Charles Simeon Trust

What Charles Simeon Trust does

Charles Simeon Trust is a not-for-profit religious organization founded on January 23, 2001, by David Helm, R. Kent Hughes, Jon Dennis, and two businesspeople, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with an Ontario-governed Canadian entity (since 2015). Its stated mission is to promote better preaching everywhere so God's Word can be heard anywhere, executed through three core programs: in-person 2-3 day Workshops on Biblical Exposition hosted by partner churches globally, self-paced Online Courses covering seven biblical genres launched in 2009 and translated into 10+ languages (including Arabic, Chinese, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese), and the year-round residential Chicago Course on Preaching launched in 2019 with one-year and two-year tracks.

The organization serves preaching pastors, women Bible teachers, ministry interns and residents, and church leadership across denominations (Baptist, Presbyterian, Anglican, Pentecostal, Free Church, non-denominational). Its primary customers are individual ministers rather than institutions, with pricing kept deliberately low: online courses at $24, workshops typically $20-$39 with subsidized rates in developing markets (R350-R375 in South Africa), intensives at $600-$950, and Chicago Course tuition at $4,000-$8,000 per year. Training is differentiated from academic theological education by its emphasis on hands-on practice, small-group feedback, and church-placement partnerships.

Underlying technology is a conventional digital learning platform with course management, video streaming, downloadable worksheets, sermon-preparation guides, and iOS/Android mobile apps enabling offline viewing. Revenue is earned through program fees (one-time workshop registrations, online course licenses, intensive fees, Chicago Course tuition) and donations, with the latter being the primary support stream for a trust of this profile. Operations are run by a 30+ person staff including Director of Workshops, Director of Women's Workshops, Director of Chicago Course, Director of African Initiatives, Director of Spanish-Language Initiatives, Manager of Online Resources, and regional workshops administrators, with core strategic alliances to 9Marks, Matthias Media, Crossway, SBTS, TEDS, and numerous host churches.

Name

Charles Simeon Trust

Legal name

Charles Simeon Trust

Website

https://simeontrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Charles Simeon Trust is a Chicago-based not-for-profit founded in 2001 that trains preaching pastors and Bible teachers in expository preaching through in-person Workshops, multilingual Online Courses, and the residential Chicago Course on Preaching.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Education and Pastoral Training

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Ministerial Training Institutes (Clergy Formation) (EDAHAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD), Denominational Theological Colleges (e.g., Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Evangelical) (EDAHAKAM)

Keywords

• Biblical exposition training
• Preaching workshops
• Pastoral development programs
• Online bible courses
• Church ministry training

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Workshop Registration Fees: The organization charges registration fees for Workshops on Biblical Exposition. Fees vary by location and currency. US/Canada workshops have published rates, with cancellation fees of $25 (more than 30 days prior) or $100 (within 30 days).
2. Online Course Enrollment: Online courses are sold individually, with First Principles priced at $24. Additional seminary credit options have separate add-on fees. Each student gets 12 months of access from enrollment date.
3. Chicago Course on Preaching Tuition: Full-time students pay $8,000/year for the one-year program; half-time students pay $4,000/year for the two-year program. Housing may be available for rent through the organization.
4. Chicago Course Intensive Tuition: Summer intensives for men cost $950; intensive for women costs $600. Room and board arranged by participants.
5. Donations and Partnerships: The organization relies on prayerful giving and partnerships to support operations, as indicated by the 'Give' section and partner acknowledgment on the website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Charles Simeon Trust provides practical, skill-based training for pastors and Bible teachers in expository preaching and Bible teaching. Its core offerings are (1) regional Workshops on Biblical Exposition (2-3 day in-person training events hosted by partner churches), (2) Online Courses covering biblical genres (First Principles, Epistles, Gospels & Acts, Old Testament History, Prophetic Literature) available in 10+ languages, and (3) the Chicago Course on Preaching, a year-round residential training program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Chicago Course on Preaching: A year-round residential training program in Chicago for developing preaching skills, including one-year and two-year tracks.
• Workshops on Biblical Exposition
• Online Courses
• Chicago Course Intensives
• Preachers Talk

