ChurchTools Innovations

What ChurchTools Innovations does

ChurchTools Innovations GmbH is a private German software company founded in 2015 (with the underlying software originating in 2004) and headquartered in Karlsruhe, Germany. It develops and operates ChurchTools, an all-in-one, GDPR-compliant church management platform delivered as a web application with native iOS and Android apps, cloud-hosted in German data centers and offered in seven languages (German, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Polish, Finnish). The platform integrates more than 100 domain-specific features across modules covering member management, groups, calendars, events, volunteer coordination, resource booking, check-in, internal chat, knowledge base, social-style posts, financial accounting (GoBD-compliant), and data synchronization with external church registration systems such as Optigem and DaviP.

The company sells primarily through a self-serve, product-led growth model with a 30-day free trial and six monthly subscription tiers (XS–XXL) priced from €29 to €339 per month, plus optional add-ons (unlimited campuses, sync connections, LDAP, storage) and billable professional services (training, migration, setup) at €99/hour. Distribution is reinforced by more than 40 framework agreements with church denominations and associations (including Landeskirchen, BFP, FeG, BEFG, KRZ-SWD), an IT integration partner network (KRZ-SWD, AMOS IT), a certified trainer community, and mobile app stores.

ChurchTools Innovations is a bootstrapped, founder-led business serving more than 3,000 Protestant, Catholic, Free Church, and Pentecostal parishes plus Christian ministries across DACH and select international markets, with 150,000+ active end users and a team of 30+ employees. The founders are Jens Martin Rauen (original developer of the software, dating to his 2004 youth-group project at Elim Hamburg) and Matthias Huber (managing director since 2015). The company has not disclosed external institutional funding and operates profitably from customer revenue.

Name

ChurchTools Innovations

Legal name

ChurchTools Innovations GmbH

Website

https://church.tools

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ChurchTools Innovations GmbH provides a GDPR-compliant, all-in-one SaaS platform for church administration, communication, finance, and community engagement, serving 3,000+ Protestant, Catholic, and Free Church congregations across DACH and select international markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Church Management Software

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Denominational & Ecclesiastical Governance Bodies (Dioceses, Synods, Conferences) (BPAGAJAB)

Keywords

• Church management software
• Parish administration software
• Faith community platform
• Church member database
• Congregation coordination tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Karlsruhe

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software Subscription (SaaS): ChurchTools operates on a subscription SaaS model with six pricing tiers (XS through XXL) priced in EUR and USD. Each tier provides a specific number of people/capacity, resources, ministry roles, campuses, and sync connections. Add-on options exist for unlimited campuses (+€49), unlimited sync connections (+€49), LDAP Service (+€9 EUR), and additional storage (+15 GB for €10/month). No minimum contract term; cancelable monthly.
2. Professional Services: Billable services including on-site training at €99/hour, initial system setup, data migration from legacy systems, database dumps, domain renaming, and Zoom-based remote training sessions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

ChurchTools Innovations develops and operates an all-in-one, GDPR-compliant SaaS church management platform that helps congregations administer members, groups, events, resources, communications, finances, and websites. The platform is offered as a tiered monthly subscription (XS through XXL) in EUR and USD, sold directly via the company website with a 30-day free trial, and complemented by professional services such as setup, migration, and certified trainer-led training.

Product overview

ChurchTools is an all-in-one GDPR-compliant church management software platform with a modular architecture. The core platform provides a web application and mobile app (Church App) in six languages (German, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Polish), with over 100 integrated features organized into modules: People (member management), Groups (team organization), Posts (social-style content sharing), Calendars (event scheduling), Resources (room and equipment booking), Events (volunteer coordination), Wiki (knowledge base), Check-in (attendance tracking), Chat (secure messaging), Sync (data synchronization), and ChurchTools Finance (GoBD-compliant accounting). Separate sub-products include the Website Builder (church websites), Church Finder (directory), and ChurchTools Academy (training). All modules are fully integrated into a single platform accessed via web or mobile app.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ChurchTools Finance: Church accounting and financial management module enabling GoBD-compliant bookkeeping.
• ChurchFinder
• ChurchTools Website
• ChurchTools Chat

