California Southern Baptist Convention

What California Southern Baptist Convention does

The California Southern Baptist Convention (CSBC) is a religious nonprofit convention body headquartered in Fresno, California, formally organized on September 13, 1940, with Baptist ministry roots in the state dating to 1849. It serves as the California state affiliate of the Southern Baptist Convention and functions as a coordinating body for roughly 2,300-2,405 cooperating churches and missions representing approximately 450,000 members across 60-80 language groups. Its operational portfolio comprises six ministry lines: Evangelism (grants, training, and a 1 Million Gospel Presentations by 2030 initiative), Church Matters (church health, revitalization, bylaws, and compliance support including AB 506), Church Planting (delivered via Send Network California with a reported 70%+ success rate), Missions (cross-cultural outreach and partnership with the International Mission Board), Disaster Relief (volunteer-based response serving meals and recovery assistance), and Communications (TW@CSBC newsletter and the Great Commission Collective podcast). CSBC has no proprietary technology platform; it relies on standard church management tools, email and podcast distribution, and third-party platforms for grants and resources.

CSBC's business model is donation-funded rather than commercial. It has no priced product; revenue streams include the Cooperative Program (recurring giving channeled through state and regional Baptist conventions), the California Mission Offering, Disaster Relief donations, the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering (North American missions), the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering (forwarded to the International Mission Board for overseas work), and World Hunger Ministries. All core services and resources are provided free to member churches, with grants (evangelism grants, building repair grants) conditioned on Cooperative Program and/or CMO participation. Go-to-market is community-led and association-channeled: churches apply via apply.csbc.com, are organized through regional associations, and are reached through newsletters, podcasts, events (Evangelism Workshops, Movement-Ready Day, the Annual Meeting, Ignition 2025), and referrals to SBC entities such as the North American Mission Board and International Mission Board.

CSBC is governed by an Executive Board and annual meetings of messengers from cooperating churches. Affiliated institutions include California Baptist University (founded 1950, Riverside) and The Baptist Foundation of California (Ontario). The leadership team, led by Executive Director Pete Ramirez and CFO Marc Tempesta, is organized into functional teams: Evangelism Initiatives, Missions Initiatives, Church Matters, Communications, Church Planting, and Disaster Relief, supported by Business Services and Ambassador roles.

Name

California Southern Baptist Convention

Legal name

California Southern Baptist Convention

Website

https://csbc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1940

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

California Southern Baptist Convention is a Fresno-based, 1940-founded religious nonprofit coordinating roughly 2,300 Southern Baptist churches and approximately 450,000 members across California through evangelism grants, church planting, disaster relief, missions, and church health services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Denomination Services / Church Resourcing

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Religious Organizations (81311)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Christian Colleges with Theological Programs (EDAHAKAG)

Keywords

• Church planting services
• Evangelism training programs
• Disaster relief ministry
• Church health resources
• Religious cooperative network

Headquarters

HQ city

Fresno

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Cooperative Program: Churches support the Cooperative Program by submitting contributions through a network of state and regional Baptist conventions. These funds fuel ministry and mission goals regionally, statewide, nationally, and globally, supporting SBC missionaries, training, church planting, and ethical/religious liberty concerns.
2. California Mission Offering: The California Mission Offering supports church starting, healthy churches, disaster relief, mission action, association projects, and migrant missions throughout California.
3. Disaster Relief Donations: Donations support CSBC volunteers who contribute manpower, ministry, and financial help during major disasters, used to help volunteers meet physical needs and share the gospel.
4. Annie Armstrong Easter Offering: Focuses on Southern Baptist mission efforts in the U.S. and Canada, supporting approximately 4,000 North American missionaries.
5. Lottie Moon Christmas Offering: Focuses on Southern Baptist mission efforts outside the United States, with gifts forwarded to the International Mission Board.
6. World Hunger Ministries: Hunger ministries assist churches, associations, and CSBC to distribute food and share the gospel with people in need.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

California Southern Baptist Convention is a religious denomination convention that resources approximately 2,300 Southern Baptist churches and missions across California with evangelism grants and training, church planting support, disaster relief coordination, missions strategy, and church health tools. Services are funded through church giving via the Cooperative Program and various mission offerings, and are delivered to member churches free of charge. The organization does not sell products but provides ministry infrastructure, training, and cooperative coordination.

