Oak Grove AME Church

What Oak Grove AME Church does

Oak Grove African Methodist Episcopal Church is a nonprofit religious organization founded in 1920 in Detroit, Michigan, operating from its present location at 19801 Cherrylawn Street since 1959, with the current sanctuary constructed in 1967-1968 under Rev. David E. Mitcham. The church serves a horizontal membership spanning all age groups and demographics through 30+ distinct ministries, including Sunday worship services held weekly at 9 a.m. EST, Christian Education, Music Ministry (multiple choirs), Youth Ministry (including Young Prophets Academy for ages 7-16 and Summer Youth Academy for ages 5-13), After-school Tutorial Program, We Care grief ministry, Health Commission, Transportation Ministry, and various outreach programs (Team Jesus homeless feeding, Caring & Sharing food assistance, Come Home for Christmas).

The organization's underlying technology stack is built on commercial third-party SaaS products: a MonkPlatform-powered website serving as the central content hub, ShelbyNext church management system for member portal and event registration, e360 Giving for PCI-compliant online contributions, and Constant Contact for email newsletters. Distribution extends beyond the physical sanctuary through Facebook Live, YouTube streaming, website broadcasting, and a telephone dial-in option (313-944-7683) for audio-only participation, with active social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Revenue is generated entirely through voluntary contributions from congregants and visitors, structured around tithes (10% baseline), offerings, donations (including text-to-give, online giving, and in-person collection), and funding for specialized programs such as the Elizabeth B. Crews Scholarship. The church receives no commercial revenue from its services, which are offered free of charge. Leadership rests with Senior Pastor Rev. Cindy Rudolph, appointed in 2019 as the first female Senior Pastor in the church's over 100-year history, supported by Executive Minister Rev. André L. Spivey, J.D. and approximately 8 staff plus a broader volunteer leadership structure. The church operates as an independent local congregation within the African Methodist Episcopal denomination under Michigan Annual Conference governance.

Name

Oak Grove AME Church

Legal name

Oak Grove African Methodist Episcopal Church

Website

https://oakgroveame.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Oak Grove AME Church is a Detroit-based African Methodist Episcopal congregation founded in 1920 that serves a multi-generational membership through weekly Sunday worship services and 30+ ministries spanning youth, seniors, women, men, music, and community outreach, funded entirely by voluntary tithes and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

Keywords

• Christian worship services
• Religious education programs
• Youth ministry programs
• Pastoral care services
• Community outreach services

Headquarters

HQ city

Detroit

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: The church receives regular tithes (10% of income as baseline) and offerings from congregants during worship services and through online giving platforms. Biblical generosity is encouraged as an act of worship expressing faith and love.
2. Generosity and Donations: Church members and visitors contribute through text-to-give, online donations, and in-person giving buckets. Donations support church operations, community outreach programs, mission work, and special projects.
3. Elizabeth B. Crews Scholarship: The church offers a scholarship program for educational support, funded through donations and contributions from the congregation and community.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Oak Grove AME Church delivers weekly Christian worship services, religious education for all ages, youth ministry, music ministry, and pastoral care to congregants in Detroit, Michigan. It also runs community-serving programs including an after-school tutorial program, a summer youth academy, the Elizabeth B. Crews Scholarship, health and transportation ministries, and live-streamed online worship with digital giving.

Product overview

Oak Grove AME Church is a traditional church organization offering in-person and online worship services. The church operates as a single, unified spiritual community with multiple ministry programs rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Core offerings include Sunday worship services (9 a.m. EST, in-person and live-streamed via Facebook Live, YouTube, and telephone), Church School for all ages, Youth Ministry, Christian Education, and numerous specialized ministries covering music, women's, men's, youth, seniors, and community outreach. The church also provides pastoral care through prayer ministry, grief support (We Care Ministry), health services, transportation, and an After-school Tutorial Program for students. Community outreach includes Team Jesus homeless feeding, Caring & Sharing emergency assistance, and Come Home for Christmas adoption programs. The church offers online giving with PCI-compliant processing and maintains a digital presence through its website with sermon archives and event calendars.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sunday Worship Services
• Live Stream Broadcast (Online Worship)
• Christian Education Program
• Youth Ministry Programs
• After-school Tutorial Program
• Summer Youth Academy
• Music Ministry
• We Care Pastoral Care Ministry
• Transportation Ministry
• Health Commission
• Elizabeth B. Crews Scholarship
• Online Giving Platform

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Smith Chapel AME Church: AME Church in Inkster, Michigan where Rev. Rudolph previously served as Senior Pastor. Comparable as a Michigan Conference AME peer with similar congregational size, denominational affiliation, and ministry program structure.
• Hartford Memorial Baptist Church: Historic Black Baptist church located in Detroit, Michigan. Comparable as a long-standing African American congregation serving the Detroit metropolitan community with similar ministry programming, weekly worship services, and community outreach focus.
• St. James AME Church: African Methodist Episcopal congregation where Rev. Cindy Rudolph previously served as Minister to Youth. Comparable as a denomination peer within the AME connectional structure sharing similar doctrine, governance, and ministry program architecture.
• Greater Grace Temple: Large Pentecostal congregation in Detroit, Michigan. Comparable as a Detroit-based African American church with multi-generational programming, broadcast ministry, and community outreach initiatives competing for the same metropolitan congregant base.
• Bethel AME Church: AME Church in Reading, Pennsylvania where Rev. Rudolph previously served as Senior Pastor. Comparable as a direct AME denominational peer with similar local congregation mission, worship programming, and community ministry focus.

Broad incumbents

• Ebenezer AME Church: Large historic AME congregation in Fort Washington, Maryland. Comparable as a larger AME denomination peer with broader amenities, denominational prominence, and similar programming breadth.
• African Methodist Episcopal Church (Denomination): The parent denomination of Oak Grove AME Church. Comparable as the governing connectional structure providing denominational oversight, pastoral appointments, and shared resources across all member congregations including Oak Grove.
• First AME Church of Los Angeles: One of the oldest and largest AME congregations, located in Los Angeles. Comparable as a prominent AME denominational peer operating at significantly larger scale with similar governance, programming mix, and ministry diversity.

Regional players

• Greater New Hope Missionary Baptist Church: Detroit-area African American Baptist congregation with similar community profile and congregational focus. Comparable as a regional Black church peer competing for congregants in the same metropolitan area.

Others

• Brown Chapel AME Church: Historic AME church in Selma, Alabama. Comparable as a denominationally affiliated AME congregation with similar historical legacy, community organizing role, and service programming mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC0tFQMGD7_5aK7uFm5bpoig
• Facebookfacebook.com/OakGroveAMEDetroit
• Instagraminstagram.com/oakgroveamec
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oak-grove-ame-church

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Oak Grove AME Church