Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church

What Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church does

Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church is a 175-year-old religious institution located at 2498 Alabama Ave. S.E. in the Southeast quadrant of Washington, D.C., self-described as "The Cathedral in Southeast DC." It operates as part of the African Methodist Episcopal denomination and serves the residents of Wards 7 and 8 — an economically disadvantaged area with high poverty rates — alongside the broader DMV community. The church's core offerings include weekly Sunday worship services (in-person and virtual), Church School religious education across all age groups, and a large portfolio of more than 25 distinct ministries covering youth, women, men, seniors, cancer support, life recovery, prison re-entry, food assistance, and social action.

The church's enabling technology stack is consumer-grade and pragmatic: live streaming via live.acamec.org (first launched September 9, 2012), a YouTube video archive, virtual Church School over Zoom, online donations through PayPal, Givelify, and Cash App ($AllenAMEDC), and an EasyBlog-powered content site with Wufoo forms for bulletin submissions and contact requests. The system is built around three distribution channels — physical worship, global live streaming, and physical community programs (food pantry, mobile food pantry, senior housing) — with no proprietary platform or product moat beyond the assembled integrations.

The business model is voluntary donations rather than priced services. The church generates revenue through tithes, general offerings, and a structured set of designated funds (e.g., Allen's Day, Allen Voices, Birthday Circle, Christmas Offering, Easter Offering, Expansion Fund, Lay Day, Men's Day, Women's Day, Missionary, plus scholarship and fundraising events). No pricing exists for worship or ministry participation. The church is led by Rev. Dr. Michael E. Bell, Sr., appointed in 2005, under whose tenure the church has reported 2,000+ accessions, 1,600+ conversions, and 200+ baptisms, and who preached before President Barack Obama at the church on Resurrection Sunday 2010. The organization is a private nonprofit with no external investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity.

Name

Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church

Legal name

Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church

Website

https://acamec.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1850

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Allen Chapel AME Church is a 175-year-old African Methodist Episcopal church in Southeast Washington, D.C. serving Wards 7 and 8 with weekly worship, religious education, senior housing, food assistance, and 25+ community ministries funded by voluntary tithes and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and Faith-Based Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

Keywords

• Religious worship services
• Religious education programs
• Community outreach ministry
• Faith-based community services
• Virtual church streaming

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Traditional church donations including tithes (10% of income), general offerings, and special occasion donations collected during worship services and online.
2. Designated Funds and Offerings: Various designated donation categories including Allen's Day, Allen Voices, Birthday Circle, Christmas Offering, Easter Offering, Expansion Fund, Family Donations, Lay Day, Lenten Service, Men's Choir, Men's Day, Missionary, One Accord Choir, Purpose To Praise, Stewardess Day, Women's Day, and Jr./Sr. Ministry.
3. Scholarship Committee Fundraising: Annual Toni P. Farmer Scholarship Committee Prayer Breakfast as fundraiser activity, with ticket sales for events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church provides worship services (Sunday worship at 10:15 a.m., with 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. services on First Sundays), religious education through Church School (in-person and Zoom-based), live-streamed virtual services, and a portfolio of approximately 25 community ministries including a Food Pantry, Social Action programs, the Toni P. Farmer Scholarship Committee, Women's Ministry, Ministry of Hope, Cancer Support Ministry, Angel Tree/Prison Fellowship, and senior housing support through the Roundtree Residence.

