St. Martin's Episcopal Church

What St. Martin's Episcopal Church does

St. Martin's Episcopal Church is a 501(c)(3) Episcopal parish operating from a 15-acre campus at 717 Sage Road in Houston's Galleria area. Founded in 1952, the parish is anchored by a 2012-built Gothic sanctuary modeled on the 13th-century St. Elisabeth's Church in Marburg, Germany, with 188-foot spires and a Whitechapel-cast bell tower. The parish serves the Houston metropolitan area through nine weekly worship services across Traditional, Family Table, and Riverway Contemporary formats, plus weekday Morning and Evening Prayer offices.

The parish operates a portfolio of ministries spanning all life stages: St. Martin's Episcopal Preschool (18 classes, 30+ years operating), Children's Ministry, the 7-1-7 Students program for grades 6–12, young-adult ministries, adult Christian education (including the new nine-month St. Martin's Fellows seminar and the "Theology for Life" series), and senior and memory-care programs. Campus amenities include the Activity Center (fitness, art, bridge), Café St. Martin's, Welcome Center, Gift Shoppe, and nine contemplative gardens. The Hope and Healing Center & Institute, a campus-based community partner, provides free mental-health services. Digital offerings include The Wayside Podcast (launched October 2022, fourth season) distributed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Amazon Music, plus live-streamed worship.

The operating model is donation-driven: voluntary tithes and offerings, annual Stewardship pledges, designated/memorial gifts, endowment income, and ancillary revenue from the preschool and Café. St. Martin's is governed by an elected Vestry under a called Rector and is affiliated with the Episcopal Diocese. The parish employs roughly 139 staff and is supported by a substantial volunteer ecosystem (docents, acolytes, choristers, lay ministers). No capital, equity, or investor ownership exists; financial data is not publicly disclosed.

Name

St. Martin's Episcopal Church

Legal name

St. Martin's Episcopal Church

Website

https://stmartinsepiscopal.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

St. Martin's Episcopal Church is a 501(c)(3) Episcopal parish on a 15-acre Houston Galleria campus offering nine weekly worship services, Christian education across all ages, a licensed preschool, community amenities, and the Wayside Podcast, funded primarily through member tithes and stewardship pledges.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services (Episcopal Parish)

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

akta.pro primary industry

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Religious Music & Worship Broadcasting (MPABALAN)

Keywords

• Religious worship services
• Episcopal parish ministry
• Christian education programs
• Pastoral care services
• Community outreach ministries

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Voluntary financial contributions from congregation members during worship services and through online giving platforms.
2. Stewardship Pledges: Annual pledge commitments from members supporting the church's operational budget and ministry programs.
3. Designated Gifts and Memorial Donations: Specific purpose donations for outreach, flowers, endowment, and other designated funds.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

St. Martin's Episcopal Church provides weekly traditional and contemporary worship services (Traditional, Family Table, and Riverway Contemporary formats) plus weekday Morning and Evening Prayer, alongside a comprehensive slate of Christian education, pastoral care, student ministry, preschool, fitness, and community outreach programs. The church operates from a 15-acre Houston Galleria-area campus featuring a Gothic-style sanctuary with 188-foot spires, Parish Life Center, Christ Chapel, Activity Center, Café St. Martin's, and nine gardens, and serves members on-site and via online streaming and The Wayside Podcast.

Product overview

St. Martin's Episcopal Church offers a comprehensive portfolio of ministry programs, worship services, educational offerings, and community facilities across its 15-acre Houston campus. The church provides traditional and contemporary worship services (Traditional, Family Table, and Riverway Contemporary formats), Christian education programs for all ages (including Sunday School, Theology for Life, and the St. Martin's Fellows nine-month seminar), student ministries for grades 6-12 (7-1-7 Students with Bible study, Life Groups, retreats, and mission trips), and pastoral care services (weddings, baptisms, funerals, and prayer support). Digital offerings include The Wayside Podcast distributed across Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Amazon Music. Campus amenities feature the Activity Center with fitness and recreational programs, Café St. Martin's for meals, and nine spiritual gardens. Outreach programs include The Giving Tree Card Program, Kids' Meals, and partnerships with organizations such as the Hope and Healing Center for mental health services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Wayside Podcast: A weekly podcast launched in October 2022, hosted by Rev. Wesley Arning and Parishioner Ryan Presley, featuring conversations with various voices inside and outside of St. Martin's, including theologians, writers and artists from around the world.
• 7-1-7 Students

