference-level structure, clergy credentialing, and connectional funding — and a key source of disaffiliating churches feeding Great Lakes GMC growth.
• The Wesleyan Church: A Wesleyan-holiness denomination with a similar district/conference structure, ordained clergy system, and member-church funding model. Comparable as an evangelical Methodist-adjacent denomination.
• Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church: The pre-disaffiliation UMC conference covering the same geographic footprint (and source of many Great Lakes GMC member churches). Directly comparable in mission and structure, but operates within the larger UMC connectional system.
• Church of the Nazarene (USA/Canada Region): Wesleyan-Arminian denomination organized into districts with similar clergy credentialing, district superintendent structure, and member church support functions.
• Free Methodist Church USA: Methodist Wesleyan-holiness denomination organized into conferences/regions with similar ordained clergy pathways and member-church support services. Comparable operating model at smaller scale.

Direct peers

• Western North Carolina Annual Conference of the Global Methodist Church: Sister GMC Annual Conference serving a multi-county region with the same conference-level structure, Board of Ministry, and district presiding elder system.
• South Georgia Annual Conference of the Global Methodist Church: Another regional Annual Conference of the Global Methodist Church, sharing identical structure, governance model, and revenue mechanism (connectional funding). Most directly comparable peer given same denomination and operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@greatlakesgmc/streams
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/greatlakesgmc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles43 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Great Lakes Annual Conference of the Global Methodist Church