What The Journey does

The Journey, operating as The Journey Fellowship, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Christian church founded in 2002 and headquartered at 625 Meramec Station Rd in Manchester, Missouri, west of St. Louis. The organization delivers weekly worship services on Sundays at 9:00 and 10:45 AM, live-streamed globally via YouTube, and operates a portfolio of interconnected ministry programs: Journey Kids (birth through 5th grade), Journey Students (middle and high school), Community Groups and Core Groups (small groups of 10-15 members), Alpha (a ten-week evangelism course), Pathway Nights (monthly formation gatherings), and the Apprenticeship Pathway (a structured discipleship framework). Care and counseling services are delivered through the in-house Care Ministry and Karis House Counseling, a Gospel-centered professional counseling subsidiary. Outreach is delivered through Los Vecinos (Hispanic family ministry offering tutoring and ESL classes) and international missions partnerships in Honduras and Haiti.

The organization operates a family-of-churches network that includes The Journey Bayless, The Journey Tower Grove, Refresh Community Church, and The Bridge church plant in North County. Its technology stack is limited to the third-party Church Center App for member management, giving, and event registration, alongside YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts for digital sermon distribution. The Journey employs 118 staff members and is led by Lead Pastor Tim Holley with two Executive Directors and a team of 13 directors and coordinators.

Revenue is generated entirely through voluntary donations — tithes and offerings from congregation members and attendees — with no pricing for services or programs. Giving is facilitated through multiple channels: online via the Church Center App, text-to-give (84321), mail, in-person collection, stock donations, Donor-Advised Fund contributions, IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, and planned giving. Financial information is not publicly disclosed.

Name

The Journey

Legal name

The Journey Fellowship

Website

https://thejourney.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Journey is a 501(c)(3) Christian church in Manchester, Missouri, serving West County St. Louis through Sunday services, age-specific ministries, small groups, counseling, and outreach programs funded entirely by voluntary donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (81311)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE)

Keywords

• Church services
• Religious education
• Community outreach
• Faith-based counseling
• Worship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester, Missouri

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, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: The primary revenue stream consists of voluntary financial contributions from church members and attendees. The church is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Federal Tax ID: 30-0174373). Giving options include online giving via Church Center App, text-to-give (84321), mail-in checks, in-person collection, stock donations, Donor-Advised Fund contributions, IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, and planned giving through trusts and wills.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Journey operates as a Christian church providing weekly worship services, age-specific ministries (Journey Kids, Journey Students), small groups, the Alpha evangelism course, professional counseling (Karis House), and outreach programs. All ministry offerings are provided free of charge, funded through voluntary tithes and offerings, and delivered both in-person at the Manchester, Missouri campus and via digital streaming and podcast channels.

Product overview

The Journey West County is a Christian church offering a portfolio of interconnected ministry programs and services centered on apprenticeship with Jesus. The core offering includes Sunday worship services, supplemented by age-specific ministries (Journey Kids for children, Journey Students for youth), small group programs (Community Groups, Core Groups), and evangelism initiatives (Alpha). The church provides care services including pastoral counseling and Karis House professional counseling, outreach programs such as Los Vecinos, and spiritual formation pathways including the Apprenticeship Pathway and Pathway Nights. Digital offerings include sermons and podcasts distributed via YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts, along with a giving platform supporting online, text, and planned giving options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Journey Kids: Children's ministry for babies through 5th grade with age-appropriate environments for Bible teaching
• Journey Students
• Karis House
• Los Vecinos
• Alpha
• Pathway Nights

