Newman Connection

What Newman Connection does

Newman Connection is a 501(c)(3) national nonprofit organization founded in 2009 by Bill and Matt Zerrusen, operating under the legal entity Newman Ministry LLC and headquartered in Teutopolis, Illinois, with a registered office in Dallas, Texas. The organization addresses a specific retention gap in the U.S. Catholic Church by helping high school and college students find Catholic faith communities on secular college campuses, with reported reach across more than 1,000 campus ministries and endorsements from dozens of major archdioceses including New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Denver, Detroit, Baltimore, and Cincinnati. The core service, Newman Connection, is a digital platform that connects students with Catholic campus ministries before and during college; companion mobile apps (Newman Connect and Called) are available on iOS and Android via the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Following a 2024 rebrand to "Newman Ministry," the organization operates three initiatives under a unified brand: Newman Connection (student-to-ministry matching), Called (a subscription-based all-in-one community platform for churches and ministries with communication and engagement tools, featuring monthly self-renewing fees processed via third-party payment processors), and Newman Student Housing Fund (faith-centered student housing on non-religious campuses). The underlying technology stack is straightforward — web-based platforms at multiple newmanministry.com subdomains, native mobile apps, Google Analytics, and Meta Pixel — with no disclosed AI/ML, proprietary models, or developer-facing APIs. Revenue is generated through two streams: tax-deductible charitable donations supporting the student-ministry connection mission, and recurring monthly subscriptions on the Called platform for church and ministry customers. The go-to-market is community-led, leveraging diocesan endorsements and campus ministry referrals as credibility and distribution channels, supplemented by self-serve digital onboarding and event-driven engagement through retreats and the First90 program for new campus ministers.

Name

Newman Connection

Legal name

Newman Ministry LLC

Website

https://newmanministry.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Newman Connection is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that connects Catholic college students with campus ministries through a digital platform, and under its 2024 Newman Ministry umbrella also offers a subscription community platform for churches (Called) and faith-centered student housing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Community Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Engagement & Service-Learning Partnerships (EDALAOAI)

Keywords

• Catholic campus ministry
• Faith community platforms
• Ministry engagement software
• Religious nonprofit services
• Student ministry outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Teutopolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: Newman Connection operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The primary revenue stream is charitable donations from individuals who support Catholic youth ministry and campus ministry programs. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.
2. Subscription Services: The Called platform offers subscription-based access to ongoing services for churches and ministries. Subscriptions are self-renewing monthly access with recurring charges to registered users' payment methods.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Newman Connection (operating as Newman Ministry) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that connects Catholic college students with over 1,000 campus ministries nationwide, helping students continue their faith journey in college. Through three initiatives—Newman Connection (student connection platform), Called (church community engagement software), and Newman Student Housing (faith-centered campus housing)—the organization provides digital tools, community programs, and living environments to bridge the gap between high school faith formation and college faith community.

Product overview

Newman Ministry operates as a unified organization behind three core initiatives: Newman Connection, Called, and Newman Student Housing. Newman Connection is the flagship platform—a 501(c)(3) national nonprofit connecting Catholic college students with over 1,000 campus ministries across the country. Called is an all-in-one community platform for churches and ministry leaders, offering communication, engagement, and growth tools. Newman Student Housing creates faith-centered residential communities on secular campuses. Both Newman Connection and Called have companion mobile apps (Newman Connect and Called app respectively) available on Apple App Store and Google Play. The organization positions these products as complementary—Connection for student outreach, Called for ongoing community management, and Housing for physical community spaces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Newman Student Housing: Faith-friendly living spaces on non-religious campuses where students can live out their faith while growing personally and spiritually.
• Called

Products and services

• Newman Connection National nonprofit platform that helps Catholic college students continue their faith journey by connecting them with vibrant Catholic communities on campus, serving students at over 1,000 campus ministries across the country.
• Called

