Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association

What Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association does

The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association (OGCMA) is a nonprofit Christian camp meeting organization founded in 1869 and chartered in 1870 by the New Jersey State Legislature as a place of perpetual worship. Headquartered at 54 Pitman Avenue in Ocean Grove, NJ, it operates one of the oldest continuously active camp meeting sites in the United States and was designated a State and National Historic District in 1975 for possessing the most extensive Victorian and early-20th-century architecture collection in the country. OGCMA runs a year-round ministry of worship, music, youth, educational, and recreational programming anchored by the 1894 Great Auditorium (6,250-seat capacity) and its Hope-Jones/Shaw pipe organ, alongside a tent/cottage community of 114 licensed units housing multi-generational families.

Its service portfolio spans worship services (Sundays in the Great Auditorium, Beach Church, True Vine Experience, Gospel Music Ministries), music programming (Choir Festival, Summer Stars Classical Concert Series, organ recitals), youth ministries (Thornley Chapel, Sandpipers, Riptide, Junior Lifeguards, performing arts), recreational facilities (tennis, shuffleboard, Fitness Faith & Fun, beach access), Grove Hall Retreat & Conference Center, and The HUB Christian Books & Gifts retail store. Underlying technology is minimal: a Squarespace CMS website, live and on-demand worship streaming with deaf interpretation, and webcam monitoring of the pier and beach.

Revenue is generated from donations and planned giving (primary), beach badge sales, program and membership fees (tennis, shuffleboard, fitness, Junior Lifeguards), tent and cottage licensing fees, facility rentals, and retail. The organization is governed by a 46-member Board of Trustees (26 full plus associate/emeritus/honorary), with charter requirements that at least 10 trustees be clergy and 10 be lay members of the United Methodist Church. It employs a President, COO, Director of Finance & Administration, Program Director, and a staff of roughly 17 named personnel across operations, development, finance, programs, and facilities.

Name

Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association

Legal name

Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association

Website

https://oceangrove.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1869

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association is a 156-year-old nonprofit Christian camp meeting organization in Ocean Grove, NJ, operating the historic 6,250-seat Great Auditorium, 114-unit tent community, worship, music, youth, retreat, and beach recreation programs funded primarily by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Community and Camp Meeting Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Recreational and Vacation Camps (except Campgrounds) (721214)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Conference Retreat Hotels (THAGALAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Eco-Camps & Sustainable Camping Retreats (THAGAOAE)

Keywords

• Christian camp meeting
• Worship services
• Beach recreation
• Retreat conference center
• Youth ministry programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Ocean Grove

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Giving: The organization relies heavily on donations from supporters, members of the tent/cottage community, and visitors who contribute to sustaining the ministry. This includes planned giving programs and general fund donations.
2. Beach Badge Sales: Revenue from beach access badges required for visitors to access the Ocean Grove beach.
3. Program Fees: Fees for various programs including youth ministries, fitness classes, tennis, shuffleboard, junior lifeguards, and other recreational activities.
4. Retail Operations: The HUB Christian Books & Gifts store generates revenue through merchandise sales.
5. Facility Rentals: Grove Hall Retreat & Conference Center hosts groups for retreats and conferences. Tent and cottage licensing fees from the 114 tent/cottage community members.
6. Program Director Employment: The organization employs staff including a Program Director (starting salary $80k), seasonal workers, and various ministry staff.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association operates a historic Christian seaside camp meeting community on the New Jersey shore, offering worship services, music programs, youth ministry, Bible study, retreats, beach access, and recreational facilities. Its central asset is the 1894 Great Auditorium (6,250 seats) housing the 1907 Hope-Jones/Shaw pipe organ, which anchors Sunday worship, concerts, and cultural programming from spring through fall. The organization sells beach badges, runs tennis/shuffleboard/fitness programs, operates a Christian books and gifts retail store, and rents Grove Hall for retreats and conferences.

Product overview

The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association operates as a Christian seaside community ministry offering a unified portfolio of worship, educational, cultural, and recreational programs. The core offering centers on the historic Great Auditorium (built 1894) and its Hope-Jones/Shaw pipe organ, which hosts Sunday worship services and concerts. Related programs include the HUB Welcome Center (Christian books and gifts), the Grove Hall Retreat & Conference Center, and comprehensive youth ministry with performing arts. Recreational offerings encompass beach facilities, tennis (clay and hard courts), shuffleboard, and the Fitness Faith & Fun program. The organization also coordinates annual events including Independence Weekend, Illumination Night, and the new Sand & Sea Arts Festival. The Event Calendar serves as the primary digital hub connecting visitors to all programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The HUB: Welcome center and Christian books and gifts retail store located at 27 Pilgrim Pathway
• Grove Hall Retreat & Conference Center
• Gospel Music Ministries (GMM)
• True Vine Experience
• Youth Temple
• Thornley Chapel
• Junior Lifeguards
• Fitness Faith & Fun
• Summer Stars Classical Concert Series
• Ocean Grove Beautification Project

