Church Initiative

What Church Initiative does

Church Initiative is a nondenominational, nonprofit ministry founded in 1993 by Steve and Cheryl Grissom in Wake Forest, North Carolina. The organization develops and publishes video-based, Christ-centered support group curriculums that equip local churches to run lay-led ministries for people experiencing major life crises. Its core product portfolio comprises four major curriculum lines: DivorceCare (launched 1994), GriefShare (1998), DivorceCare for Kids (2004), and Single & Parenting (2011), supplemented by seasonal and specialized programs including Before You Divorce, Facing Forever, Chance to Change, the Surviving the Holidays series, and GriefShare Loss of Spouse. Each curriculum features dynamic weekly videos from over 100 contributing Christian experts, participant workbooks with Bible study, leader training materials, promotional support, and free consultant access for implementation.

The underlying technology is a content-publishing and distribution platform centered on video curriculum, printed/digital workbooks, and a web-based resource hub (churchinitiative.org) that includes a Find a Group search for end users locating local church programs. Programs are structured around thirteen-week recurring cycles, creating natural repeat-purchase cadence for churches. Distribution occurs primarily through the organization's own Leadership Store e-commerce channel, with limited extension to parachurch organizations requiring church sponsorship. Marketing is predominantly content-driven (website, careleader.org blog, email newsletter).

Revenue is generated through direct curriculum sales to churches; specific pricing is not publicly disclosed. The organization has grown from a two-person operation to approximately 30 team members across Publishing, IT, Operations, Ministry Coaching and Support, and Accounting/Payroll/Personnel, and reports equipping more than 30,000 churches worldwide. No funding rounds, acquisitions, or external investment activity are associated with the entity, consistent with its nonprofit ministry structure.

Name

Church Initiative

Legal name

The Church Initiative, Inc.

Website

https://churchinitiative.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Church Initiative is a nondenominational nonprofit that develops and publishes video-based support group curriculums (DivorceCare, GriefShare, DivorceCare for Kids, Single & Parenting) equipping over 30,000 churches worldwide to run lay-led ministries for people in life crises.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Support Group Curriculum

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311), Religious Organizations (813110), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Religious Education, Kids & Family Faith Programming (MPABALAM), Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

Keywords

• Church ministry resources
• Support group curriculum
• Grief recovery programs
• Divorce recovery programs
• Faith-based education

Headquarters

HQ city

Wake Forest

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Curriculum Sales: Churches purchase video-based curriculum packages and workbooks to operate support group programs. Programs operate in thirteen-week cycles that can continue throughout the year, creating recurring purchase opportunities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Church Initiative publishes video-based, faith-based support group curricula that enable churches to operate lay-led ministries for people experiencing life crises such as divorce, grief, single parenting, and gambling addiction. Programs are sold as curriculum packages (videos, workbooks, leader training, promotional materials) and are delivered in thirteen-week cycles that churches can repeat throughout the year. The ministry also bundles free consultant access for startup and ongoing implementation support.

Product overview

Church Initiative offers a portfolio of video-based, faith-based support group curriculums designed for church-based lay ministry. The core products include DivorceCare (divorce recovery), GriefShare (grief recovery), DivorceCare for Kids (children's ministry), and Single & Parenting (support for single parents). These programs feature dynamic weekly videos featuring Christian experts, workbooks with Bible study for group members, promotional support, comprehensive leader training, and free access to consultants. Churches offer programs in thirteen-week cycles that can continue throughout the year. The ministry has also produced supplementary curriculums including Before You Divorce, Facing Forever, Chance to Change, Surviving the Holidays programs, and GriefShare Loss of Spouse. The products share a common architecture: video-based teaching content, participant workbooks, leader training materials, and ongoing consultant support, all designed to mobilize lay leaders for practical ministry to hurting people.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DivorceCare: A recovery program that helps people rebuild their lives after divorce or separation.
• GriefShare
• DivorceCare for Kids
• Single & Parenting
• Before You Divorce
• Facing Forever
• Chance to Change
• DivorceCare Surviving the Holidays
• GriefShare Surviving the Holidays
• GriefShare Loss of Spouse

Products and services

• DivorceCare A video-based recovery program that helps people rebuild their lives after divorce or separation, designed for churches to operate through lay-led support groups in thirteen-week cycles.
• GriefShare A video-based grief recovery program that helps people grieving the death of a loved one, structured for churches to facilitate lay-led support groups.
• DivorceCare for Kids A care group program designed to bring healing and hope to children of divorce through age-appropriate support and biblical teaching.
• Single & Parenting A support group program for single parents who are divorced, widowed, or never-married, providing practical help and encouragement in a church-based lay-led setting.
• Before You Divorce Curriculum built on reconciliation concepts from DivorceCare, designed to help couples considering divorce explore paths toward reconciliation.
• Facing Forever Curriculum designed to encourage people to see how eternity impacts their lives today.
• Chance to Change Gambling addiction recovery curriculum designed for church-based support groups.
• DivorceCare Surviving the Holidays

Quantifiable outcome

• Equipped over 30,000 churches worldwide
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RightNow Media: RightNow Media is a streaming video library for churches offering thousands of Bible study, small group, and leadership video resources on a subscription basis. It is the most direct competitor to Church Initiative's video-based curriculum model, delivering similar content to churches via digital channels.
• David C Cook: David C Cook is a nonprofit Christian publisher producing curriculum, VBS programs, and small group materials for churches across denominations. It directly competes with Church Initiative in providing structured, video-supported curriculum for church-based ministry programs.
• Group Publishing: Group Publishing produces small group curriculum, VBS programs, and youth ministry resources specifically designed for church-based lay-led groups. Its product model (video + leader guide + participant book) closely mirrors Church Initiative's DivorceCare and GriefShare offerings.
• Outreach Inc. Outreach produces church outreach resources, small group curriculum, and marketing materials specifically designed to help churches attract and disciple members. Its emphasis on outreach and small-group ministry directly parallels Church Initiative's side-door ministry positioning.
• Bible Study Fellowship (BSF): BSF is an interdenominational Bible study organization offering structured, multi-year curriculum to in-person and online groups meeting at host churches. Its model of organized small-group Bible study through churches is structurally similar to Church Initiative's lay-led groups.

Broad incumbents

• LifeWay Christian Resources: LifeWay is the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest producers of Bible study, VBS, and small group curriculum in the US. It serves the same church customer base as Church Initiative but across a broader, denomination-aligned portfolio.
• Focus on the Family: Focus on the Family is a broad Christian nonprofit producing resources on marriage, parenting, and family life - themes that overlap with DivorceCare and Single & Parenting. While it covers a wider scope, it competes for church curriculum budget on adjacent life-crisis and family topics.
• Christianity Today: Christianity Today is a major Christian media organization producing editorial content, leadership resources, and church-focused programming. It addresses some of the same pastor and church-leader audience as Church Initiative but with a broader news and commentary focus rather than small-group curriculum.

Emerging players

• Subsplash: Subsplash is a digital engagement platform for churches offering mobile apps, online giving, and video content delivery. While not a direct curriculum competitor, it represents the digital-native delivery layer that increasingly mediates how churches access and consume small-group video content like Church Initiative's programs.
• Abide Christian Meditation: Abide is a faith-based audio meditation app delivering short, scripture-rooted content to individuals. It represents an emerging digital-first delivery model that competes for the same end-users (people in life crises seeking Christian content) on mobile, complementing or potentially substituting for church-based programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Church Initiative