Product overview

California Southern Baptist Convention is a religious organization resourcing approximately 2,300 churches across California with ~450,000 members. Its product portfolio centers on ministry support services including Evangelism Resources and Grants (supporting Gospel presentations), Church Matters (church health and compliance tools), Missions Initiatives (cross-cultural outreach), Church Planting through Send Network California (with 70%+ success rate), Disaster Relief services, and the Year of Prayer initiative. Communications offerings include the This Week @ CSBC newsletter and Great Commission Collective Podcast. The organization also administers the California Mission Offering (CMO) as a funding vehicle, manages the Annual Church Profile (ACP) for statistical tracking, and operates the ReNew California revitalization initiative. All offerings function as ministry support services rather than technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Evangelism Resources and Grants

Quantifiable outcome

• 120,034 gospel presentations in 2023 through evangelism grant-funded events
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSBC is a state affiliate of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in America. Churches cooperate through the SBC to support missionaries, education, and benevolent ministries regionally, statewide, nationally, and globally. The SBC's North American Mission Board (NAMB) and International Mission Board work with CSBC for church planting and overseas missions.
• California Baptist UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded in 1950 and located in Riverside, California Baptist University provides liberal arts education in a Christian environment. CSBC is affiliated with CBU as one of its supported institutions.
• The Baptist Foundation of CaliforniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBased in Ontario, California, the Foundation provides trust management, money management for individuals and churches, and limited church financing. CSBC is affiliated with the Foundation as part of its network.
• Send Network (North American Mission Board)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSBC partners with Send Network, the largest church planting network in North America, to offer assessment, training, coaching, and resources for church planters in California. This partnership provides access to top-level church planting support and achieves over 70% success rate.
• International Mission BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSBC partners with the International Mission Board, which supports more than 3,500 overseas missionaries and church planters globally. CSBC serves as a single point of contact for the IMB.
• Church HR NetworkminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership for AB 506 compliance support. CSBC has pre-paid HR180 membership for member churches, providing access to Church HR Network's compliance tools, training resources, and dedicated support team.
• ChurchWestminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerChurchWest provides bylaws reviews and resources for CSBC churches, including model child protection policy and guide to AB 506 compliant background checks.
• Replicate.orgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReplicate.org partners with CSBC for the ReNew California initiative, a church revitalization movement. Movement-Ready Day is hosted through this partnership.
• ChurchWest BylawsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides bylaws consultation, reviews, and resources for CSBC churches and those wanting to join the convention.
• Fresno County Sheriff's DepartmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership with Set Free Sanger church, supporting local outreach and recovery ministry initiatives.
• Sanger Unified School DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership with Set Free Sanger church for local outreach and youth/family support programs.
• Clovis Hills ChurchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership supporting Set Free Sanger church's ministry and outreach efforts.
• United Covenant ChurchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership supporting local ministry and gospel outreach initiatives.
• The City of SangerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partnership supporting Set Free Sanger church's community outreach and recovery ministry.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Southern Baptist Convention: National parent denomination of CSBC. Operates the broader Southern Baptist ecosystem including the Cooperative Program, IMB, and NAMB. Directly comparable as the umbrella body for CSBC's network.
• The Salvation Army California Division: Large Christian nonprofit operating extensively in California with disaster relief, social services, and congregational programming. Comparable as a faith-based organization delivering disaster response and community outreach at scale within California.

Direct peers

• Northwest Baptist Convention: State Baptist convention serving Washington, Oregon, and northern Idaho. Closely comparable structure — affiliates autonomous churches, runs church planting, disaster relief, and missions — with similar revenue model via the Cooperative Program.
• Baptist General Convention of Texas: Texas state Baptist convention and one of the largest state Baptist bodies in the U.S. Highly comparable as a state-level fellowship of autonomous Baptist churches providing grants, training, church planting, and missions coordination.
• Southern Baptist Convention of Arizona: Arizona state SBC affiliate. Directly comparable as a state-level convention coordinating cooperating churches, church planting, missions, and ministry support across a single western U.S. state.
• California-Pacific Conference of the United Methodist Church: Regional body of the United Methodist Church covering California and the Pacific region. Comparable as a geographically defined denominational organization serving California congregations with clergy support, missions, and church revitalization.
• North American Mission Board (Send Network): SBC entity and CSBC's primary church planting partner. Operates Send Network, the largest church planting network in North America, which provides assessment, training, and coaching — the same services CSBC delivers to its planters.
• International Mission Board: SBC entity supporting3,500+ overseas missionaries. CSBC functions as a single point of contact for IMB within California, making IMB a direct operational peer in cross-cultural missions mobilization.
• California Baptist University: Riverside-based Christian university affiliated with CSBC. Comparable as a CSBC-affiliated institution providing higher education and leadership development for the same constituency.

Emerging players

• Acts 29: International church planting network with a presence in California. Comparable as a church planting and church revitalization organization operating in the same geography and overlapping in target audience of new church planters.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/californiasbc
• Facebookfacebook.com/CSBCofficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/californiasbc
• Instagraminstagram.com/csbc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about California Southern Baptist Convention