South Bay Church

What South Bay Church does

South Bay Church, operating as Echo.Church, is a non-denominational Christian nonprofit founded in 2008 by Lead Pastor Filipe Santos and Spiritual Formation Pastor Mandy Santos in the San Jose, California region. The church operates three physical campuses (North San Jose, Fremont, and Sunnyvale) plus a dedicated online campus with its own pastoral staff, Sunday services at multiple times, and interactive livestream capabilities. Programming is structured around an integrated spiritual formation pathway that includes Sunday worship, 150+ seasonal Echo Groups, age-tiered ministries (echoKIDS for birth through 5th grade, Echo Students for 6th-12th grade, Echo Young Adults for ages 18-30), and seeker-oriented Alpha courses, alongside Baptism, Prayer Ministry, and original worship music released on Apple Music and Spotify. Serving and outreach are facilitated through a multi-track Dream Team volunteer program, an Echo Compassion ministry supporting local partners (CityTeam, Teen Challenge, Foster the City, CAP-SV, Compassion Network) and global partners (IJM Guatemala, a church in Pecém Brazil, Orange Brazil), and the Bay Area Church Planting Network (BACPN) of 20+ regional churches.

The underlying technology stack is built primarily on third-party SaaS rather than proprietary systems: Rock RMS for church management and member data, Overflow for secure online giving, Resi for livestream embed, StudioC for email/text/app communications, Google Analytics 4 and HotJar for web analytics, Meta Pixel for advertising attribution, and iOS/Android mobile applications. The my.echo.church member portal centralizes group finder, volunteer sign-ups, event registration, giving records, prayer requests, and check-in, but no public APIs, SDKs, or webhooks are offered. Revenue is generated entirely through voluntary donations — recurring tithes and offerings processed via Overflow, plus an annual Hope Offering capital campaign ($5,000,000 goal in 2025). Go-to-market is community-led across in-person campuses, a digital campus, mobile apps, social channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube), and community events such as Block Party and Activate onboarding experiences.

Name

South Bay Church

Legal name

Echo Church

Website

https://southbaychurch.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

South Bay Church (dba Echo.Church) is a non-denominational Christian nonprofit operating three Bay Area campuses plus an online campus, delivering Sunday worship, 150+ small groups, age-tiered ministries, compassion initiatives, and church-planting partnerships funded by voluntary donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Christian Church Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

Keywords

• Religious services
• Multi-campus church
• Sunday worship services
• Faith formation programs
• Church community groups

Headquarters

HQ city

San Jose

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Voluntary donations from church members, processed through Overflow and other secure third-party platforms. Includes regular giving and special offerings like the Hope Offering campaign.
2. Hope Offering (Special Campaign): Annual special fundraising campaign for campus expansion, compassion partnerships, and regional initiatives. 2025 goal: $5,000,000.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

South Bay Church (operating as Echo.Church) is a multi-campus non-denominational Christian church that delivers Sunday worship services, faith formation programs, age-based ministries (children, students, young adults), small group community (150+ Echo Groups), compassion initiatives, and volunteer engagement across three Bay Area campuses (Fremont, North San Jose, Sunnyvale) and a digital online campus. It also publishes original worship music on Apple Music and Spotify, offers the my.echo.church member portal, and runs leadership development through internships and summits. Attendance, programs, and digital access are provided free of charge to attendees, supported by voluntary donations.