Products and services

• ChurchTools Core Platform All-in-one GDPR-compliant church management software platform providing web application and mobile app access, with modules for people management, groups, posts, calendars, resources, events, wiki, check-in, chat, sync, and finances. Sold on a tiered monthly subscription basis to churches and church organizations.
• Church App Native mobile application for iOS and Android distributed via app stores, enabling church community members to access ChurchTools features including check-in, chat, posts, and resource booking from any device.
• ChurchTools Finance GoBD-compliant financial accounting module for church donations, budgets, and bookkeeping with secure permission-based administration, integrated within the ChurchTools platform.
• ChurchTools Website Website builder allowing churches to create their web presence without programming skills, with automatic synchronization of people, groups, and events data from the core ChurchTools platform.
• Church Finder Platform enabling churches to be discovered online and helping people find a spiritual home in a church.
• ChurchTools Academy

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,000 churches and parishes have adopted ChurchTools, indicating strong product-market fit for the church management software category

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability1 record

Feature13 records

Partnerships

34 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Anskar-Kirche DeutschlandcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. Anskar-Kirche Deutschland endorses ChurchTools for its member churches, promoting adoption through the denomination.
• Bund Evangelisch-Freikirchlicher Gemeinden (BEFG)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The BEFG (German Baptist Union) has a framework agreement with ChurchTools for its member churches.
• Evangelische Landeskirche in BadencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The Protestant Church of Baden has a framework agreement promoting ChurchTools to its parishes.
• Evangelische Landeskirche in WürttembergcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The Protestant Church of Württemberg endorses ChurchTools for its member congregations.
• Bund Freikirchlicher Pfingstgemeinden (BFP)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The BFP has a framework agreement promoting ChurchTools to its member Pentecostal churches.
• Freie Evangelische Gemeinden (FeG) DeutschlandcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. FeG Deutschland has a framework agreement with ChurchTools for its member churches.
• CVJM Deutschland (YMCA Germany)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. CVJM Deutschland endorses ChurchTools for its member organizations.
• Evangelische Landeskirche SachsenscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The Saxon Regional Church has a framework agreement with ChurchTools.
• Kirchliches Rechenzentrum Südwestdeutschland (KRZ-SWD)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSince 2019, KRZ-SWD offers KRZ.ChurchTools to established churches at special enterprise pricing with integration to church registration systems via the Sync module.
• AMOS ITminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplementation partner. AMOS IT helps churches and religious organizations work digitally in a modern, efficient, and GDPR-compliant manner using ChurchTools.
• Archevêché de Luxembourg (Erzdiözese Luxemburg)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The Archdiocese of Luxembourg endorses ChurchTools for its parishes.
• Heilsarmee Schweiz (Salvation Army Switzerland)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The Salvation Army Switzerland uses ChurchTools for its churches.
• Berliner StadtmissioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. Berliner Stadtmission is a major church mission organization in Berlin using ChurchTools.
• Ev.-Luth. Kirchenkreis Hamburg-OstcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The Lutheran Church District of Hamburg-East uses ChurchTools for its member parishes.
• Mülheimer VerbandcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The Mülheimer Verband has a framework agreement with ChurchTools for its member churches.
• Liebenzeller GemeinschaftsverbandcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The Liebenzell Association has a framework agreement with ChurchTools for its member congregations.
• Freie Christengemeinde - Pfingstgemeinde in ÖsterreichcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The Austrian Free Christian Church uses ChurchTools.
• Evangelische Allianz (Germany)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The German Evangelical Alliance endorses ChurchTools for its network of churches.
• Calvary ChapelcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. Calvary Chapel network uses ChurchTools across its German and European churches.
