Zoar Church
Zoar Baptist Church is a Shelby, NC-based 501(c)(3) Baptist congregation founded in 1837, serving children, youth, and adults through Sunday worship, Sunday School, mid-week Bible study, and C.A.R.E. ministries, funded entirely by voluntary tithes and offerings.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1837
- HeadquartersShelby, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Zoar Church does
Zoar Church operates as Zoar Baptist Church, Inc., a North Carolina-incorporated 501(c)(3) Baptist congregation headquartered at 1740 South Lafayette Street in Shelby, NC. Founded on September 7, 1837, by Elder James M. Thomas of the Moriah Association, it has operated continuously for approximately 188 years and celebrated its 182nd Homecoming in September 2025. The organization runs a single physical campus serving a congregation of all ages, with a paid staff of approximately 22 (Lead Pastor, Interim Praise Team Leader, Children and Youth Minister, Administrative Assistant, two accompanists, and volunteer-supported teachers and ministry leads).
The product surface is a comprehensive ministry portfolio: eight age-segmented Sunday School classes (from Noah's Ark for birth-age 3 through adult classes including Upper Room, Barnabas, Lydia, and Young Adult), Sunday blended worship combining traditional hymns with contemporary praise music, Wednesday Mid-Week Bible Study (with supper and multi-generational classes), the C.A.R.E. ministry framework (Inreach, Outreach, Upreach, Handreach), Children's, Youth (Refuge), College/Young Adult, and Creative Arts (drama, sign language, puppetry) ministries, plus an annual Vacation Bible School (Stellar 2024, Scuba 2025, Magnified 2026) and seasonal Easter/Christmas programming. Supporting digital infrastructure includes a website (zoarchurch.com), a YouTube livestream channel (@zoarchurchshelby) with on-demand sermon archives, Tithe.ly online giving, Constant Contact email/text distribution, Google Calendar event display, MediaShout for in-service media, and an online prayer request submission form. No mobile app is offered and no AI/ML capabilities are present.
The revenue model is entirely donation-based: voluntary tithes and offerings from congregation members, with no pricing structure (all services are free to attend). The church solicits gifts to fund operations, support global missionaries, and sustain C.A.R.E. outreach. Go-to-market is community-led via in-person worship and Bible study, supplemented by seasonal events (VBS, Homecoming, Advent/Christmas, Easter) and a YouTube livestream that extends reach beyond Shelby. Customer segments are organized by life stage rather than by firmographic profile, spanning children, youth, college/young adults, and adult congregants.
Zoar Church firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Zoar Church
- Legal name
- Zoar Baptist Church, Inc.
- Website
- https://zoarchurch.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1837
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Zoar Baptist Church is a Shelby, NC-based 501(c)(3) Baptist congregation founded in 1837, serving children, youth, and adults through Sunday worship, Sunday School, mid-week Bible study, and C.A.R.E. ministries, funded entirely by voluntary tithes and offerings.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Zoar Church industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Religious Services
- NAICS
- Religious Organizations (81311)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG), Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)
Keywords
Where Zoar Church is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Shelby
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Zoar Church business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Tithes and Offerings: The church relies on voluntary tithes and offerings from congregation members. The website states 'Out of thankfulness to our God for the generosity He has shown us, we respond with our first and our best.' Gifts enable support of missions and missionaries around the world.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | No-cost attendance to all services |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Zoar Church product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Zoar Baptist Church is a Baptist congregation providing Christian worship services, Sunday School, mid-week Bible study, and ministry programs for all ages (children, youth, college/young adults, adults). The church also runs the C.A.R.E. outreach ministry (Inreach, Outreach, Upreach, Handreach), Vacation Bible School, online giving through Tithe.ly, YouTube livestream of services, and pastoral counseling. All services are free to attend; operations are funded by voluntary tithes and offerings from members and visitors.
