Above Bar Church

Name

Above Bar Church

Legal name

Above Bar Church

Website

https://abovebarchurch.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1876

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services / Church Ministry

NAICS

Religious Organizations (813110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

Keywords

• Christian church services
• Community outreach programs
• Debt counselling services
• Food bank operations
• Discipleship training

Headquarters

HQ city

Southampton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Members and attendees give financially through online donations via ChurchSuite, bank transfer (Account name: Above Bar Church, Account number: 00340448, Sort code: 55-81-26), and standing orders. Gift Aid scheme is available for UK taxpayers.
2. Book Shop Sales: Sale of Christian books and resources including titles on spirituality, identity, wholeness, community, and impact topics.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Above Bar Church is a charitable Christian church in Southampton operating three congregations across two sites, providing weekly worship services, pastoral care, and Christian discipleship. Its core service is Sunday worship, supplemented by community outreach programs including food banking (Basics Bank), debt counselling (CAP), a weekly breakfast ministry for people experiencing homelessness (Big Breakfast), an internationals ministry with English language support, and structured discipleship pathways for children, youth, families, and seniors.

Product overview

Above Bar Church offers a portfolio of interconnected ministry programs centered on making and maturing disciples of Jesus. The core offering is Sunday worship services at two locations (City and East), supplemented by online streaming and a podcast. Key programs include community support services (Big Breakfast for homeless guests, Basics Bank food bank, CAP debt help), internationals ministry with English language support, and structured discipleship through pathways covering spirituality, wholeness, community, and impact. Additional offerings include a book shop, Network Course for spiritual gifts discovery, and a one-year Ministry Trainee Scheme. These programs are delivered through serving teams and home groups, with the church operating as a congregational church affiliated with the FIEC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sunday Services Weekly worship services held at two Southampton locations: City site (69 Above Bar Street) with a 10am family-oriented service and a 6.15pm contemporary service, plus an East site (Woodlands Community College) 10.15am service. Services include prayer, Bible reading, teaching, worship, and age-banded children's groups (GSMA).
• Online Streaming & Sermon Podcast Live streaming of the 10am Sunday service via YouTube, with sermons from the 6.15pm service uploaded to Apple Podcasts and Spotify for on-demand listening. Designed for remote attendees and global audience access.
• In & Out Discipleship Podcast The church's own podcast featuring discussions on Christian discipleship topics such as prayer, becoming human, abuse of power, singleness, and hope. Available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
• Book Shop Online bookstall selling Christian literature across categories of Identity, Spirituality, Wholeness, Community, and Impact. Features titles by authors including Jonathan Berry, Dane Ortlund, Pete Greig, and Timothy Keller.
• CAP (Christians Against Poverty) Debt Help Free debt counselling service with individual appointments, budget building, and ongoing support. Includes weekly Thursday drop-in sessions with tea, coffee, and Bible study. Delivered through the church-hosted CAP centre managed by Cathy Gleeson.
• Basics Bank Food Bank Food bank operated in partnership with Southampton City Mission, providing basic food and clothing to individuals and families in need for up to five days. Open weekdays at multiple church venues across the city, with Above Bar Church hosting the Monday location.
• Big Breakfast Weekly Thursday ministry at the City site providing a free cooked breakfast, community, and an encouraging message for individuals experiencing homelessness or hardship. Serves approximately 60-80 guests weekly.
• Internationals Ministry Support program for internationals and non-native English speakers, including English Language Cafe (Monday 11am), Global Gathering bi-weekly Tuesday evening Bible study, and Wednesday morning English classes.
• Wholeness Programs Discipleship pathway covering courses including Journey to Wholeness (weekend retreat), Network Course (spiritual gifts discovery), Moving Forward Freely (addiction recovery), Marriage Enrichment, and resources like the Dwell App and Being Human Podcast.
• Discipleship Pathways Structured pathway with four tracks — Spirituality (knowing God), Wholeness (knowing ourselves), Community (living together), and Impact (living in creation) — offering groups, courses, and resources for lifelong faith growth.
• Ministry Trainee Scheme One-year intentional growth program developing ministry leaders through Formation School (34 Tuesday evenings plus 3 Saturdays), Tuesday morning ministry training, hands-on experience in core areas, and cohort learning. Salaried at £26,300 FTE, delivered in partnership with Formation School.
• Community Groups Various fellowship and spiritual growth groups including Home Groups (across Southampton), Women of the Word (weekly women's Bible study Wednesdays), Film Group, Families Together, Newcomers' Group, and Connect (55+).

