Carey Nieuwhof Communications

What Carey Nieuwhof Communications does

Carey Nieuwhof Communications is a privately-held, founder-owned personal brand business headquartered north of Toronto, Canada, focused on leadership development for church pastors and ministry leaders. The company operates a content-and-education platform anchored by The Art of Leadership Academy, a paid subscription community (tiered from free to $497/year) delivering 12+ on-demand courses, monthly live coaching calls, and on-demand training resources through a web platform with iOS and Android mobile apps. Auxiliary revenue streams include book sales (At Your Best, Didn't See It Coming, Lasting Impact, and the forthcoming AI and the Future Church), an annual in-person conference (The Art of Leadership Live, Nashville, $597/ticket), speaker fees for keynote appearances, and sponsorships of the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast (37M+ downloads, 760+ episodes distributed across Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, and Audible) and the On the Rise newsletter (100,000+ subscribers).

The underlying platform integrates Stripe for payments, ActiveCampaign for email automation, and Vimeo/YouTube for video distribution, without any disclosed proprietary AI models or developer-facing APIs. The company's go-to-market is a hybrid product-led and community-led motion: free entry points (podcast, blog, newsletter, free downloads such as the Preaching Cheat Sheet, downloaded 40,000+ times) feed a tiered Academy funnel ($17/month Starter Kit, $57/month All-Access, $497/year Annual Plan), supplemented by a separate event-led channel through speaking engagements and an application-based annual conference. Customer segments lead with church pastors and senior leaders, with secondary segments in ministry staff, denominational networks, and faith-driven business leaders.

The business is bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding, supported by 11-50 employees, and partnered with Southeastern University (2023) to enable Academy course completion to transfer toward a master's degree. Key scale signals include 14,000+ cumulative Academy course users, 250,000+ monthly website visitors, 1.5M+ monthly content accesses, and 180,000+ social followers, indicating a long-tail, SMB-and-individual customer base with no enterprise concentration.

Name

Carey Nieuwhof Communications

Legal name

Carey Nieuwhof Communications

Website

https://careynieuwhof.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Carey Nieuwhof Communications is a Canadian-based personal brand business providing leadership training, an online course community called The Art of Leadership Academy, books, a podcast, and an annual conference for church pastors and ministry leaders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Leadership Development Training

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Leadership & Management (EDAGANAA)

Keywords

• Leadership development
• Church leadership training
• Online learning platform
• Ministry resources
• Pastoral coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Barrie

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Academy Membership Subscriptions: Recurring monthly ($57) and annual ($497) subscriptions for unlimited access to The Art of Leadership Academy courses, community, live coaching calls, and monthly team training. Starter Kit tier at $17/month offers limited access.
2. Conference Tickets: The Art of Leadership Live in-person conference tickets sold at $597 each. Application-based admission ensures curated attendance.
3. Book Sales: Published books including 'At Your Best', 'Didn't See It Coming', 'Lasting Impact', and 'AI and the Future Church' (pre-order) sold through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and ChristianBook.com.
4. Speaking Fees: Carey Nieuwhof charges appearance fees for keynotes and sessions at church leadership conferences, corporate events, and leadership networks.
5. Podcast and Blog Sponsorship: Sponsorship packages for the leadership podcast, blog, and email newsletter reaching church leaders and faith-driven business leaders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Carey Nieuwhof Communications operates The Art of Leadership Academy, a subscription-based online learning and community platform for church leaders, alongside a leadership podcast, weekly newsletter, books, and an annual in-person conference. The Academy delivers unlimited on-demand courses (preaching, church growth, generosity, team leadership, change management, succession, online influence), a private community of pastors, monthly live coaching calls, and plug-and-play monthly team training resources.

Product overview

Carey Nieuwhof Communications operates a platform-plus-community business model centered on church leadership development. The core offering is The Art of Leadership Academy, a paid membership providing unlimited on-demand access to 14 individual courses including The Art of Preaching, Fund the Future, Art of Navigating Church Conflict, Art of Building a Generous Congregation, At Your Best, Art of Reaching, Art of Church Growth, Art of Team Leadership, Art of Leading Change, Art of Pastoral Succession, Art of Online Influence, and Monthly Team Training. Supporting the Academy are live events (Art of Leadership Live Conference), a podcast (Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast with 37M+ downloads), a free weekly newsletter (On the Rise), multiple books (AI and the Future Church, Didn't See It Coming, Lasting Impact, Leading Change Without Losing It), and free resources (Preaching Cheat Sheet, Burnout Assessment, Generosity Guide). The company also offers partnerships including a master's degree pathway with Southeastern University. The ecosystem is unified around helping church leaders thrive in life and leadership through practical training, community, and content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Art of Leadership Academy: Premium membership platform offering courses, coaching calls, and community for church leaders. Includes courses on preaching, church growth, generosity, team leadership, change management, online influence, and pastoral succession. Pricing tiers: Free, Starter Kit ($17/month), All-Access ($57/month), Annual Plan ($497/year).
• The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast
• The Art of Leadership Live
• AI and the Future Church
• At Your Best
• Didn't See It Coming
• Lasting Impact

