World Impact

What World Impact does

World Impact is a 501(c)(3) Christian nonprofit founded in 1971 and headquartered in City of Industry, California, with significant operational presence in Wichita, Kansas. Its mission is to train and equip church leaders serving urban communities of poverty. The organization operates four core programs: The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI), which delivers church-based seminary curricula in three tiers (Fight the Good Fight, Cornerstone 1-year certificate, and Capstone 4-year seminary-level program); the Evangel School of Urban Church Planting, which trains church plant teams using the proprietary P.L.A.N.T. methodology; a Prison Ministry program operating TUMI-based seminary satellites inside correctional facilities; and a Trauma Healing Program delivered in partnership with the American Bible Society's Trauma Healing Institute.

The underlying technology stack is modest and centered on World Impact U, a digital learning platform combining Canvas LMS and Zoom for asynchronous and synchronous course delivery, supplemented by SmartSheet for application forms. Curricula are proprietary, human-authored, and offered in multiple languages (English and Spanish, with Arabic in active translation). Programs are distributed through a hybrid channel: a self-serve online platform, a network of certified Evangel Deans and TUMI site coordinators operating in-person sites, and 18+ academic institution partnerships (including Fuller, Cairn, and Pepperdine) that accept TUMI credits toward accredited degrees.

The business model is donation-led with modest training-fee supplementation. Pricing is intentionally kept low to remove barriers (Cornerstone at $35/course, Evangel School at $20-$100 per team, trauma healing training at $25-$75 per person). Revenue streams include individual/church/foundation donations, planned giving and estate gifts, nominal program and licensing fees, and curriculum/resource sales. The organization reports FY2024 allocation of 69% of funds to ministry programs and 31% to operations, and operates with no traditional equity, no parent company, and no recent external funding rounds, consistent with a sustained, mission-driven nonprofit operating model.

Name

World Impact

Legal name

World Impact

Website

https://worldimpact.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

World Impact is a 501(c)(3) Christian nonprofit founded in 1971 that trains urban church leaders in communities of poverty through seminary curricula, church planting training, prison ministry, and trauma healing programs delivered across 20 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ministry Training Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ministerial Training Institutes (Clergy Formation) (EDAHAKAE), Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE), Missionary Training Colleges & Schools (EDAHAKAF)

Keywords

• Urban ministry training
• Church-based seminary
• Church planting training
• Trauma healing ministry
• Prison ministry training

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a Christian nonprofit organization, World Impact's primary revenue comes from donations from individuals, churches, and foundations who support the mission of training urban church leaders in communities of poverty.
2. Ministry Training Program Fees: Modest registration and course fees for training programs: Church-Based Seminary site licensing, online Cornerstone courses ($35/course), Capstone courses, Evangel School registration ($20/team member US, $5 international), Dean Training registration ($65 US, $45 international), and trauma healing training ($25 healing groups, $50 initial, $75 advanced).
3. Curriculum and Resource Sales: Sale of published books and training materials including the Church PLANT Manual, Fight the Good Fight curriculum, Redemptive Poverty Work books, and other ministry resources through Amazon and direct distribution.
4. Planned Giving and Estate Gifts: Acceptance of planned gifts including bequests, IRA rollovers, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, donor advised funds, and life estates as part of legacy giving programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

World Impact trains urban church leaders through its church-based seminary (The Urban Ministry Institute / TUMI), its Evangel School of Urban Church Planting, its Prison Ministry program operating seminary satellites inside correctional facilities, and its Bible-based Trauma Healing Program. Training is delivered via the World Impact U digital learning platform and through in-person satellite sites coordinated by certified trainers across 20 countries, targeting pastors and ministry workers in communities of poverty who lack access to traditional seminary education.

Product overview

World Impact offers a suite of ministry training programs designed for urban church leaders in communities of poverty. The core offerings include The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI) for church-based seminary training, the Evangel School of Urban Church Planting for church plant teams, Prison Ministry for incarcerated and returning citizens, and the Trauma Healing Program in partnership with the Trauma Healing Institute. Training is delivered through multiple formats: in-person satellite sites, World Impact U (a digital learning platform), and online courses (Cornerstone for a 1-year certificate and Capstone for a 4-year seminary-level certificate). The ecosystem includes curriculum resources, coaching services, and certification pathways for facilitators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI): Church-based seminary providing affordable and accessible theological training for urban ministry leaders, offering Cornerstone and Capstone curricula.
• Evangel School of Urban Church Planting
• Capstone Curriculum
• Cornerstone Curriculum
• Church PLANT Manual

