The House of The Lord

What The House of The Lord does

The House of The Lord is a 501(c)(3) non-profit church founded circa 1970 by Bishop F. Josephus "Joey" Johnson II in Akron, Ohio, serving the Greater Akron community under the motto "Loving, Inspiring, Hospitable." The organization delivers weekly Sunday worship services (10:30 AM in-person and online) and Wednesday Bible studies (7:00 PM online), alongside a multi-generational ministry ecosystem branded as "The Village" — comprising nursery care, Children's Neighborhood (ages 3 through 4th grade), 4:12 Youth Ministry (5th-12th grade), and an Adult Division with men's, women's, marriage, and seniors' classes. Specialized support groups address grief, bereavement (Widow of Worth), and prostate cancer. The church completed a major leadership transition in 2024 when founding Bishop Johnson and Founding First Lady Pastor Cathy Johnson retired, with Pastor Daren Brake assuming the Senior Pastor role and Lady Alaina Brake serving as First Lady.

The organization's technology stack is modest and ministry-focused: a YouTube-based live streaming platform, a custom THOTL mobile application (built on the MinistryOne/Ministry Brands platform, available on iOS and Android) for sermon access and digital giving, a website with sermon library and event calendar, and multi-channel online giving through ShelbyGiving and PayPal with QR code functionality. The Akron campus at 1650 Diagonal Rd houses a Great Worship Center, nursery with live service feed, children's classrooms, a youth center, and multiple meeting rooms. The church operates as part of the Beth-El Fellowship of Visionary Churches network, with Bishop Johnson serving as Presiding Bishop of the fellowship and Pastor Daren Brake serving as Vice President.

Revenue is generated exclusively through voluntary tithes, offerings, and donations from congregation members and community supporters — all worship services, educational programs, and community ministries are provided free of charge. The go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on word-of-mouth, personal relationships, social media presence (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram), and community events to grow the congregation. The church serves four primary persona segments — children and families with young children, youth and teenagers, adults across life stages, and general community seekers — through horizontal segmentation across all age groups. No revenue figures are publicly disclosed, and the organization has no subsidiaries, no funding rounds, no acquisitions, and no patents or trademarks on record.

Name

The House of The Lord

Legal name

The House of the Lord

Website

https://thotl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The House of The Lord is a 50+ year-old non-profit church in Akron, Ohio, serving the Greater Akron community with weekly worship services, multi-generational faith education through "The Village," and digital engagement via a mobile app and live streaming, funded entirely by voluntary tithes and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Christian worship services
• Religious community programs
• Youth ministry programs
• Christian education classes
• Church online streaming

Headquarters

HQ city

Akron

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: The church generates revenue through voluntary tithes and offerings from congregation members. Members are encouraged to give financially to support the church's mission of meeting the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the Greater Akron area.
2. Donations: One-time and recurring donations from members and supporters, facilitated through digital platforms including PayPal, Shelby Giving, and QR code-based mobile giving

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The House of The Lord is a Jesus-centered church in Akron, Ohio that provides weekly worship services, comprehensive Christian education across all age groups (Nursery, Children's Neighborhood, 4:12 Youth Ministry, and Adult Division), and community outreach programs addressing the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the Greater Akron area. It offers both in-person gatherings and digital engagement through live streaming, a mobile app, online giving, and an on-demand sermon library.

Product overview

The House of the Lord is a church offering a unified set of ministry programs and digital services rather than a traditional product portfolio. Its core offerings include in-person and online worship services, The Village (a multi-generational faith development program comprising Children's Neighborhood, 4:12 Youth Ministry, and Adult Division), and the THOTL App for mobile engagement. Digital services include Live Stream for remote worship attendance, an Online Giving platform via ShelbyGiving and PayPal, and a Sermon Library accessible through YouTube. The church provides ministry programs such as Nursery care, Women's Ministry, Men's Ministry, Marriage Classes, and support groups including a Prostate Cancer Support Group.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• THOTL Mobile App

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• North Point Ministries: Large multi-campus church network with strong multi-generational ministry and digital content distribution; comparable in mission and programming structure but operates at a much larger scale and geographic footprint.
• Saddleback Church: Long-established multi-generational church with comprehensive programming for children, youth, adults, and seniors; comparable in ministry breadth and life-stage programming, though at a much larger operational scale.
• Life.Church: Digital-first multi-site church with a flagship mobile app and online church experience; comparable in its hybrid in-person/online engagement model and sermon-on-demand distribution.
• Elevation Church: Large multi-site contemporary church with strong youth, marriage, and small-group ministry tracks; comparable in audience segmentation and digital-first teaching cadence, though at far greater scale.
• Gateway Church: Large multi-campus church with children's, youth, and adult ministry tracks alongside a strong digital/streaming presence; comparable in the combination of multi-generational programming and online worship distribution.
• Bethel Church: Large worship-and-arts-focused congregation with significant online teaching distribution; comparable on the contemporary worship, arts/AV emphasis (Pastor Angela Gibbons' portfolio), and digital reach.

Regional players

• Church of the Open Door: Established Akron-area congregation with similar in-person worship, age-segmented programming, and community outreach orientation—directly comparable on local footprint and congregational model.
• The Chapel: A multi-generational community church based in the Akron, Ohio area offering comparable Sunday worship, Christian education, and small-group programming for the local market.

Others

• Prison Fellowship: Faith-based nonprofit operating prison and reentry ministry programs; comparable on the Prison/Reentry ministry that Pastor Daren Brake oversees at The House of the Lord, though structured as a national organization rather than a local congregation.
• Young Life: Faith-based youth ministry organization focused on adolescent spiritual development and leadership formation; comparable on the 4:12 Youth Ministry track and teen discipleship emphasis, though not a worship congregation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC67Cln9_L0uX58lmUOT4nmw
• Facebookfacebook.com/thehouseofthelord
• Instagraminstagram.com/thehouseofthelord_akron/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-house-of-the-lord

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 House of The Lord