• Chrischona-Gemeinschaftswerk (Germany)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. Chrischona-Gemeinschaftswerk uses ChurchTools for its member churches in Germany.
• FeG Schweiz (Freie Evangelische Gemeinden Schweiz)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The Swiss Free Evangelical Churches use ChurchTools.
• Freikirchen in Österreich (FKÖ)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The Austrian Free Churches association uses ChurchTools for its member churches.
• Freikirchlicher Bund der Gemeinde GottescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The Church of God (Baptist) federation in Germany uses ChurchTools.
• Gemeinde Gottes DeutschlandcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The Church of God Germany uses ChurchTools for its member congregations.
• Selbstständige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche (SELK)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church uses ChurchTools.
• Evangelisch-methodistische Kirche (EMK)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The Evangelical Methodist Church in Germany uses ChurchTools.
• Kirche des NazarenerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The Church of the Nazarene in Germany uses ChurchTools.
• Foursquare (Germany/Austria)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The Foursquare movement in Germany and Austria uses ChurchTools.
• Viva-Kirche SchweizcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. Viva-Kirche Switzerland uses ChurchTools for its network.
• Bund evangelikaler Gemeinden ÖsterreichcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The Austrian Union of Evangelical Congregations uses ChurchTools.
• Bund evangelischer Freikirchen (Taufgesinnte Gemeinden) (BeFTG)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The Federation of Evangelical Free Churches (Anabaptist Congregations) uses ChurchTools.
• Ev.-Luth. Kirchenkreis AltholsteincoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The Lutheran Church District of Altholstein uses ChurchTools for its parishes.
• Ev.-Luth. Kirchenkreis Schleswig-FlensburgcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The Lutheran Church District of Schleswig-Flensburg uses ChurchTools.
• Evangelische Kirche der PfalzcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFramework agreement partner. The Protestant Church of the Palatinate uses ChurchTools for its parishes.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Breeze: US-based church management system offering people, groups, events, giving, and check-in functionality with a similar self-serve, SMB-friendly pricing model targeting Protestant churches.
• ChurchSuite: UK-based church management software offering member database, groups, events, check-in, small groups, and serving Protestant/UK denominations — the closest direct geographic and product-market analogue to ChurchTools in Europe.
• ChurchDesk: Dutch SaaS platform for church administration, communication, and engagement serving Protestant churches across Netherlands and broader Europe; a direct European church-management-software competitor with comparable feature scope.
• Elvanto: Australian/NZ church management software providing member management, groups, events, check-in, and check-in for churches; comparable vertical SaaS model and feature set targeting English-speaking Protestant churches.
• ChurchTrac: Affordable US-based church management software for smaller churches covering people, giving, events, and check-in — comparable SMB pricing tier focus and self-serve onboarding model.

Broad incumbents

• Planning Center: Large US-based church software suite covering people, groups, services, check-in, giving, and church apps — significantly larger scale (~50k+ churches) and broader product portfolio that competes in feature breadth.
• Pushpay: New Zealand/US giving and engagement platform that acquired Church Community Builder; broader church software suite with payments-anchored go-to-market and large North American scale.
• ACS Technologies: Large US faith-based software company (parent of Breeze, Realm, ACS Parish) providing comprehensive solutions for churches, parishes, and faith-based organizations — significantly larger incumbent across multiple denominations.

Emerging players

• Tithe.ly: Canadian/US giving-focused platform expanding into broader church engagement (ChMS, app, streaming) — overlapping target customers with broader feature ambitions and significant venture funding.
• Subsplash: US-based church engagement platform spanning app, giving, media, and communication — overlapping target customers but specializing in mobile-first engagement rather than full operational church management.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/churchtools
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCyNA4UJgCbf2EqGcsobV7QQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChurchTools
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/churchtools
• Instagraminstagram.com/churchtools

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 ChurchTools Innovations