What the heart of england baptist association does

Heart of England Baptist Association (HEBA) is a registered charity (Charity Number 1080529, Company Number 00238738) and one of 13 regional associations of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, providing pastoral, administrative, training, safeguarding, and financial support to approximately 150 Baptist churches across eight counties in central England: Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, the Black Country, Birmingham, Coventry, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire. The association is headquartered at 480 Chester Road, Sutton Coldfield, and is governed by a board of trustees led by Moderator Judith Miller.

HEBA's service portfolio comprises six core programmes: (1) "Learning @ the Heart," a twelve-module theological training course priced at £96 per module, designed to meet the requirements for Baptist Recognised Local Minister status; (2) Grants and Loans, offering competitively priced loans (minimum £25,001 up to £200,000, at base rate minus 1% with a 1% floor) for church building projects, extensions, and structural repairs; (3) Help for Treasurers, providing book-keeping and accounts services for churches with income under £100,000; (4) Help for Charity Trustees, delivering governance and property training; (5) Levels 2 and 3 Safeguarding Training delivered by trained church members with monthly Designated Pastoral Support surgeries; and (6) the Justice Hub, an advocacy programme addressing Racial, Disability, and Women's justice. The underlying technology stack consists of Hubb.Church (a third-party CMS platform operated by Hubb Digital Ltd), with no proprietary AI or data systems.

The business model is fundamentally a federated, contribution-based charitable model rather than a commercial one. Revenue is sourced from three streams: voluntary church contributions (churches are encouraged to give 5% of general fund income to Home Mission, with HEBA churches contributing £327,731 in 2024, down 1.95% year-on-year), fee-based training (£96 per Learning @ the Heart module), and interest income from the church-building loan book. Operations are delivered by a small core team of approximately 11 people — three Regional Ministers (Revd Adrian Argile as Team Leader, Revd David Ellis, Revd Dr Denise Dobie part-time) plus administrative, safeguarding, finance, property, and payroll staff — and supported by a board of accredited ministers serving as trustees. Distribution is primarily direct through regional field engagement, training events, and the Hubb.Church digital portal.

Name

the heart of england baptist association

Legal name

Heart of England Baptist Association

Website

https://baptist-heartofengland.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Heart of England Baptist Association (HEBA) is a registered UK charity and one of 13 regional associations of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, providing pastoral, training, safeguarding, and financial support services to approximately 150 Baptist churches across 8 central-English counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Denominational Association Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Denominational association services
• Church pastoral support
• Theological discipleship training
• Ministry safeguarding training
• Faith-based community grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Sutton Coldfield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Church Membership Contributions: Churches within the association contribute financially to support HEBA's operations. Churches are encouraged to give 5% of general fund income to Home Mission.
2. Home Mission Giving: Churches contribute to Baptist Home Mission, which funds regional associations, national specialist teams, and mission grants. HEBA churches gave £327,731 in 2024.
3. Training Module Fees: Learning @ the Heart discipleship training modules at £96 per module, providing theological education for church leaders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Heart of England Baptist Association is a registered charity and one of 13 regional associations of the Baptist Union of Great Britain. It supports approximately 150 affiliated Baptist churches across Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, the Black Country, Birmingham, Coventry, Warwickshire and Worcestershire through pastoral care for ministers, mission and practical advice, training events, financial grants and loans, safeguarding training, and justice advocacy programs.

Product overview

The Heart of England Baptist Association operates as a regional association within the Baptist Union of Great Britain, providing a coordinated suite of ministry support services to approximately 150 member churches. Rather than a technology product portfolio, HEBA's offering consists of ministry programs including the 'Learning @ the Heart' discipleship training with twelve theological modules, financial services through grants and loans for church buildings, book-keeping support for smaller congregations, governance training for charity trustees, safeguarding training at multiple levels, and the Justice Hub advocacy program addressing racial, disability, and women's justice. These services are delivered through the Hubb.Church digital platform and supported by regional ministers and administrative staff.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Learning @ the Heart
• Grants and Loans
• Help for Treasurers
• Help for Charity Trustees
• Safeguarding Training
• Justice Hub