Products and services

• The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI) Church-Based Seminary A church-based seminary providing affordable and accessible seminary-level theological training for men and women in communities of poverty, delivered through in-person satellites and online (Canvas/Zoom) in multiple languages. TUMI has trained urban pastors and ministry leaders for 30+ years through its Cornerstone (1-year) and Capstone (4-year) curricula.
• Evangel School of Urban Church Planting A 2-day intensive training program for 2–5 person church plant teams using the P.L.A.N.T. methodology (Prepare, Launch, Assemble, Nurture, Transition), culminating in a 12-month strategic Evangel Charter and a year of follow-up coaching. Designed for teams planting churches in under-resourced urban communities in the US and internationally.
• Prison Ministry Program An inside-out prison ministry that establishes TUMI Church-Based Seminary satellites inside correctional facilities to train incarcerated individuals and returning citizens for ministry behind prison walls and upon release. Currently training over 1,400 leaders inside prisons.
• Trauma Healing Program A Bible-based trauma healing program delivered in partnership with the American Bible Society's Trauma Healing Institute. Equips urban ministry workers to facilitate healing groups (6–12 people, 12–15 hours) and offers a certification pathway from Apprentice to Master Facilitator. Includes Healing the Wounds of Trauma foundational program for adults, teen journal, inmate journal, generational trauma guide, and children's materials (Healing Hearts Club).
• World Impact U Digital Learning Platform A digital learning platform providing 24/7 access to ministry training resources including videos, quizzes, and certification tracks. Built on Canvas LMS and Zoom, it enables churches to deliver Cornerstone and Capstone courses online with self-paced and cohort options accessible from any device.
• Redemptive Poverty Work Training A training program that equips churches and ministry networks with a redemptive mindset for serving communities of poverty in ways that honor Christ and emphasize transformation over charity. Forms the conceptual foundation for World Impact's other urban ministry programs.
• Church PLANT Manual A principle-based guidebook for the Evangel School of Urban Church Planting, designed to assist urban church plant teams in developing a strategic one-year plan for their specific context. Edited by Dean of Church Plant Schools Rev. Ted Smith and sold via Amazon and direct distribution.

Quantifiable outcome

• 900+ church plant teams equipped since 2016
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Barna GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partnership to produce 'Inside the Urban Church: How Local Congregations Engage With and Impact Their Communities' report. Partnership informs and supports urban church leaders with data-driven insights. World Impact and Barna jointly offer free assessment tools for urban pastors.
• Canadian Bible SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to translate World Impact's Trauma Healing materials into Arabic and expand trauma healing training to Arabic-speaking newcomer communities across Canada. Partners Raffi and Majd host healing groups in all Canadian Bible Society outreach to newcomers.
• Trauma Healing Institute (American Bible Society)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld Impact partners with the Trauma Healing Institute (part of American Bible Society) to present their proven, Bible-based trauma healing approach. THI provides curriculum while World Impact provides training delivery network.
• Cairn UniversityminorOthersAcademic partnership allowing TUMI students to transfer credits toward degrees. Cairn University is one of 18+ accredited institutions participating in the credit transfer program.
• Fuller Theological SeminaryminorOthersAcademic partnership allowing TUMI students to transfer credits. Fuller Theological Seminary is one of 18+ accredited institutions participating in the credit transfer program.
• Prison FellowshipminorOthersAcademic/ministry partnership supporting prison ministry training. One of the academic and ministry partners that accepts TUMI curriculum or collaborates on prison ministry initiatives.
• Fuller Theological Seminary, Dallas International University, Nyack College, Pepperdine University, and 13+ othersminorOthers18+ accredited liberal arts schools and seminaries offer students credit for successful completion of TUMI Capstone Curriculum. Enables up to 32 college credits through participating institutions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Moody Bible Institute: Long-established accredited theological training institution offering biblical education and ministry preparation. Comparable because it produces urban and global church leaders, though Moody is a broad, accredited institution rather than a focused urban-ministry specialist.
• Fuller Theological Seminary: Accredited evangelical seminary with extensive urban-ministry and multiethnic programs and online learning. Comparable because it trains urban pastors and accepts TUMI credits, serving as both a feeder for World Impact graduates and an adjacent educational option.

Direct peers

• Prison Fellowship: Faith-based organization working inside correctional facilities for inmate rehabilitation and reentry. Direct peer because it shares prison-ministry focus, in-prison program delivery, and reentry-support mission; World Impact explicitly names it as a partner.
• Acts 29: Church-planting network that trains, assesses, and coaches church planting teams, especially in under-resourced contexts. Direct peer because its core mission — equipping church planters with reproducible strategy and ongoing coaching — overlaps heavily with the Evangel School.
• American Bible Society (Trauma Healing Institute): Develops and distributes the Bible-based trauma-healing curriculum that World Impact delivers. Peer because Trauma Healing Institute is the curriculum originator while World Impact is the primary delivery network — a co-development relationship with overlapping beneficiaries.
• Pioneer Bible Translators / Haggai Institute: Trains national leaders for ministry and church multiplication in under-resourced and cross-cultural contexts globally. Direct peer because its model of equipping local leaders in their own countries mirrors World Impact's train-the-trainer philosophy across its 20-country footprint.
• Church Multiplication Network: Network dedicated to multiplying healthy churches through planter training, coaching, and peer networks. Direct peer to the Evangel School, sharing both church-planting methodology and a focus on reproducible, coach-supported planter cohorts.
• Youth With A Mission (YWAM): Global, multi-country missionary training and church-planting movement with a discipleship-school model. Peer because it shares the international, low-cost, church-planting training philosophy and operates training hubs in many of the same 20+ countries.

Others

• Barna Group: Research firm focused on the church and faith community, including the 'Inside the Urban Church' report co-developed with World Impact. Peer as a research-and-thought-leadership partner addressing the same target audience of urban pastors.

Regional players

• Cairn University: Accredited Christian university that accepts TUMI curriculum for credit transfer. Comparable because it provides formal theological education to a similar student profile, and is a partner institution in the same credit-stack ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/worldimpactinc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@WorldImpactInc
• Facebookfacebook.com/World.Impact.Inc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/world-impact
• Instagraminstagram.com/worldimpact

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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 World Impact