UMI

Christian Education Publishingurbanministries.com

UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.) is a Chicago-based nonprofit religious publisher producing Christian education curriculum and resources contextualized for the African American experience, serving churches, Christian educators, and families with age-graded materials, digital Bible studies, and streaming content.

Company typePrivate
Founded1970
HeadquartersChicago, United States
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What UMI does

UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.) is a nonprofit religious publishing organization headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, founded by Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr. It produces Christian education resources specifically contextualized for the African American experience and the Black Church tradition. The company's product portfolio centers on the annual Precepts for Living Bible commentary and seven quarterly age-graded curriculum magazines (with Teacher Guides and Teacher Success Kits) spanning preschool through adult, supplemented by Digital Bible Studies for Kids, Black History resources, teacher resource kits, a Vacation Bible School sub-brand (Shine Brightly With Jesus), books and Bibles (via UrbanFaith Bibles), and a streaming video library distributed through RightNow Media.

Its underlying technology stack is a digital curriculum platform with an embedded learning management system and streaming video integration; complementary digital properties include the e-commerce storefront (store.urbanministries.com), the Digital Precepts platform (preceptsdigital.com), and the UrbanFaith Bibles retail site. The company monetizes primarily through one-time curriculum kit sales and annual subscription purchases, recurring digital subscriptions, and book/Bible retail, with revenue model items listed as both one-time license and subscription recurring.

UMI goes to market direct-to-consumer: customers order through the e-commerce site, the 1-800 phone order line, or affiliated stores, and the company engages the market through its website, a Daily Direction blog with extensive historical content, a YouTube channel ("Sunday School Made Simple"), email newsletters, and in-person workshops. Its customer segments are primarily African American churches (vertical), Christian educators and teachers (persona), and secondarily families and individuals (horizontal). As a nonprofit, UMI operates without venture capital and reports no public financials.

UMI firmographics

Firmographics

Name: UMI
Legal name: Urban Ministries, Inc.
Website: https://urbanministries.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1970
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.) is a Chicago-based nonprofit religious publisher producing Christian education curriculum and resources contextualized for the African American experience, serving churches, Christian educators, and families with age-graded materials, digital Bible studies, and streaming content.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

UMI industry classification

Industry

Product category: Christian Education Publishing
NAICS: Educational Support Services (611710)
SIC: Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
akta.pro industry: PRIMARYMPAJAHAC
Religious Education & Catechetical Publishing (Sunday School, Catechism, Study Guides)
Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Religious & Spiritual Publishing
SECONDARYMPAJAHAJ
Religious Children’s Publishing (Faith-Based Kids & YA)
Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Religious & Spiritual Publishing
SECONDARYEDAGAAAJ
Digital/Blended K–12 Courseware & Interactive Textbooks
Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/K–12 Curriculum & Textbooks
SECONDARYMPABALAM
Religious Education, Kids & Family Faith Programming
Media, Entertainment & Sports/Broadcasting (TV & Radio)/Religious/Faith-Based Broadcasting

Keywords

Christian education curriculum
Bible study resources
Religious publishing
Sunday school materials
Black church resources

Where UMI is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Chicago
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

UMI business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

Curriculum and Educational Materials Sales: Sale of Christian education curriculum including quarterly magazines, teacher guides, teacher success kits, and age-graded materials for preschool through adult.
Digital Products and Subscriptions: Digital Bible studies, streaming video library access, and online learning programs. The learning management system provides access from date of registration for subscription term.
Books and Bibles: Sale of religious books, Bibles, and Black History resources through their store and affiliated sites.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Annual	Curriculum products including quarterly magazines, teacher guides, and success kits

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

UMI product offering

Product offering

Core offering

UMI publishes and sells Christian education curriculum for Sunday School and church educational programs, centered on its flagship annual Bible commentary "Precepts for Living." Offerings include quarterly age-graded magazines with Teacher Guides and Teacher Success Kits (preschool through adult), Digital Bible Studies for Kids, Black History resources, Books and Bibles, a Vacation Bible School program ("Shine Brightly With Jesus"), and a streaming library of Bible study videos distributed via RightNow Media.

Product overview

UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.) is a Christian education resource publisher serving churches, particularly in the African American community. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of products centered around its flagship annual Bible study publication 'Precepts for Living,' complemented by quarterly Christian education curriculum with Teacher Guides and Teacher Success Kits. Additional offerings include Digital Bible Studies for Kids, Teacher Resources for all age groups, Black History Resources, and a Streaming Library of Bible Study Videos accessible through RightNow Media. The product ecosystem also includes Vacation Bible School programming (Shine Brightly With Jesus), Digital Precepts online platform, and Books and Bibles. The offerings are designed for Sunday School, small groups, and church classes, with content contextualized for the African American experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

Precepts for Living: Premier annual Bible study publication with lessons for each week of the year
Precepts for Living: God's Unchanging Hand
RightNow Media