Quantifiable outcome

• Around 150 churches served across 8 counties
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Baptist Union of Great Britain (BUGB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHEBA is one of 13 regional associations within the Baptist Union of Great Britain. BUGB provides national specialist teams, Home Mission funding, safeguarding guidance, and resources. HEBA trustees and staff participate in BUGB Council and committees.
• Baptist Insurance CompanymajorGTM or Marketing PartnerBaptist Insurance provides church insurance coverage and risk management resources. They sponsor HEBA communications and provide ENews content on seasonal risks and fundraising. HEBA acknowledges Baptist Insurance support on its website.
• Hubb Digital Ltd (Hubb.Church)coreTechnology or IntegrationHubb.Church provides the website platform and content management system for HEBA. The service is provided by Hubb Digital Ltd, a private limited company, on behalf of the association.
• Bristol Baptist CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheological college in Bristol providing ministerial training. One of several Baptist colleges affiliated with BUGB that HEBA may recommend for training.
• Luther King Theological College (Manchester)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheological college in Manchester providing ministerial training. Karen Martindale serves as Chair of Luther King Theological College and Conference Centre.
• Regent's Park College (Oxford)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheological college at Oxford University providing Baptist ministerial training.
• St Hild, Centre for Baptist Ministry (Sheffield)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheological college in Sheffield providing Baptist ministerial training. Sarb Thapar undergoes training at St Hild.
• Scottish Baptist College (Paisley)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheological college in Scotland providing Baptist ministerial training.
• Thirtyone:eight (formerly CCPAS)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIndependent Christian safeguarding charity providing confidential helpline, support, resources, and specialist safeguarding services including training for churches.
• Anthony Collins SolicitorsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSolicitors who provide governance training for Baptist charity trustees. Mrs Esther Campsall led a governance training event in October 2025.
• Association of Church Accountants and Treasurers (ACAT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVoluntary association providing resources, training and events for churches. Baptist churches in membership with BUGB can join for free.
• East Midlands Baptist Association (EMBA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional Baptist association. Mark Clay, Regional Minister-Team Leader from EMBA, preached at HEBA's 2026 AGM.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• BMS World Mission: Baptist missionary society partnered with HEBA churches and trustees; operates in adjacent faith-mission space but at international rather than regional level. Connected via shared Baptist ecosystem rather than direct service overlap.

Broad incumbents

• Baptist Union of Great Britain: National umbrella body of which HEBA is one of 13 regional associations. Operates broader specialist teams, Home Mission funding allocation, and national safeguarding guidance; acts as both parent and peer ecosystem layer.
• Methodist Church - British region: UK Methodist Church operates a parallel regional/district structure with similar pastoral, training, and safeguarding services to local churches. Comparable denominational support model, though broader in scope.
• United Reformed Church (URC) Synods: URC operates regional synods providing ministerial pastoral care, training, and grants to member churches — a comparable regional denominational support structure for a different UK Protestant tradition.

Direct peers

• Yorkshire Baptist Association: Another Baptist regional association serving churches across Yorkshire with regional ministers, training programs, and grants. Highly comparable operating model and service portfolio to HEBA.
• South Wales Baptist Association: Baptist regional association serving churches in South Wales with regional ministers and training/grant services. Operates an essentially identical model to HEBA under the same BUGB umbrella.
• London Baptist Association: Baptist regional association covering Greater London churches with the same regional minister and church-support model as HEBA. Directly comparable structure, differing only in urban geography and church density.
• West of England Baptist Association: Sister Baptist regional association covering the West of England with parallel services (pastoral support, training, safeguarding, grants) to member churches. Comparable mission and operating model.
• East Midlands Baptist Association: Sister Baptist regional association within the Baptist Union of Great Britain, operating an identical model of regional ministers, pastoral support, training, and grants for member churches in an adjacent UK region. Directly comparable in scale, structure, and service mix.

Regional players

• Church of England Diocese of Lichfield: CofE diocesan structure covering overlapping West Midlands geography with similar pastoral, training, and property/trust services to Anglican churches. Comparable regional faith-administrative role, though denominationally distinct.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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