Churches of God

What Churches of God does

Churches of God, Eastern Regional Conference (ERC) is a nonprofit religious organization headquartered at 113 South 2nd Street, Wormleysburg, Pennsylvania. It is a regional conference operating under the parent Churches of God, General Conference (Findlay, Ohio) and serves as the connectional hub for 100+ member churches organized into seven districts across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and New York, with reach into Washington DC. The ERC delivers pastoral credentialing and placement, ministry training through the Ministry Training Institute (MTI, in partnership with Winebrenner Theological Seminary), church health and discipleship programs (including the Follow Discipleship Series), and pastoral family wellness support, and it operates several long-tenured affiliated ministries: Camp YoliJwa (a Christian camping ministry established 1934), Doubling Gap Center (a 150-acre year-round retreat facility established 1946 in Newville, PA), and the Church of God Home at StoneRidge Retirement Living Community in Carlisle, PA (offering short-term rehabilitation, independent living, personal care, skilled nursing, and memory care).

The ERC does not sell products or services in a commercial sense. Its revenue model is built on recurring tithes and offerings from member churches, supplemented by program fees from affiliated ministry operations (camp registrations, retreat bookings, senior living resident fees) and affiliated partnerships (Brotherhood Mutual for insurance, HMC Financial Investing for loans/investments). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and all ministry programs are provided to member churches and congregations at no cost. The organization maintains a small central staff of 1–10 employees, relies on a distributed network of district ministerium meetings for member engagement, and uses a multi-channel communication stack including the erccog.org website, Constant Contact e-news, Facebook, and YouTube to extend reach.

Name

Churches of God

Legal name

Churches of God, Eastern Regional Conference

Website

https://erccog.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1800

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Churches of God, Eastern Regional Conference is a nonprofit religious organization headquartered in Wormleysburg, Pennsylvania that connects 100+ member churches across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and New York through pastoral credentialing, ministry training, camp/retreat programs, and senior living services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Organization Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (81311), Religious Organizations (813110)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Denominational & Ecclesiastical Governance Bodies (Dioceses, Synods, Conferences) (BPAGAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL), Faith-Based Healthcare Ministries (Hospitals, Clinics, Medical Missions) (BPAGAJAH)

Keywords

• Religious organization services
• Ministry training programs
• Christian camping retreats
• Pastoral credentialing services
• Retirement living community

Headquarters

HQ city

New Cumberland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Member churches contribute tithes and offerings to support the regional conference operations, mission work, and ministry programs.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Churches of God, Eastern Regional Conference is a nonprofit connectional body that supports more than 100 member churches across the Mid-Atlantic through pastoral credentialing, ministry training, church planting, discipleship, and pastoral family wellness programs. It also operates affiliated ministries including a Christian camping program (Camp YoliJwa), a 150-acre retreat center (Doubling Gap Center), a senior living community (Church of God Home at StoneRidge), and targeted fellowship programs (Women's Ministries, 50+ Fellowship, Pastors' Wives Care Team).

Product overview

The Eastern Regional Conference of Churches of God operates a unified regional ministry network consisting of digital platforms and physical programs. The core digital presence is the erccog.org website providing information, resources, and church location services. The portfolio includes ministry training (ERC Ministry Training Institute), retreat facilities (Doubling Gap Center), Christian camping (Camp YoliJwa), and senior living (Church of God Home at StoneRidge). Additional offerings include women's ministries, 50+ fellowship, pastors' wives care, and the Follow discipleship series. The Find a Church locator tool enables community members to locate affiliated churches by geographic search.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ERC Ministry Training Institute (MTI)

Quantifiable outcome

• 150 acres of retreat center facilities with 80+ years of continuous operation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Brotherhood MutualminorOthersInsurance provider partnership offering coverage options for churches and ministries. Listed as affiliated ministry resource for churches needing insurance services.
• Ministry Training Institute (MTI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerERC Ministry Training Institute provides professional training to those in the ERC and cooperating denominations seeking credentials in ministry. Located at ercministrytraining.com.
• Winebrenner Theological SeminarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheological education partner referenced throughout ministry materials. 'The Winebrenner Difference' promoted for ministry training and credentialing pathways.
• StoneRidge Retirement Living CommunityminorOthersChurch of God Home at StoneRidge provides senior living services including short-term rehabilitation, independent living, personal care, skilled nursing, and memory care in Carlisle, PA.
• Camp YoliJwacoreOthersChristian Camping Ministry of Eastern Regional Conference consisting of fifteen weeks of summer camp and four different weekend retreats. Has been touching lives since 1934. Located at Doubling Gap Center.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brethren in Christ Church: Anabaptist-evangelical denomination with strong Mid-Atlantic roots, regional conferences, camp and retreat ministries (e.g., Camp Calvary), and a denominational seminary. Closely aligned with the ERC in theology, geography, and ministry portfolio.
• Evangelical Congregational Church: Fellowship of evangelical congregations headquartered in the same Pennsylvania/Mid-Atlantic region, with parallel ministries in camp operations (Camp ECC), theological education (Evangelical Theological Seminary), and pastoral credentialing. Most direct regional peer.
• Missionary Church: Anabaptist-evangelical denomination with district conferences, camp ministries (e.g., Camp Beaverkill), Bible college partnerships, and pastoral credentialing. Comparable in scale, structure, and Mid-Atlantic/Northeast concentration.

Broad incumbents

• Church of God (Anderson, Indiana): A larger Churches of God denomination headquartered in Anderson, Indiana with cross-regional conferences, camps, and educational ministries. Comparable as a connectional fellowship of autonomous congregations with camp/retreat operations and pastoral credentialing programs.
• Free Methodist Church: Wesleyan-Holiness denomination with regional conferences, Light & Life magazine, camp/retreat centers, and ordained minister credentialing programs. Operates a parallel connectional structure with overlapping ministerial training and camp ministry offerings.
• The Wesleyan Church: Mainline holiness denomination with regional districts, camp/retreat centers (e.g., Wesleyan Woods, Wesley Point), educational institutions, and ordination pathways. Closely mirrors the ERC's structure of districts, credentialing, and camp ministries.
• The Christian and Missionary Alliance: Evangelical denomination with district governance, camp and conference centers, an in-house seminary (Columbia Bible College / Crown College of the Bible), and credentialing of pastors — directly comparable ministry portfolio and structure.
• Church of the Nazarene: Large Wesleyan-Holiness denomination with district structure, extensive camp and retreat network, six global seminaries, and ordination credentialing. Closely comparable on district governance, camp/retreat operations, and pastoral training pipelines.
• Churches of God, General Conference: The parent denominational body headquartered in Findlay, Ohio. As the parent of the Eastern Regional Conference, it operates the broader denominational structure with shared theological identity, coordinated ministries, and overlapping leadership — the most direct structural peer.

Others

• Winebrenner Theological Seminary: Partner theological institution associated with the Churches of God, General Conference providing ministerial education and credentialing. Comparable as a denomination-adjacent seminary operating in the same Mid-Atlantic theological ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCj99Q2LMhqAjZPoVldN304A
• Facebookfacebook.com/ercchurchesofgod
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-eastern-regional-conference-of-the-churches-of-god

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Churches of God