Products and services

• The Art of Leadership Academy A paid subscription membership platform for church leaders offering unlimited on-demand access to comprehensive courses, a private online community, monthly live coaching calls, and done-for-you monthly team training. Priced from free to $497/year across Starter Kit, All-Access, and Annual tiers.
• The Art of Leadership Live Conference A 3-day in-person leadership conference held in Nashville, TN featuring curated keynotes, panels, table discussions, and networking with growth-minded church leaders. Priced at $597 per ticket with application-based admission.
• Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast A free weekly leadership podcast featuring interviews with world-class leaders such as Seth Godin, Simon Sinek, Craig Groeschel, and Francis Chan. Distributed across Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, and Audible with over 37 million downloads and 760+ episodes.
• On the Rise Newsletter A free weekly newsletter delivered every Friday featuring curated content about ministry, culture, the future church, and leadership topics. Has 100,000+ subscribers.
• AI and the Future Church A book releasing September 15, 2026 addressing how AI is changing truth, identity, community, and the church. Covers three shifts church leaders need to make: Make Sundays Non-Downloadable, Build Shock Absorbers, and Fortify Integrity. Available for pre-order with an immediate Executive Summary bonus.
• At Your Best A bestselling book and productivity masterclass helping leaders escape stress and burnout. Includes productivity strategies, time blocking templates, and sustainable pace principles. Has helped 50,000+ leaders.
• Didn't See It Coming A bestselling leadership book revealing seven core issues that take people out: cynicism, compromise, disconnectedness, irrelevance, pride, burnout, and emptiness of success.
• Lasting Impact A book helping church leaders navigate growth through seven powerful conversations about church health, leadership, and cultural trends.
• Leading Change Without Losing It A book focused on helping leaders successfully implement change and overcome opposition, pushback, and resistance.
• Preaching Cheat Sheet A free 10-step guide developed over 25+ years of preaching, downloaded by 40,000+ preachers to help craft clear, engaging, and memorable sermons.
• Burnout Assessment A free assessment helping leaders identify burnout signs, accompanied by a Thrive Calendar time blocking template for busy church leaders.
• 4 Steps to Engage Your Church Around Giving and Generosity Guide A free guide providing practical steps and mindset shifts to engage congregations around money and generosity.

Quantifiable outcome

• Church attendance nearly doubled for New Life Church after joining Academy
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Southeastern UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership allowing Art of Leadership Academy members to transfer course completion toward a master's degree at Southeastern University. Provides academic credential pathway for ministry leaders seeking formal education.
• SubsplashminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSubsplash partnered on content creation around church technology topics. Mentioned in blog posts about AI in the church and church management software. Subsplash is a church technology platform.
• GloominorGTM or Marketing PartnerGloo, a technology platform for the faith ecosystem, has partnered on content about AI, texting for churches, and church health dashboards. Multiple guest posts written by Gloo staff appear on the blog.
• Cannery HallminorOthersVenue partnership for The Art of Leadership Live conference in Nashville, TN.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Michael Hyatt: Leadership and productivity author, speaker, and online course creator with a faith-informed perspective. Comparable in business model (books, courses, coaching community, paid membership) and in target overlap with faith-driven leaders and executives.
• Catalyst: Brad Lomenick's leadership movement producing conferences, content, and resources for church and business leaders. Closely comparable as a leadership conference + content brand targeting the same crossover audience of church and marketplace leaders.
• Proverbs 31 Ministries: Faith-based content and training organization offering online Bible studies, leadership resources, books, and events. Comparable as a Christian-content brand monetizing through content, community, books, and events for ministry leaders.
• Nelson Searcy: Church growth author, coach, and course creator selling premium content, coaching, and conferences to pastors. Directly comparable as a personal-brand business selling subscription courses, books, and events to the same church-leader buyer.
• The Unstuck Group: Tony Morgan's church consulting and content company producing resources, books, and advisory services for church leaders. Closely comparable to Carey Nieuwhof Communications in target customer (pastors and church leadership teams), product mix (content, advisory, books), and faith-based positioning.

Broad incumbents

• John Maxwell Company: John Maxwell's leadership training enterprise offering books, courses, speaking, and certified coaching programs globally. Overlaps on leadership development content and speaker business, but operates at a much larger scale and broader (non-faith-specific) market.
• Life.Church (Craig Groeschel): Multi-site church and digital content platform with leadership resources, books, and online tools for pastors. Comparable in that Craig Groeschel publishes leadership content and co-instructs masterclasses (e.g., 'Fund the Future') in the same church-leader space.
• North Point Ministries (Andy Stanley): Multi-site church network with leadership content, podcasts, and resources (including the North Point Network serving pastors). Comparable as a church-led content and training brand for pastors, though anchored to a parent church organization.
• Tony Robbins: Personal-brand leadership and performance business selling events, books, courses, and coaching at massive scale. Comparable business model (personal brand, premium events, courses, books) but with a much broader secular audience and larger scale.

Others

• Pat Flynn / Smart Passive Income: Personal brand education business teaching online course creators and entrepreneurs how to build and monetize digital products. Comparable in GTM mechanics (podcast-led audience, courses, community) though targeting a different buyer — useful as a benchmark for the personal-brand course business model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UClUd0Z_Y7-PgkCjjwddM5Qw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/careynieuwhof

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

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 Carey Nieuwhof Communications