Products and services

• Great Auditorium Worship and Concert Venue Historic 1894 wooden auditorium with acclaimed acoustics (compared by Leonard Bernstein to Carnegie Hall) and the Hope-Jones/Shaw pipe organ, hosting Sunday worship services, organ recitals, concerts, and cultural events from June through September. Open to worship attendees, concertgoers, and tour visitors.
• Sunday and Weekday Worship Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Great Auditorium seating capacity of 6,250 persons for worship services
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered secondary, core and minor.

• Ocean Grove Area Chamber of CommercesecondaryGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 June 2026The Chamber is hosting the new Sand & Sea Arts Festival on June 13, 2026, presented in partnership with OGCMA. This new festival replaces the OGCMA's Giant Craft Fair after 40+ years.
• St. Paul's Ocean Grove Church (SPOGC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOGCMA and St. Paul's Ocean Grove Church co-provide the Beach Church worship experience at the Boardwalk Pavilion from May through September. Pastors from SPOGC serve as speakers on various Sundays, including Rev. Joseph Tiedemann (Senior Pastor).
• McLaren Engineering GroupminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering firm retained to investigate structural issues with the OGCMA pier extension. Conducted inspections including certified diver underwater observations and design/construction documentation review.
• God Square MilesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMusicians from God Square Mile band feature in the True Vine Experience worship program on select Saturday evenings in the Great Auditorium.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Ridgecrest Conference Center (LifeWay): Operated by LifeWay Christian Resources (Southern Baptist), Ridgecrest is one of the largest Christian conference centers in the U.S. Comparable as a faith-based conference and retreat venue with summer programming, music events, and youth camps, though denominationally broader and larger in scale.
• Chautauqua Institution: A historic 19th-century lakeside community in western New York offering summer programming in religion, arts, education, and recreation. Comparable as a long-established planned Victorian-era summer community combining worship, classical music, education, and recreation — though broader in scope than OGCMA's Wesleyan-Holiness focus.

Direct peers

• Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center: Owned by the Southeastern Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church, Lake Junaluska is a year-round Methodist conference, retreat, and assembly center in western North Carolina. Directly comparable as a UMC-affiliated conference/retreat venue offering worship, music, youth programming, and recreation.
• Montreat Conference Center: A Presbyterian-affiliated conference center in the mountains of North Carolina, offering year-round retreat, conference, and youth programming. Comparable as a historic mainline-Protestant conference and retreat venue with worship, music, and educational programming.
• Kanuga Conference Center: An Episcopal conference, retreat, and summer camp center in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Comparable as a historic mainline-Protestant conference center offering worship, youth programming, retreat facilities, and outdoor recreation — though denominationally distinct from OGCMA's UMC identity.
• Martha's Vineyard Camp Meeting Association: Martha's Vineyard Camp Meeting Association (MVCMA) operates the Wesleyan Grove Camp Meeting on Martha's Vineyard — the most direct historical analog to OGCMA as a 19th-century Methodist camp meeting community with a Tabernacle, surrounding tent community, and continuing summer religious programming. Same denomination origin, same camp-meeting model, same seasonal coastal-resort positioning.
• Stony Point Center: A Presbyterian conference and retreat center in Stony Point, New York. Comparable as a Northeast-based faith-based conference and retreat venue offering overnight accommodations, worship space, and programming for church and nonprofit groups.
• Epworth by the Sea: A United Methodist conference and retreat center on St. Simons Island, Georgia. Directly comparable as a UMC-affiliated coastal retreat center offering worship, conference, and youth programming in a seaside setting analogous to OGCMA's Jersey Shore location.

Regional players

• Westminster Highlands Camp & Retreat Center: A Presbyterian-affiliated camp and retreat center in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina offering year-round hospitality, summer camps, and retreat programming. Comparable as a faith-based retreat and recreation venue, though regionally distinct from OGCMA's coastal Northeast base.

Emerging players

• Pine Lake Fellowship Center: A United Methodist camp and retreat center in Iowa offering summer camps, retreats, and outdoor ministry. Comparable as a UMC-affiliated camp and retreat facility, though smaller in scale and historically less significant than OGCMA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Shoreshuffleboard
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ocean-grove-camp-meeting-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association