Products and services

• Workshops on Biblical Exposition
• Online Courses
• Chicago Course on Preaching
• Chicago Course Intensives
• Simeon Trust Mobile Application

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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 9MarkscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner9Marks is featured as a partner organization. The organizations collaborate on content including the Preachers' Talk podcast and share mutual ministry objectives around church health and expositional preaching.
• Matthias MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured partner organization. Matthias Media publishes Bible study resources and partners in ministry training initiatives.
• CrosswaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured partner organization. Crossway publishes Christian books and resources, including works by CST founder Kent Hughes and staff authors like David Helm.
• Christ Church ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost church for Chicago Course on Preaching. Multiple staff members serve as CST instructors including David Helm (Executive Director) and Kevin Walker (Director of Ministries).
• Holy Trinity Church ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch where Chicago Plan was originally launched and where many CST staff serve. Kevin Walker serves as Assistant Pastor for Ministry Training.
• Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured partner with mutual representation. Several instructors hold credentials from SBTS including Thomas Schreiner and Juan Sanchez.
• Trinity International University / TEDSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured partner with mutual representation. Several staff and instructors have studied or taught at TEDS including Mike Bullmore and Mark Dever.
• George Whitefield Theological CollegeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner theological college in South Africa for training African pastors and workshop instructors.
• Church Placement PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurches that provide placement opportunities for Chicago Course on Preaching students during their training. Guidelines exist for churches interested in serving as placement sites.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Proclamation Trust: UK-based preaching and Bible exposition training trust founded by Dick Lucas; the direct inspiration for CST (whose 1991 workshops and 2001 founding explicitly modeled on Proclamation Trust). Operates parallel workshops, conferences, and the Cornhill Training Course for clergy.
• 9Marks: Church health and expositional ministry organization that produces the joint Preachers' Talk podcast with CST. Highly overlapping evangelical audience of pastors and church leaders focused on biblical exposition, church planting, and congregational renewal.
• BiblicalTraining.org: Free online platform offering seminary-style courses in biblical studies, theology, and practical ministry. Competes directly with CST's Online Courses (also free-to-low-cost, multi-instructor, evangelical) and offers similar self-paced credential options.
• The Gospel Coalition: Broad evangelical network producing pastoral training resources, conferences, TGC Academy courses, and a preaching-focused curriculum. Highly overlapping audience and theological alignment with CST's Reformed-evangelical focus.
• Desiring God: John Piper-founded ministry producing preaching conferences (e.g., Sing!), resources, and training for pastors focused on expository preaching. Comparable theological alignment (Reformed evangelical) and audience of working pastors.
• Matthias Media: Australian evangelical publisher and ministry that produces Bible study and ministry training curricula and is featured as a CST partner. Overlapping mission to equip expository preachers and small-group Bible teachers globally.

Broad incumbents

• Southern Baptist Theological Seminary: Large accredited seminary whose faculty (Schreiner, Sanchez) instructs at CST workshops. Offers degree and certificate programs in preaching and pastoral ministry with much broader scope, accredited credentials, and substantially larger budgets.
• Trinity Evangelical Divinity School: Accredited divinity school whose faculty (Bullmore, Dever) instructs at CST events. Offers full degree programs and serves a similar evangelical Reformed audience but at institutional scale with formal credentials.

Emerging players

• Acts 29: Church planting network with training pipelines for planters and pastors. Partial overlap with CST's pastor-training mission but focused on church multiplication rather than expository preaching specifically.
• Radius International: Cross-cultural missionary training organization featured as a CST partner with overlapping interest in training pastors internationally, particularly in non-Western contexts where CST's international workshops are concentrated.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/simeontrust
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@simeontrust
• Facebookfacebook.com/charles.simeon.trust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/charles-simeon-trust
• Instagraminstagram.com/simeontrust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Charles Simeon Trust