Products and services

Precepts for Living (Annual Bible Commentary) The premier annual Bible study publication providing weekly lessons for each week of the year, featuring rich biblical scholarship, reflections on the Black Church and African diaspora experiences, and stories demonstrating God's work throughout history. Designed for adult learners and Bible study groups in African American church contexts.
Christian Education Curriculum Age-graded Christian education curriculum comprising seven quarterly magazines, Teacher Guides, Teacher Success Kits, and additional resources designed for Sunday School and church educational programs from preschool through adult. Sold on an annual subscription basis.
Digital Bible Studies for Kids Fully reproducible digital curriculum for children of all ages, designed to take students on an exciting journey to develop, live out, and commit to memory the fruit of the spirit. Accessible through subscription access on the digital platform.
Black History Resources Media and resources specifically designed to inspire, empower, and engage church congregations, parents, and individuals with content contextualized for African American history and experience. Sold directly through the e-commerce storefront.
Shine Brightly With Jesus Vacation Bible School A Vacation Bible School program centered on the truth that Jesus is the Light of the World. The free planning kit includes Director's Planbook, Theme Poster, and "You Are Invited" Poster. The program encourages students to put their faith into action.
Books and Bibles Bibles and religious books sold through the UrbanFaith Bibles online store, complementing UMI's curriculum offerings for churches and individuals.
Digital Precepts Digital platform for accessing Precepts curriculum and related Bible study materials online, with subscription-based access from date of registration for the subscription term.

Companies that use UMI

Customer profile

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

UMI technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

UMI partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

RightNow MediacoreTechnology or IntegrationRightNow Media provides UMI's streaming library of Bible study videos, making content accessible anytime, anywhere from any device. This partnership enables UMI to offer digital-first content delivery alongside their physical curriculum products.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

UMI competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

David C Cook: Major evangelical Sunday School and discipleship curriculum publisher serving churches globally. Comparable to UMI in selling age-graded, quarterly Bible teaching kits with teacher guides, but operates at much broader scale across denominations.
Group Publishing: Leading publisher of Sunday School curriculum, VBS programs, and children's ministry resources for churches. Direct competitor in the quarterly kit + VBS bundle model that UMI also runs via Shine Brightly With Jesus.
Concordia Publishing House: Lutheran-aligned publisher of Sunday School curriculum, Bible studies, and VBS programs. Comparable in publishing annual and quarterly age-graded curriculum to churches, though serving a different denominational niche than UMI.
Regular Baptist Press: Independent Baptist Sunday School and discipleship curriculum publisher with quarterly kits and teacher resources. Closely comparable product format and church-direct GTM to UMI's Christian Education Curriculum line.
Standard Publishing: Publisher of Bible-based Sunday School curriculum, VBS, and discipleship resources distributed through AndBible and other channels. Competes head-on with UMI for age-graded, quarterly curriculum buyers in Protestant churches.
NavPress: Navigator-affiliated publisher of Christian discipleship books, Bible studies, and small-group curriculum. Comparable model of culturally relevant, theologically rigorous content targeted at adult discipleship similar to UMI's Precepts for Living commentary.
Scripture Press: Independent evangelical publisher of Sunday School curriculum, VBS, and children's ministry materials with quarterly kits. Direct overlap with UMI's age-graded curriculum and VBS product lines targeted at churches.

Broad incumbents

LifeWay Christian Resources: Baptist-affiliated publisher and retailer of Bible study curriculum, Vacation Bible School, and discipleship materials. Comparable product mix (quarterly curriculum, VBS, books) but denominational scale and distribution dwarfs UMI.
Abingdon Press: United Methodist-affiliated publisher offering adult Bible study curriculum and books. Comparable in delivering church-facing educational content with academic depth; broader portfolio but less Sunday School focus than UMI.

Regional players

Gospel Publishing House: Assemblies of God-affiliated publisher of Sunday School curriculum, VBS, and Bible study materials. Comparable publishing format and church-direct distribution but tailored to a specific Pentecostal denomination distinct from UMI's African American mainline audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

UMI financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

UMI leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

UMI subsidiaries and ownership

Company hierarchy

Subsidiaries1 record

UMI funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

UMI M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UMI

What does UMI do?

Is UMI a public or private company?

UMI is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was UMI founded?

UMI was founded in 1970. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is UMI based?

UMI is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.

How does UMI make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. Curriculum and Educational Materials Sales are the primary driver. The others are digital Products and Subscriptions and books and Bibles.

Who are UMI's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are David C Cook, Group Publishing, Concordia Publishing House, Regular Baptist Press, Standard Publishing, NavPress and Scripture Press. Broad incumbents are LifeWay Christian Resources and Abingdon Press. Gospel Publishing House is listed as a regional player.

Does UMI have an API?

No public API is recorded for UMI.

What industry is UMI in?

UMI's product category is Christian Education Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAHAC, Religious Education & Catechetical Publishing (Sunday School, Catechism, Study Guides), with a secondary code of MPAJAHAJ, Religious Children’s Publishing (Faith-Based Kids & YA). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 2731.