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 600,000 high school students connected to campus ministries
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• St. John's Catholic Newman Center at the University of IllinoiscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Inspired the founding of Newman Connection in 2009. The work at this campus ministry served as the catalyst and model for the organization's mission to connect students with Catholic faith communities nationwide.
• Archdiocese of New YorkflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial diocese endorsement of Newman Connection programs and ministry tools for use across the archdiocese's campus ministry efforts.
• Archdiocese of PhiladelphiaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial diocese endorsement supporting Newman Connection's campus ministry resources and student engagement programs.
• Archdiocese of AtlantaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial diocese endorsement of Newman Connection programs.
• Archdiocese of DenverflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial diocese endorsement of Newman Connection programs.
• Archdiocese of DetroitflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial diocese endorsement of Newman Connection programs.
• Archdiocese of BaltimoreflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial diocese endorsement of Newman Connection programs.
• Diocese of CharlotteflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial diocese endorsement of Newman Connection programs.
• Diocese of AustinflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial diocese endorsement of Newman Connection programs.
• Diocese of PhoenixflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial diocese endorsement of Newman Connection programs.
• Diocese of HartfordflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial diocese endorsement of Newman Connection programs.
• Archdiocese of CincinnatiflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial diocese endorsement of Newman Connection programs.
• Archdiocese of DubuqueflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial diocese endorsement of Newman Connection programs.
• Archdiocese of Galveston-HoustonflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial diocese endorsement of Newman Connection programs.
• Archdiocese of MilwaukeeflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial diocese endorsement of Newman Connection programs.
• Archdiocese of MobileflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial diocese endorsement of Newman Connection programs.
• Archdiocese of New OrleansflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial diocese endorsement of Newman Connection programs.
• Archdiocese of Oklahoma CityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial diocese endorsement of Newman Connection programs.
• Archdiocese of OmahaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial diocese endorsement of Newman Connection programs.
• Archdiocese of Portland in OregonflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial diocese endorsement of Newman Connection programs.
• Archdiocese of San AntonioflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial diocese endorsement of Newman Connection programs.
• Archdiocese of St. LouisflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial diocese endorsement of Newman Connection programs.
• Archdiocese of St. Paul and MinneapolisflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial diocese endorsement of Newman Connection programs.
• Diocese of ShreveportflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial diocese endorsement of Newman Connection programs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Busted Halo: Busted Halo is a Catholic media ministry aimed at young adults, producing content that engages the same demographic Newman Connection serves through campus ministry. Both rely on digital channels and donations to reach seekers aged 18-35.
• Life Teen: Life Teen is a Catholic youth ministry movement focused on leading teens closer to Christ, with programs that often feed into Catholic campus ministries. It overlaps with Newman Connection's high-school-to-college faith transition funnel.
• Steubenville Conferences (Franciscan University): Steubenville Conferences run large-scale Catholic youth and young adult retreats and conferences across the US. They compete for the same high-school-to-college Catholic youth attention and diocese sponsorship dollars as Newman Connection.
• FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students): FOCUS is a Catholic nonprofit that sends missionaries to college campuses to evangelize and disciple students, the closest direct peer to Newman Connection's campus ministry mission. Both organizations compete for the same donor base and student-attention wallet within US Catholic campus ministry.
• NET Ministries: NET Ministries runs Catholic youth retreats and discipleship teams serving college and high school students across the US. Like Newman Connection, it depends on diocese partnerships and donations to drive youth-to-campus ministry pipelines.

Others

• Catholic Relief Services: CRS is the US Catholic Church's official international humanitarian agency and a 501(c)(3) that competes for donor dollars within the Catholic philanthropy market. It is comparable as a sibling Catholic nonprofit operating at national scale, though focused on overseas relief rather than campus ministry.

Broad incumbents

• Subsplash: Subsplash provides an all-in-one engagement platform for churches including apps, giving, communications, and media. It overlaps directly with Called's value proposition of engaging members beyond Sunday services.
• Planning Center (Church Center): Planning Center offers a suite of church management software used by thousands of churches for people, check-ins, groups, and giving. It represents a more mature, broader incumbent against which Called must differentiate on Catholic-specific workflows.
• Pushpay: Pushpay is a leading church engagement and giving software platform serving thousands of churches of all denominations. As Called expands its subscription community platform, Pushpay represents a well-funded incumbent competing for the same church software wallet.
• Flocknote: Flocknote is a parish and ministry communication platform widely used by Catholic dioceses for email, text, and group messaging. It competes with Called's engagement and communication tools in the same parish buyer segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/NewmanConnect
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCEFMRiqJCYmNPtonU1k5-Fg
• Facebookfacebook.com/NewmanConnection
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/newmanconnection
• Instagraminstagram.com/newmanconnection

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Newman Connection