Product overview

Echo.Church operates as a multi-campus non-denominational Christian church with four distinct locations — North San Jose, Fremont, Sunnyvale, and Online — unified by a shared mission to lead people to say YES to Jesus. The church's core product is its Sunday worship experience, which is complemented by an integrated ecosystem of programs spanning all stages of faith development. Echo Groups (150+ small groups across topics, formats, and languages) provide community and spiritual growth on a seasonal cycle. echoKIDS and Echo Students serve children (birth-5th grade) and youth (6th-12th grade) respectively with age-appropriate environments, while Echo Young Adults ministers to 18-30 year olds. The church's spiritual formation pathway includes Alpha (faith exploration), Baptism (public profession), Prayer Ministry (including Encounter Nights and Prayer Groups), and Echo Worship (original music releases). Serving and community engagement are facilitated through the Dream Team (10 volunteer teams) and Activate (onboarding experience), while Echo Compassion addresses local and global needs through partnerships and mission work. Echo Internships provides a nine-week summer leadership development program. The Hope Offering is an annual major giving campaign funding campus expansion, church planting, and compassion initiatives. All programs are supported by the my.echo.church member portal enabling group management, event registration, giving, and volunteer coordination, as well as RightNow Media access for Bible study resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Echo.Church (Multi-Campus Church) Non-denominational Christian church operating physical campuses in North San Jose, Fremont, and Sunnyvale plus a digital online campus, providing Sunday worship services, community groups, spiritual formation programs, and compassion initiatives across the Bay Area.
• Echo.Church Online Live streaming and digital church experience allowing remote attendees to participate in Sunday services, chat with others, receive prayer, and take next steps in faith through an online campus with dedicated pastoral staff.
• Echo Groups Small group ministry offering over 150 community groups (online and in-person) spanning diverse topics, meeting on seasonal semester cycles for faith growth, friendship, and service.
• echoKIDS Children's ministry for babies through 5th grade providing age-appropriate Bible teaching, worship, small-group activities, and secure check-in/check-out across all campuses, including sensory rooms for children with special needs.
• Echo Students Youth ministry for 6th through 12th graders featuring weekly gatherings, authentic community, worship, Bible teaching, Echo Groups for students, and opportunities to serve and lead.
• Echo Young Adults Community for 18- to 30-year-olds pursuing Jesus through weekly gatherings, mentorship opportunities, and service, with campuses in North San Jose and Fremont.
• Echo Worship Worship ministry responsible for writing, producing, and releasing original songs for the Church, with music available on Apple Music and Spotify including releases such as 'As in Heaven,' 'Spotless Lamb,' 'Nothing More,' 'Initium,' 'Light Has Come,' and 'How I Need You.'
• Alpha Ten-session faith exploration course with free dinner, video content, and open discussion exploring life's big questions, offered in-person at Fremont, North San Jose, and Sunnyvale campuses, as well as online.
• Baptism Baptism program for public declaration of faith including adult and child baptism classes (echoKIDS Baptism Class for ages 7-11), online sign-up forms, and celebrations at all campuses.
• Prayer Ministry Prayer program featuring staff prayer (Wednesdays at North San Jose), Echo Prayer Groups, Encounter Nights (monthly gatherings), Pray the Bay all-night prayer events, and monthly prayer ministry trainings led by Prayer Coordinators.
• Echo Compassion Compassion ministry encompassing local service (CityTeam, Teen Challenge, Foster the City, CAP-SV, Life's Garden), global mission partnerships, international church planting support (via BACPN network of 20+ Bay Area churches), and mission trips.
• Dream Team Volunteer ministry encompassing multiple serving teams: Church Online, Echo Compassion, Echo Groups, echoKIDS, Echo Students, Echo Young Adults, Guest Experience, Prayer, SMART (Safety & Medical), Video & Production, and Worship.
• Activate Onboarding experience designed to help newcomers get connected, learn about Echo, make friends, and take next steps in faith through free meals, campus staff meetings, and instruction on baptism, community, serving, and inviting others. Held every four to six weeks at all campuses and online.
• Block Party Annual community outreach event featuring live music, worship, food vendors, kids' activities (dunk tank, face painting), family-friendly entertainment, and a free limited-edition t-shirt, hosted across Fremont, North San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Online campuses.
• Encounter Nights Monthly prayer and worship gatherings open to all volunteers, featuring worship, intercession, and spiritual practice training, held on the first Thursday of each month at the North San Jose campus.
• Echo Leadership Summit Annual leadership conference for Dream Team members and Echo Group leaders featuring dinner, encouragement, commissioning, vision-casting, and equipping for the fall semester, held at the North San Jose campus.
• Echo Internships Nine-week summer internship program (June 8 – August 7) for students and young adults ages 15-23, offering hands-on ministry experience, weekly classes, mentorship, leadership development, and team bonding, with 12 available positions per year.
• my.echo.church Member Portal Web-based member portal powering group finder, group leader interest forms, volunteer sign-ups, baptism forms, prayer request submissions, check-in for services, giving records, event registration (Activate, Leadership Summit, Encounter Nights, Block Party), benevolence requests, and Echo Compassion service reporting.
• Hope Offering Annual major giving campaign with a God-sized goal of $5,000,000 (raised to $3.21M as of December 26) supporting campus expansion and improvements, Echo Compassion partnerships, Bay Area church planting, foster care initiatives, and next-generation ministry investment.
• RightNow Media Access Free access to RightNow Media video library providing Bible studies, teachings, conferences, and kids' programming for all church members and attendees for spiritual growth at any stage of life.
• Next Steps Platform Digital resource hub for new and existing attendees to access message notes (via Bible.com), Talk it Over discussion guides, series resources, giving links, group sign-ups, and event information aligned with current sermon series.
• Benevolence Program Financial and practical assistance program for those in need, requiring applications through my.echo.church with phone follow-up, supporting recovery through options including Financial Peace University, counseling, housing referrals, food banks, Echo Group participation, and service opportunities.

