Christ Church

What Christ Church does

Christ Church is a 1695-founded Episcopal parish and National Historic Landmark located at 20 N. American Street in Philadelphia's Old City. It operates as a non-profit religious organization affiliated with the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, serving three primary constituencies: Episcopal parishioners (worship, sacraments, community), tourists and history enthusiasts (250,000 annual visitors), and educational and community organizations. The institution's physical assets include the 1744 Georgian church building, the adjacent 1715 Christ Church Burial Ground (1,400 markers, graves of Benjamin Franklin and five Declaration signers), and the Neighborhood House (1915, 110-seat ADA-accessible theater).

The organization's revenue model is diversified across four primary streams: (1) recurring tithes and offerings from congregants via Tithe.ly; (2) one-time tour admissions ($2-$10, processed via Square); (3) tiered annual membership through the Friends of Christ Church program ($50-$5,000 across 8 tiers); and (4) tax-deductible donations to the Christ Church Preservation Trust (est. 1965, has raised $15M historically) via Bloomerang. Operations are supported by clergy, administrative staff, and a separate Executive Director-led Preservation Trust. Technical infrastructure consists of livestream capabilities (Facebook Live, YouTube), online donation platforms, and a CLIR/Mellon-funded digital archival project digitizing 41,000+ records spanning 1708-1870. The C.B. Fisk Opus 150 mechanical tracker-action pipe organ (3,099 pipes, $3.5M, dedicated 2018) is a unique musical asset.

Distribution occurs through in-person site visits (daily 11AM-5PM hours), online livestream services (global reach), reserved group tours including the new June 2024 Steeple & Skyline Tour ($10), and Neighborhood House venue rentals. Marketing channels include a comprehensive website, social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), email newsletters, earned media coverage, and community partnerships with Episcopal-related and Philadelphia-area service organizations. The organization is governed by a vestry with Rector Rev. Samantha Vincent-Alexander (20th rector, appointed 2022) leading the parish.

Name

Christ Church

Legal name

Christ Church

Website

https://christchurchphila.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Christ Church is a 1695-founded Episcopal parish and National Historic Landmark in Philadelphia serving worshippers, tourists, and educational groups through historic church tours, burial ground visits, worship services, and community programming at the Neighborhood House venue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services & Historical Site Tourism

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Historical Sites (712120), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Operators Of Nonresidential Buildings (6512)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)

Keywords

• Historic religious site
• Historical site tours
• Episcopal parish services
• Historic preservation services
• Cultural heritage tourism

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

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. Tithes and Offerings: Voluntary contributions from congregation members through weekly offerings, automatic bank drafts, and online donations via Tithe.ly platform.
2. Tour Admissions: Revenue from admission fees for guided and self-guided tours of Christ Church and the Burial Ground. Adults $5-$10, youth $2-$5. Combo tickets available for $8 adult, $3 youth.
3. Friends of Christ Church Membership Program: Annual membership program with multiple tiers ($50-$5,000) providing year-round access, guest passes, VIP tours, and exclusive experiences.
4. Preservation Trust Donations: Tax-deductible donations to the Christ Church Preservation Trust supporting preservation, restoration, and maintenance of historic properties.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Christ Church is an active Episcopal parish and National Historic Landmark founded in 1695 that provides weekly worship services (in-person and livestreamed), weddings/baptisms/funerals, guided and self-guided historical tours of its 1744 Georgian church building and adjacent burial ground (1,400 markers including Benjamin Franklin), tiered membership programs, genealogy research from 300 linear feet of archives, a Neighborhood House event venue, and music programs built around a C.B. Fisk Opus 150 pipe organ. Operations are sustained by congregation pledges, tour admissions, Friends membership dues, preservation donations, and heritage grants.

Product overview

Christ Church offers a unified portfolio of historic preservation, worship, and community programs centered around its 1695-founded church building and adjacent properties. Core offerings include tourist attractions (Historic Christ Church tours, Burial Ground with 1,400 Revolutionary-era grave markers, Steeple & Skyline Tours) and the Neighborhood House event venue. As an active Episcopal parish, it provides worship services via in-person and livestream, sacraments (weddings, baptisms, funerals), and music programs featuring the C.B. Fisk pipe organ and choir. Community engagement encompasses educational programming (Godly Play Sunday school, Bridge young adults, Sages 55+), a tiered Friends membership program ($50-$5,000 annually), genealogy research services, and a major digital archival initiative digitizing 40,000+ congregation records. The organization is managed by the Christ Church Preservation Trust (est. 1965), which raises funds for preservation with no federal funding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Historic Christ Church Tours Guided and self-guided tours of the historic 1754 church building featuring Georgian architecture, original box pews of founding fathers, and daily historical talks; open 11AM-5PM daily.
• Christ Church Burial Ground Colonial and Revolutionary-era graveyard with 1,400 markers including five signers of the Declaration of Independence and Benjamin Franklin; two acres in Old City Philadelphia.
• Neighborhood House Venue Rental Adjacent event venue with 110-seat theater, fully ADA-accessible; available for private parties, performances, Fringe Festival events, Farmers Market, and community events.
• Livestream Worship Services Virtual Sunday worship at 10 AM via Facebook Live and YouTube, with archived services available on the YouTube channel.
• Steeple & Skyline Tour Elevated tour experience with 110-stair climb to Neighborhood House rooftop for panoramic Old City views and close-up look at the 1754 steeple; requires advance registration, 20-minute duration, group size 1-15 people.
• Friends of Christ Church Membership Program Annual membership program with tiered levels (Seeker $50, Household $75, Historian $100, Scholar $250, Builder $500, Guardian $1,000, Steward $2,500, Franklin's Circle $5,000) offering year-round site access, exclusive tours, early event registration, and archival research hours.
• Genealogy Research Services Individual search service for church registers covering baptisms, marriages, and burials dating from 1708; minimum $25 fee for one person research, $15 additional per name or couple.
• Wedding, Baptism & Funeral Services Episcopal ceremonies including weddings using Book of Common Prayer liturgy, baptisms with required clergy meetings, and burial rites/memorial services.
• Christ Church Preservation Trust Donations Tax-deductible donation program supporting the preservation, restoration, and maintenance of historic Christ Church, Neighborhood House, and Christ Church Burial Ground.
• Themed Private Tours Curated private themed tour experiences for groups of up to 20 people, priced at $175.