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Mark DramaminorOthersCharity partner of Above Bar Church. Mark Drama is a charitable organization that uses dramatic presentations to share messages.
• Amber ChaplainsminorOthersCharity partner of Above Bar Church. Amber Chaplains provides chaplaincy services.
• Southampton City MissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAbove Bar Church partners with Southampton City Mission to operate the Basics Bank food bank. Above Bar hosts the Monday food bank location, and volunteers provide food to individuals and families in need across the city.
• Christians Against Poverty (CAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAbove Bar Church hosts a CAP Centre led by Cathy Gleeson. CAP provides free debt help and community groups across the UK. The church offers free debt counselling appointments, weekly drop-ins, and Bible study for those struggling with debt.
• The NavigatorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMission partner Becca Taylor works with The Navigators in France. She is involved in evangelism, disciple-making, teaching the Bible, pastoral care, and community building near Loches.
• Wycliffe Bible TranslatorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMission partners Eddie and Sue Arthur have worked with Wycliffe for over 35 years, focusing on Bible translation in French-speaking Africa and Madagascar. Phil and Tany Prior also work with Wycliffe Global Alliance, with Phil as Director for Communication.
• New Tribes MissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMission partners Poul and Carol Joenson work with New Tribes Mission. They lived in Papua New Guinea for 17 years doing church planting and Bible translation, and now continue Sorimi New Testament translation work from the UK while training new missionaries.
• Africa Inland Mission (AIM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMission partner Zillah Whitehouse works with Africa Inland Mission in Mbarara, Uganda. She serves as a physiotherapist/lecturer at Mbarara University of Science and Technology, participating with local church in building up future leaders.
• Formation SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAbove Bar Church partners with Formation School for the Ministry Trainee Scheme. Formation School provides theological teaching and spiritual formation through 34 Tuesday evenings and 3 Saturdays during term time.
• FIEC (Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAbove Bar Church is affiliated with the FIEC. The church adheres to FIEC guidance on marriage and Women in Ministry Ethos Statement.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cornerstone Church Nottingham: A mid-sized UK independent evangelical church in a university city, comparable in operating model with structured discipleship pathways, student/young adult ministry, and congregational church governance.
• ChristChurch London: An independent evangelical church in central London with a similar contemporary multi-congregation model, structured leadership pipeline, and emphasis on city-based outreach to young professionals and internationals.
• ChristChurch Central Southampton: Another Southampton-based evangelical church running contemporary services and small-group programmes, directly competing for the same worshippers and volunteers in the local area.
• Kings Church Southampton: A fellow FIEC-affiliated evangelical church operating in Southampton, providing directly comparable Sunday services, midweek programmes, and community outreach in the same geographic catchment.
• Riverside Church Birmingham: An independent evangelical church running a multi-site model with similar children, youth, and community programmes — comparable in scale, demographic targeting, and approach to mid-size UK city ministry.
• Hope Community Church Southampton: An independent evangelical congregation in Southampton with similar multi-generational ministry focus (children, youth, families) and community outreach positioning in the same city.

Others

• Southampton City Mission: A partner rather than competitor — Southampton City Mission co-operates with Above Bar on the Basics Bank food bank. Listed as a peer because the two organisations jointly deliver social services to the same beneficiary population in Southampton.

Broad incumbents

• All Souls Langham Place: A prominent central London evangelical Anglican church with similar emphasis on city-centre engagement, contemporary worship, teaching series, and intellectual Christian content production.
• Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB): One of the UK's most influential Anglican evangelical churches and the birthplace of the Alpha Course; comparable as a leading UK evangelical congregation with extensive community programmes, leadership pipelines, and global ministry influence.

Regional players

• St Mary's Church Southampton: A historic Anglican parish church in Southampton's city centre that runs comparable community outreach, food poverty initiatives, and pastoral care — overlapping functionally if not denominationally with Above Bar.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCb4SGiTUb7baV5umfmJNUew
• Facebookfacebook.com/abovebar
• Instagraminstagram.com/internationalsatabovebarchurch
• Xx.com/abovebar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/above-bar-church

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 Above Bar Church