Product overview

Allen Chapel AME Church offers a unified suite of spiritual and community services centered around worship, education, and community outreach. The core offerings include Sunday Worship Services (both in-person and live-streamed via live.acamec.org), Church School religious education (with virtual Zoom options), and various community ministries such as the Food Pantry & Outreach, Social Action Ministry, Women's Ministry, Ministry of Hope, Cancer Support Ministry, and the Toni P. Farmer Scholarship program. The Media Ministry enables technology-enabled worship through live streaming. These programs work together to fulfill the church's mission of reaching people and leading them to an authentic relationship with Jesus.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Worship Services Sunday in-person worship services held at 10:15 am at the church's Washington, D.C. location; First Sundays include additional 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. services. Open to congregation members and the public.
• Church School Sunday religious education program teaching, training, and nurturing adults, young adults, college students, teenagers, and children in God's word. Available both in-person and virtually via Zoom for ages 2-12 (Primary), teens ages 13-18, and Adults.
• Live Streaming Worship Live streaming of worship services via live.acamec.org enabling global audience participation in real-time, with YouTube video archive of past services. Expanded during the 2020 pandemic.
• Food Pantry and Community Outreach Food supplement program operating a clothes closet, mobile food pantry (fresh produce), nutrition classes, blood pressure checks, weekend bag program for children, and brown bag program for seniors. Concentrates on Wards 7 and 8 of metro DC.
• Toni P. Farmer Scholarship Committee Provides financial aid counseling and scholarships to active Allen Chapel youth pursuing higher education, including workshops on college requirements, applications, financial aid, and an annual prayer breakfast fundraiser.
• Social Action Ministry Ministry addressing social, economic, and spiritual needs of the community through initiatives including police interaction training, public policy strategies, domestic violence support, entrepreneurship training, and workforce readiness programs.
• Women's Bible Study and Ministry Ministry equipping, leading, and transforming women's lives through transformative Bible study and inclusive spiritual programming.
• Ministry of Hope Ministry providing support, strength, and hope for men, women, and children in need of spiritual and material comfort, including monthly HOPE Friday sessions.
• Media Ministry Technology ministry responsible for live streaming, social media platforms, and assisting the church in reaching beyond its physical walls; led by the Technology Minister and chaired by Kenney Miles.
• Cancer Support Ministry Ministry serving cancer patients, survivors, and their families with tangible assistance, cancer care information, educational resources, fellowship, and spiritual support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,000+ conversions and church accessions since 2005
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Prison FellowshipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrison Fellowship partnership through the Angel Tree ministry. The church receives names of 200 children of incarcerated parents from Prison Fellowship in Virginia. Information from inmates is forwarded to caregivers who complete Christmas gift requests for the children. Two weeks before Christmas, a distribution party is hosted where children receive their gifts along with prayer, lunch, entertainment (clown, puppet show, face painting), and 'You Are Loved' Bibles donated by Family Christian Book Store.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church: A historic flagship AME congregation in Washington, D.C. with a comparable blend of traditional worship, community activism, and significant historical/civic profile. Directly comparable as a large, legacy Black church in the same denomination and city.
• Bethel AME Church: Large historic AME congregation, comparable in ministry breadth, denominational affiliation, and community-service orientation. One of Allen Chapel's own pastor's previous affiliations was a Bethel AME Church (Baltimore).
• Ebenezer AME Church: Another AME denomination church with comparable worship, education, and outreach ministry structure. Directly comparable as a national-network AME congregation with active community programming.

Regional players

• Union Temple Baptist Church: Large, historically Black Baptist congregation in Southeast Washington, D.C. with extensive community programs. Directly comparable in geography and ministry footprint, though denominationally distinct.
• Mt. Ennon Baptist Church: Large Black Baptist church in the DC metropolitan area with a multi-site model and substantial community outreach. Comparable in scale of community programming and digital worship infrastructure.

Broad incumbents

• Shiloh Baptist Church: Historic Black Baptist church in Washington, D.C. with a long history of community activism and civic engagement. Comparable as a legacy DC congregation serving similar community needs, though denominationally Baptist rather than AME.
• Alfred Street Baptist Church: One of the largest Black Baptist churches in the U.S., located in Alexandria, VA in the DC region. Comparable in operating scale, digital streaming capability, and community-service breadth, though denominationally Baptist.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKiBZx8M_gQdFnTas1Zs47w
• Facebookfacebook.com/acamec
• Instagraminstagram.com/allenchapelame_sedc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/allen-chapel-a-m-e-church

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church