Product overview
Zoar Church operates as a traditional Baptist congregation offering a comprehensive suite of faith-based programs and services. The core offerings include Sunday School (with eight distinct classes for ages birth through adult), Sunday worship services (blended style combining hymns and contemporary music with full Praise Team accompaniment), and mid-week Bible study on Wednesdays. Supporting ministries include C.A.R.E. Ministries (Inreach, Outreach, Upreach, Handreach), Children's Ministries, Youth/Student Ministries (Refuge Youth), Young Adult/College Ministries, and Creative Ministries (drama, interpretive movement, sign language, puppetry). The church maintains an online presence through sermon archives with over 80 recorded messages organized by series (current: 'A Walk in the Light'), YouTube livestreaming, online giving via Tithe.ly, digital prayer request submission, and weekly bulletin distribution. Annual programs include Vacation Bible School (VBS) in June and seasonal events. All programs are supported by volunteer and staff leadership under the 'Every Member is a Minister' philosophy.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Zoar Church
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Zoar Church technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Zoar Church partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Zoar Church competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) affiliated churches: Zoar Baptist Church traces its origin to the Moriah Association (1837) and operates within the broader Southern Baptist network. The SBC provides shared branding, missions infrastructure (e.g., North American Mission Board, International Mission Board), and resource pools relevant to a member church.
Direct peers
- First Baptist Church Shelby: First Baptist Church Shelby is another Baptist congregation in the same city (Shelby, NC), offering very similar ministries — Sunday worship, Sunday School, youth, and missions — directly competing for the same donor and membership pool.
- Boiling Springs Baptist Church: Boiling Springs Baptist Church is a Southern Baptist church located just minutes from Shelby in Boiling Springs, NC, serving a similar geographic catchment with comparable worship, education, and youth programming.
- Lafayette Street United Methodist Church: A United Methodist congregation located near Zoar on South Lafayette Street in Shelby, NC, offering a similar Sunday-morning weekly worship and Sunday School model to overlapping community members.
- Hope Community Church (Shelby, NC): Hope Community Church is a non-denominational church in Shelby, NC, where Zoar's interim Praise Team Leader currently attends. It competes directly for the same millennial and Gen X family demographic with contemporary worship and small-group models.
- Shelby Presbyterian Church: Shelby Presbyterian Church is a mainline Protestant congregation in Shelby, NC, competing for the same local Christian families with comparable worship, education, and outreach programs.
Regional players
- Greater Cleveland County Baptist Association: The local Baptist association covering Cleveland County, NC — coordinates fellowships, missions support, and pastoral networks among member Baptist churches in the same region as Zoar, providing a direct comparable peer set.
Emerging players
- Gardner-Webb University Campus Ministries: Gardner-Webb University is a Christian-affiliated university in Boiling Springs, NC with active campus ministry. Zoar's College/Young Adult Ministry targets overlapping college-age demographics from the same regional pool.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Zoar Church social profiles
Digital presenceZoar Church financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Zoar Church leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Zoar Church funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Zoar Church M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Zoar Church
What does Zoar Church do?
Zoar Baptist Church is a Baptist congregation providing Christian worship services, Sunday School, mid-week Bible study, and ministry programs for all ages (children, youth, college/young adults, adults). The church also runs the C.A.R.E. outreach ministry (Inreach, Outreach, Upreach, Handreach), Vacation Bible School, online giving through Tithe.ly, YouTube livestream of services, and pastoral counseling. All services are free to attend; operations are funded by voluntary tithes and offerings from members and visitors.
Is Zoar Church a public or private company?
Zoar Church is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Zoar Church founded?
Zoar Church was founded in 1837. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Zoar Church based?
Zoar Church is headquartered in Shelby, United States, in the North America region.
How does Zoar Church make money?
One revenue line is on record: tithes and Offerings.
Who are Zoar Church's main competitors?
Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) affiliated churches is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are First Baptist Church Shelby, Boiling Springs Baptist Church, Lafayette Street United Methodist Church, Hope Community Church (Shelby, NC) and Shelby Presbyterian Church. Greater Cleveland County Baptist Association is listed as a regional player. Gardner-Webb University Campus Ministries is listed as an emerging player.
Does Zoar Church have an API?
No public API is recorded for Zoar Church.
What industry is Zoar Church in?
Zoar Church's product category is Religious Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAJAA, Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues), with a secondary code of BPAGAJAG, Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling). Its NAICS code is 81311 and its SIC code is 8300.