Quantifiable outcome

• 250,000 annual visitors making it among the ten most visited sites in Philadelphia region
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• C.B. Fisk Organ BuilderscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2015Contracted in 2015 to build the Esther Wideman Memorial Organ (Opus 150), a comprehensive three-manual mechanical-action pipe organ. $3.5 million project completed in 2018.
• Episcopal Diocese of PennsylvaniacoreOthersChrist Church is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. The Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Daniel Gutierrez, welcomes visitors to the parish.
• Athenaeum of PhiladelphiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecords undergo scanning at the Athenaeum of Philadelphia's Regional Digital Imaging Center. Partnership for the digitization project connecting archives of 11+ historic Philadelphia congregations.
• University of Pennsylvania Libraries (OPenn)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigitized records will be accessible through OPenn, the University of Pennsylvania Libraries Open Data Portal.
• American Theological Library AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigitized records will be accessible through the ATLA religion and theology digital collections portal.
• Haverford and Swarthmore CollegesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed Quaker records including manumissions and burial records to the digitization project.
• Episcopal Community ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership to meet needs of families in transition from homelessness to permanent housing through specific projects including Fill the Bus, Christmas presents, and spring-cleaning drive.
• PhilabundanceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in late January to help fill cupboards empty during the lull after Christmas.
• Bethesda ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonthly meal preparation and sharing program for men in Bethesda Project program at Old First Reformed Church during colder months.
• John Milner Architects and Keast & HoodcoreTechnology or IntegrationCommissioned for steeple restoration and rehabilitation project planning and structural engineering.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Washington National Cathedral: National Episcopal cathedral in Washington, D.C. that combines active worship, heritage tourism, paid tower/climb tours, music programming, and preservation of a landmark Gothic structure. Highly comparable as a heritage tourism and worship operation, though larger in scale.
• Old South Meeting House: Historic1729 Boston church site that operates primarily as a museum and heritage attraction tied to Revolutionary-era American history, with paid admissions and educational programming. Comparable in its conversion from active parish to interpretive heritage site, though Christ Church retains an active congregation.
• Bruton Parish Church: Colonial-era Anglican/Episcopal church in Colonial Williamsburg (founded 1674) that operates as both an active parish and a major tourist attraction, with a historic cemetery and museum-style interpretation similar to Christ Church's Burial Ground model.
• Trinity Church Wall Street: Historic Episcopal parish in Lower Manhattan that combines active worship, heritage tourism, an active burial ground, music programming, and a major real estate / commercial property portfolio. It is the most operationally analogous historic Episcopal church institution in the U.S.
• Old North Church: Historic Episcopal church in Boston (1715) that combines active worship with paid historical tours, school group programming, and preservation of an iconic Revolutionary-era building. Directly comparable in mission, scale, and visitor orientation.
• Cathedral of St. John the Divine: Historic Episcopal cathedral in New York City combining active worship, heritage tourism, music programming, fine arts installations, and major preservation needs. Comparable in combining Episcopal identity, cultural programming, and ongoing capital campaigns.
• St. Paul's Chapel (Trinity Church): Manhattan's oldest surviving church (1766), part of Trinity Church Wall Street, that operates as a heritage tourist site, active worship venue, and music/concert venue. Comparable combination of historic preservation, tourism, and parish operations.
• St. Philip's Church (Charleston): One of the oldest active Episcopal congregations in the South (founded 1680), located in Charleston, with a historic cemetery, heritage tourism, and a National Historic Landmark designation. Comparable as a colonial-era Episcopal parish operating in a heritage-tourism-driven economy.

Regional players

• Independence Hall (National Park Service): Adjacent Philadelphia heritage site and the most-visited attraction in the city's historic district. Operates as a free heritage tourism anchor that draws many of the same visitors Christ Church relies on, and is the dominant competitor for tourist attention and educational-group bookings in the same geography.
• Old St. Paul's Church (National Historic Landmark, Baltimore): Historic 1814 Episcopal church and national historic landmark in Baltimore that combines active worship with paid heritage tours and a historic cemetery. Operationally similar to Christ Church, though serving a different regional tourist market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/christchurchphiladelphia
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChristChurchPHL
• Instagraminstagram.com/christchurchphl
• Xx.com/ChristChurchPHL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/christ-church-in-philadelphia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Christ Church