St. John United Church of Christ

What St. John United Church of Christ does

St. John United Church of Christ is a non-profit religious congregation located at 1010 South Park Blvd, Freeport, Illinois, founded in June 1848 by seven German immigrants as Evangelische St. Johannes Gemeinde zu Freeport and renamed to its current form in 2002. The organization is an independent local congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC) denomination, affiliated with Prairie Association UCC and Illinois Conference UCC, and operates with a small staff of 6. It holds progressive Christian designations including Open and Affirming (since 2012), Racial Justice Church (since 2022), and Creation Justice "Green Church." The congregation celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2024.

The church's core offerings span weekly Sunday worship services (in-person and via Facebook Live), the HELIX Youth Outreach afterschool program for 5th-8th graders aligned with Illinois SEL standards, a multi-ensemble Music Ministry (Sanctuary Choir, Bell Choir, Sounds of the Spirit), lifelong Faith Formation classes, Creation Care environmental ministry featuring a 65 kW solar system, the PRISM LGBTQ support group, and a Mission Grants program awarding $500-$5,000 to aligned nonprofits. It also rents its campus to community organizations including Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, the Audubon Society, and Silver Sneakers.

Revenue is generated primarily through tithes and offerings collected during worship and via an online giving portal (Breeze/SWIPE), supplemented by designated mission donations and facility rental fees from community groups and events. The congregation participates in mutual partnerships with local service organizations (FACC, Freeport Violence Interrupters, Tyler's Justice Center, CONTACT Crisis Hotline, M.A.D. Men of Freeport) and the broader UCC denomination. No external funding rounds, venture capital, or private equity involvement is indicated.

Name

St. John United Church of Christ

Legal name

St. John United Church of Christ

Website

https://stjohnuccfreeport.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1848

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

St. John United Church of Christ is a progressive mainline Protestant congregation in Freeport, Illinois, founded in 1848, offering Sunday worship, youth programs (HELIX), music ministry, faith formation, and community outreach under the United Church of Christ denomination.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Freeport

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Traditional church giving through tithes and offerings during worship services, supplemented by online giving via Breeze/SWIPE payment system
2. Special Mission Giving: Donations designated for specific mission projects and outreach programs
3. Facilities Rental: Rental fees for community groups and organizations using church campus facilities, including wedding ceremonies and other events

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

No extractable core offering description is evidenced in the provided source content. The input contains no readable statements, source IDs, or descriptive text about what the organization provides.

Product overview

St. John United Church of Christ operates a single, unified ministry offering centered around worship, youth development, education, community engagement, and social justice. The core offerings include weekly Sunday worship services (broadcast via Facebook Live), the HELIX Youth Outreach afterschool program, Music Ministry with multiple ensembles, Faith Formation classes across all ages, Creation Care environmental ministry featuring solar energy, PRISM LGBTQ support group, online giving, facility rentals, and a Mission Grants program. These ministry programs collectively serve the congregation's commitment to progressive Christian values and community service in Freeport, Illinois.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HELIX Youth Outreach: A weekly afterschool program for 5th through 8th grade youth, hosted and sponsored by St. John UCC. Free of charge and designed to help youth meet age-appropriate Social/Emotional Learning Standards.
• PRISM

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced electricity costs by approximately $10,000 per year through solar installation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Freeport Area Church Cooperative (FACC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA not-for-profit providing emergency food, clothing, and shelter to those in need in northwest Illinois. St. John contributes through financial gifts, emergency assistance, food and clothing, and Christmas gifts.
• Freeport Violence InterruptersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA nonprofit organization working to reduce violence in the area by counseling those who have been hurt or victimized not to retaliate.
• Tyler's Justice Center for ChildrenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDedicated to lessening child victim's trauma by providing sensitive, collaborative response to investigation, prosecution and treatment of child sexual abuse and serious physical abuse cases.
• Sleezer Youth HomeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA not-for-profit, licensed child welfare agency and childcare institution providing both residential and community-based services.
• CONTACT Crisis Hotline of Northern ILminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA 24/7 helpline for abused or addicted adults, lonely seniors, teens, and individuals threatening suicide. Also provides medication reminders, daily check-ins, and information referrals.
• M.A.D. Men of Freeport (Making a Difference)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA grassroots volunteer organization taking on projects to beautify the city and help others, working on homes and businesses that need assistance.
• United Church of Christ (UCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe national denomination of which St. John is a local congregation. St. John shares in covenant community with Prairie Association UCC and Illinois Conference UCC.
• Illinois State Board of EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHELIX program aligns its youth programming with the Social/Emotional Learning Standards (SEL) established by the Illinois State Board of Education.
• Church World ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough the United Church of Christ General Synod, St. John participates in Period Packs (Menstrual Hygiene Kits) service project delivered via Church World Services.
• Beltline CafeminorOthersCatered food for the 175th Anniversary Celebration Dinner at Eagles Club.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Episcopal Church: Mainline Protestant denomination with a progressive wing engaging in social justice and inclusion work. Comparable small-city and rural congregational footprint across the U.S., with similar aging-facility and succession-planning challenges.
• Christian Church (Disciples of Christ): Mainline Protestant denomination historically linked to UCC through shared progressive roots and ecumenical partnerships. Many Disciples congregations engage in similar community missions and justice ministry, operating under comparable congregational polity.
• United Methodist Church: Large mainline Protestant denomination undergoing internal debate over inclusion. Many progressive UMC congregations share social justice orientation with St. John, and face similar mainline decline and small-town viability questions.
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: Mainline Protestant denomination with a progressive wing that has moved toward LGBTQ inclusion. Comparable congregational structure and rural/small-city footprint across the U.S., facing similar demographic challenges in sustaining membership in small-town America.
• United Church of Christ (national denomination): National denomination of which St. John is a local congregation. Provides covenant community, governance structures, and shared resources across UCC congregations in the U.S., and sets the theological and policy framework that enables St. John's progressive positions.
• Presbyterian Church (USA): Mainline Protestant denomination with progressive congregations engaging in similar social justice, environmental, and inclusion ministries. Many PC(USA) congregations share comparable progressive profiles, small-city footprints, and community-engagement models with St. John.
• American Baptist Churches USA: Mainline Protestant denomination with congregational polity and autonomous local churches similar to UCC. Many ABC congregations engage in comparable progressive community ministries, mission partnerships, and youth programming with similar small-congregation operating models.

Direct peers

• Unitarian Universalist Association: Progressive faith tradition sharing similar commitments to social justice, LGBTQ inclusion, racial justice, and environmental stewardship. Comparable in congregational structure, size, and demographic profile to many UCC churches, with overlapping target audiences and mission orientation.
• Metropolitan Community Church: Progressive Christian denomination explicitly founded to be welcoming to LGBTQ individuals. Closely aligned with St. John's Open & Affirming stance and LGBTQ-affirming ministry (PRISM support group), serving a comparable progressive, justice-oriented demographic.
• Friends General Conference (Quakers): Progressive Quaker tradition emphasizing peace, social justice, simplicity, and inclusion. Many Friends meetings share progressive values and community engagement approaches comparable to St. John's, and operate as small congregations in similar small-town contexts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/stjohnuccfreeport
• Instagraminstagram.com/helixyouthoutreach
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stjohnuccfreeport

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about St. John United Church of Christ