Products and services

• Sunday Services Weekly worship gatherings held at 9:00 and 10:45 AM on Sundays, featuring worship, teaching, communion, and community at The Journey's Manchester, Missouri campus. Both services are also live-streamed on YouTube for remote participation.
• Journey Kids Children's ministry providing age-appropriate discipleship for babies through 5th grade during Sunday services and midweek programs, focused on safe, engaging Bible teaching.
• Journey Students Youth ministry for middle and high school students (6th-12th grade) including Sunday morning groups and Wednesday night gatherings with games, fellowship, worship, Bible study, and small group discussions.
• Community Groups Small groups of 10-15 members focused on building committed friendships centered on Jesus with loose structure and sermon discussion, requiring a minimum 1-year commitment.
• Core Groups Structured small groups designed for deeper discipleship and relationship building within the church community, with stronger accountability than Community Groups.
• Alpha Ten-week evangelism course exploring big questions about life, Jesus, and faith through relaxed dinners and conversation, designed for seekers and new believers.
• Care Ministry Pastoral support services including prayer, deacon care, pastoral counseling, and coordination with Karis House for professional Gospel-centered counseling.
• Los Vecinos Outreach Community outreach focused on building meaningful relationships with Hispanic families in the West County area, offering tutoring for children, ESL classes for parents, counseling referrals, and friendship.
• Baptism Baptism service for those who have placed faith in Jesus and wish to publicly declare their commitment.
• Apprenticeship Pathway Structured discipleship framework with three invitations: Being With Jesus, Being Transformed by Jesus, and Partnering With Jesus, supported by a workbook and suggested resources library.
• Pathway Nights Monthly evening gatherings on first Wednesdays with shared meals, teaching, and spiritual practice for the whole family to grow as apprentices of Jesus.
• Sermons & Podcasts Audio and video recordings of Sunday sermons available via YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts for on-demand consumption.
• Giving Financial giving options including online giving, Church Center App, text-to-give (84321), mail, in-person, stock donations, Donor-Advised Fund contributions, IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, and planned giving through trusts and wills.
• Karis House Counseling Gospel-centered professional counseling ministry providing relational healing and restoration services to restore relationships with God, others, and self.
• Serving Teams Volunteer opportunities across various ministry teams including Journey Kids, Journey Students, Los Vecinos, Hospitality, and Alpha.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Los VecinoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLos Vecinos (The Neighbors) is an outreach ministry of The Journey focused on building meaningful relationships with Hispanic families in the West County area. The ministry offers tutoring for children, ESL classes for parents, help connecting to counseling and other resources. The church operates this ministry directly as part of its outreach efforts.
• The FamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Fam is an organization with the mission of 'Eliminating race as a factor in homeownership throughout St. Louis in one generation.' The Journey supports this organization as part of its outreach and community engagement efforts.
• The Carver ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Carver Project empowers Christian faculty and students to serve and connect university, church, and society. This ministry reaches the WashU campus and helps equip The Journey in cultural topics important to the community.
• CruminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCru is a missionary organization with the vision of 'Movements everywhere so that everyone knows someone who truly follows Jesus.' The Journey supports members Zack and Bethany Firsick as they disciple students and take the Gospel to the world through this ministry.
• MDM HondurasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMDM Honduras is a faith-based organization committed to transforming lives in the San Matias region of Honduras through educational scholarships, health services, economic development, and spiritual growth programs. The Journey partners with them to share Christ's love and bring hope to underserved communities.
• The BridgeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Bridge is a multiethnic church plant in North County, St. Louis, with a vision to be a welcoming community that models God's love, celebrates diversity, and pursues reconciliation. The Journey supports this church plant.
• Karis House CounselingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKaris House is a ministry of The Journey that provides Gospel-centered counseling, working to restore people's relationships with God, others, and self. The organization is committed to providing care and counsel so people can experience healing.
• Baptist Church of Christ Compassion (Haiti)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Journey partners with Pastor St. Cyr and his church in Port au Prince, Haiti. The partnership aims to bring forth the gospel in the midst of the country's devastation and brokenness.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Church of the Highlands: One of the largest U.S. multi-site churches, with a strong small groups model and outreach programming similar to The Journey's Community Groups and Los Vecinos outreach.
• Elevation Church: Steven Furtick-led multi-site church with strong digital content reach and contemporary worship production — a larger peer whose digital-first ethos overlaps with The Journey's streaming and podcast strategy.
• Life.Church: One of the largest U.S. digital-first church networks, known for the Church Online Platform and YouVersion Bible app. A broader incumbent whose digital content strategy parallels The Journey's podcast and YouTube distribution.
• Saddleback Church: Long-established multi-site church network with a comparable small group (Community Group) model, discipleship pathway approach, and family ministry breadth.

Direct peers

• Watermark Community Church: Dallas-area non-denominational church known for community groups, counseling, and recovery ministries — a similar wraparound care model to The Journey's Karis House and small groups structure.
• Faithbridge Church: Houston-area multi-site church with a comparable family-of-churches approach, children's and student ministry focus, and community outreach emphasis.
• Christ Fellowship Church: South Florida multi-site non-denominational church with similar ministry breadth (kids, students, groups, counseling) and contemporary teaching approach.
• North Point Ministries: Andy Stanley-led multi-site church network with a similar family-of-churches model and strong emphasis on strategic ministry and small groups. Comparable in size and operational philosophy to The Journey's family-of-churches structure.
• The Crossing Church: St. Louis-area evangelical multi-site church operating in the same metropolitan geography as The Journey, with similar contemporary worship style and family-focused ministry programming.
• Cross Point Church: Mid-sized multi-site church in Nashville with comparable digital streaming investment, community group model, and family ministry structure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@thejourneywestcounty
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100064697436340
• Instagraminstagram.com/thejourney_wc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thejourneystl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries5 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 The Journey