Products and services

• Worship Services Weekly worship services in Traditional, Family Table, and Riverway Contemporary formats on Sundays, plus weekday Morning and Evening Prayer and Wednesday Traditional services. Free and open to the public, with live streaming for remote attendance.
• 7-1-7 Students Student ministries program for grades 6-12 offering Bible study, Life Groups, retreats, conferences, social gatherings, and annual mission trips to equip tweens and teens for Christian life of faith and service.
• Christian Education Christian education programs for all ages including Sunday School, Theology for Life study series, St. Martin's Fellows nine-month seminar, and Bible presentation preparation for children.
• Pastoral Care Services Pastoral services for major life events including Baby Blessings, Baptism, Funerals, Memory Care, Prayer Requests, and Weddings, plus Marriage Preparation classes and wedding coordination.
• The Wayside Podcast Weekly podcast featuring conversations with theologians, writers, and artists, hosted by The Rev. Wesley Arning and Parishioner Ryan Presley; new episodes every Tuesday and Sunday sermons on Fridays. Distributed across Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Amazon Music.
• St. Martin's Episcopal Preschool Fully licensed preschool ministry with 18 classes from toddlers through pre-kindergarten, operating for over 30 years on the southwest side of the St. Martin's campus.
• Activity Center Fitness and recreational facility offering classes including Core and More, Chair Yoga, Line Dancing, Strength Training, Slow Flow Yoga, Tai Chi, Total Body Stretch, Walk-It-Off, and Zumba, plus art classes, bridge, and children's programs.
• Café St. Martin's On-campus café serving lunch Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m. and breakfast on Wednesdays 7–8 a.m., with hot meals available to parishioners and visitors.
• Outreach Ministries Community service programs including The Gathering (fellowship for people with memory loss), Kids' Meals, Sole Hope (shoes for Uganda), Church in the Field (meals for homeless), and The Giving Tree Card Program.
• Church Tours Free guided tours of The Church featuring stained glass collection, white oak wood pulpit, Gloria Dei Organ, and Gothic architecture, led by trained docents.
• Hope and Healing Center On-campus mental health services resource, described as Houston's frontline resource for accessing free mental health services and support; located next to the Scout Center and Student Life Center with a view of the Serenity Garden.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9 weekly worship services offered
• +3 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Hope and Healing Center & InstitutecoreOthersThe Hope and Healing Center & Institute is Houston's frontline resource for accessing free mental health services and support. It is located on the southeast side of the St. Martin's campus next to the Scout Center and Student Life Center. The center offers a peaceful view of the Serenity Garden.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Lakewood Church: Houston-area megachurch with massive campus and broadcast reach; comparable in scale of facilities and Houston footprint, but operates in a non-denominational evangelical model rather than mainline Episcopal tradition.
• Washington National Cathedral: Flagship Episcopal cathedral with Gothic architecture, extensive programming, education, and outreach; a broader-incumbent Episcopal peer at greater scale and national visibility, comparable in liturgical identity and architectural grandeur.

Direct peers

• First Presbyterian Church of Houston: Historic Houston mainline congregation with multi-generational programming, traditional worship, and substantial community outreach — directly comparable as a downtown/mainline competitor for similar Houston congregants.
• Christ Church Cathedral (Houston): Episcopal cathedral in downtown Houston serving as the diocesan seat; comparable in liturgical tradition, Episcopal programming, and Houston footprint, with overlapping outreach and Christian formation offerings.
• St. Paul's United Methodist Church: Historic Houston mainline Protestant church with extensive campus, multiple worship formats, Christian education, and active outreach — a direct in-market peer competing for the same Houston Galleria-area member base.
• Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church: Large Episcopal parish in Houston, Texas, operating in the same Diocese and serving a comparable demographic of urban professionals and families with traditional liturgy, Christian education, and outreach programs — the closest denominational peer in-market.
• St. Luke's United Methodist Church: Large mainline Protestant congregation in Houston offering multiple weekly worship services, comprehensive Christian education, and substantial community programming — directly comparable in scale, programming breadth, and Houston mainline demographic.
• Church of the Incarnation (Dallas): Large Episcopal parish in Dallas with traditional worship, robust Christian education, and significant outreach programming — a same-denomination peer of similar size and programming sophistication in the same Texas regional market.
• St. Martin's-in-the-Fields (Atlanta): Large Episcopal parish with comprehensive children's, youth, and adult programming, preschool, and active stewardship model — directly comparable in denominational identity, programming breadth, and parish operating model.

Regional players

• St. Andrew's Episcopal Church (Houston): Large Episcopal parish serving the west Houston suburbs with comparable worship, formation, and outreach programs — a same-denomination peer with partial geographic overlap and similar ministry portfolio depth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/thewaysidepodcast
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st.-martin's-episcopal-church

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries2 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 St. Martin's Episcopal Church