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BACPN (Bay Area Church Planting Network)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Over 20 Bay Area churches collaborating through BACPN to start and care for new multiplying churches in the region. Echo.Church's Hope Offering supports existing partnerships with church planters and funds three new church plants in 2026.
• Hue ChurchminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Church plant led by the Perli Family in Sunnyvale, CA. Supported through Echo Compassion.
• City Center ChurchminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Church plant led by the Hudson Family in Berkeley, CA. Supported through Echo Compassion.
• The Hope CommunityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Church plant led by the Crenshaw Family in Sacramento, CA. Supported through Echo Compassion.
• Foster the CitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Initiative helping find loving homes for vulnerable children and equip families who open their doors to them. Echo Compassion provides funding and support, including AI-powered Advocate Resource page.
• CityTeamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner sharing Christ's unconditional and redemptive love by caring for immediate needs and enabling lasting solutions through food, shelter, clothing, training, and spiritual transformation programs.
• Teen Challenge NorWestCal NevadaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides successful recovery programs for men, women, teens, children, and families with destructive, abusive, and addictive lifestyles through mentoring, education, training, and spiritual direction.
• CAP-SV (Coalition Alleviating Poverty-Silicon Valley)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based organization equipping communities to adopt poverty pockets and implement place-based ministries. Echo supports with funding and outreach events.
• Compassion NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based organization in Fremont matching volunteers and resources from 50+ local churches with those in need throughout the Tri-Cities area.
• International Justice Mission (IJM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIJM protects people in poverty from violence by rescuing victims, bringing criminals to justice, and helping local law enforcement build safe communities. Echo is partnered with IJM Guatemala office.
• First Missionary Church in Pecém, BrazilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal compassion partner offering two Sunday services, midweek Bible training, and social programs. Church is purchasing land for new facility with classrooms and offices for free legal and psychological support.
• Orange BrazilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTranslates and distributes the Orange curriculum to equip churches across Brazil to teach the word of God to children.
• OverflowcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party giving platform used for processing online donations securely. Echo's terms reference partnership with Overflow for online giving.
• Rock RMScoreTechnology or IntegrationChurch management system used by Echo.Church for attendee profiles, group management, and church operations.
• RightNow MediacoreTechnology or IntegrationVideo library of Bible studies, teachings, conferences, and kids' shows provided free to Echo members for spiritual growth.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/echochurchlive
• YouTubeyoutube.com/echochurch
• Facebookfacebook.com/echochurchlive
• Instagraminstagram.com/echochurchlive
• TikToktiktok.com/@echochurchlive
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-bay-church

Compliance1 record

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 South Bay Church