Orchard Group

What Orchard Group does

Orchard Group is a private 501(c)(3) religious nonprofit founded in 1948 by Elmer Kile in New York City (originally as Go Ye Chapel). The organization specializes in starting new churches in urban areas, with a stated focus on cities exhibiting population density, ethnic diversity, economic disparity, and spiritual difficulty. It connects qualified church planters with partner churches that provide financial investment, board-level accountability through Orchard-facilitated management teams, and ongoing engagement via weekly updates, quarterly reports, and on-site visits. Orchard Group reports that more than 95% of its planted churches flourish for decades as self-governing, self-supporting, and multiplying communities, and that by their 10th anniversary the typical plant has given away more funding to external causes than it received to get started.

The service offering centers on five operational pillars: vetting candidates and assessing locations, matching planters with funding partners, custom-building support teams for each plant, facilitating peer networks among planters, and providing long-term accompaniment until churches are self-sustaining. Distribution is relationship-led through executive outreach (Head of Partner Development Luke Greer; Head of Planter Development Nick Parsons), regional directors, and a website with project-based donation options and a Seed Fund. The organization also produces email updates, an annual report, and project profiles (e.g., Accelerate Church, New City Church Oakland, Epiphany Church Brooklyn, City Church Lagos, History Makers Miami, The House Ferguson).

The revenue model is exclusively donation- and contribution-based, with no commercial product, pricing model, or earned revenue. Funding flows from individual donors and partner churches via the website donation platform and direct outreach. As a non-disclosed private nonprofit, financial statements are not public. Orchard Group has expanded to 26+ cities globally across the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France, Germany, Ireland, Turkey, Romania, Switzerland, South Africa, Nigeria, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan; a 2019 merger with New England Churches (RHM) extended its domestic reach, and partnerships with networks such as HTB (Perth) and sending churches such as Traders Point and Southeast Christian Church anchor an institutional growth strategy.

Name

Orchard Group

Legal name

Orchard Group

Website

https://orchard.group

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Orchard Group is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1948 that connects church planters with partner churches to establish new congregations in cities worldwide, focusing on densely populated, diverse urban areas and providing vetting, fundraising support, custom management teams, and long-term accompaniment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Church Planting Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Church planting services
• Religious nonprofit ministry
• Urban church establishment
• Church planter support
• Partner church matching

Headquarters

HQ city

Newtown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Orchard Group generates revenue through donations from individuals and partner churches who financially support church planting projects. The organization facilitates giving through its website with specific project-based donation options and a general Seed Fund. By their 10th anniversary, typical church plants have given away more funding to external causes than they received to get started.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Orchard Group connects church planters with partner churches and donors to establish new churches in cities worldwide. Its service includes vetting church planting candidates, matching planters with funding partners, sharing the fundraising burden, building custom management teams, facilitating peer networks among planters, and providing long-term accompaniment until each plant becomes self-governing, self-supporting, and self-multiplying. The organization also operates a Seed Fund and a global projects directory of supported church plants.

Product overview

Orchard Group is a nonprofit ministry organization that connects church planters with partner churches and donors to establish new churches in cities worldwide. Their offering consists of church planting services, including identifying and vetting church planting candidates, matching planters with partner churches, providing fundraising support, building custom support teams, facilitating peer networks, and offering long-term establishment support until churches become self-governing, self-supporting, and self-multiplying. The organization also operates a Seed Fund for general donations and maintains a projects directory showcasing various church plants globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Church Planting Program Core program connecting church planters with partner churches and donors to establish new churches in cities worldwide. Includes vetting of planter candidates, location assessment, fundraising support, custom-built management teams, peer network access, and long-term accompaniment until each plant becomes self-governing, self-supporting, and self-multiplying. For partner churches and church planters seeking to start new congregations.
• Seed Fund

Quantifiable outcome

• 95%+ of churches flourish for decades as self-governing, sustaining, and multiplying Christian communities
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, historical and ongoing.

• Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with HTB network for the Perth, Australia church plant. HTB's globally recognized model is grounded in local connection, vibrant spirituality, thoughtful engagement, and unity in the Church. It has been a catalyst for evangelisation, Church revitalisation, and social transformation. Perth is HTB's first Australian Hub.
• RHM (Regional Church Planting Ministry)historicalStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrior to merger with Orchard Group, RHM planted multiple churches in New England region including Renaissance Christian Church Boston, Movement Christian Church, Reunion Christian Church, OceanPointe Christian Church, BridgePointe Christian Church, SouthPointe Christian Church, Oasis Christian Church, EastPoint Christian Church, New Hampshire Korean Christian Church, LifeBridge Christian Church, Rockingham Christian Church, Manchester Chinese Christian Church, New Life Cambodian Christian Church, and ONEChurch.
• Traders Point Christian ChurchongoingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSending church for Mission City Church in Santa Barbara, CA. The Barkers have their sending church as Traders Point Christian Church in Indianapolis, IN. Jake led the student ministry, developed the multisite strategy, and most recently served as an executive pastor at Traders Point.
• Southeast Christian ChurchongoingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSending church for SLO City Church project. Brent Bramer served as Next Gen Pastor for 6 years at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY before being commissioned for the church plant.
• Dermot O'MahonyongoingOthersAmbassador for Orchard Group and planter of Elevate Community Church in Limerick, Ireland (launched 2012).

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Exponential: Network and annual conference dedicated to church planting and multiplication, providing training, peer connection, and resources to planters and planting leaders — comparable community-building role for church planters.
• Pillar Network: Church planting and revitalization network focused on cultivating healthy churches and reproducing leaders — overlapping mission and selective intake process with Orchard Group.
• Stadia Church Planting: Non-denominational church planting organization that provides assessment, training, funding, and ongoing coaching to planters — directly comparable service bundle to Orchard Group's planter development pathway.
• Acts 29: Global church planting network that vets, trains, and supports church planters, connecting them with partner churches and funding — directly comparable mission and operating model to Orchard Group, though operating at larger scale.
• Converge Church Planting: Baptist-leaning church planting movement that assesses planters, connects them to partner churches, and provides coaching and peer community — close functional peer with a similar selective, support-led model.
• NewThing Network: Reproducing church planting movement founded by David Garrison emphasizing church planting movements in unreached areas — comparable mission and peer-coaching model to Orchard Group.

Regional players

• Church Multiplication Network (CMN): Church of the Nazarene-affiliated planting network that vets planters, mobilizes partner churches, and provides coaching — same operating model as Orchard Group but denomination-specific and smaller reach.
• Restore Network (Church of the Nazarene): Denominational planting arm focused on revitalizing and planting churches in under-resourced areas — comparable urban and missional focus to Orchard Group, though denominationally narrow.

Broad incumbents

• Send Network (North American Mission Board): Southern Baptist church planting network that vets planters, raises funding, and provides coaching and peer networks — same value chain as Orchard Group but denominational and significantly larger in annual plant volume.

Emerging players

• Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) Network: Global Alpha/HTB family that supports church planting hubs worldwide — identified strategic partner of Orchard Group for the Perth plant and a growing global network of hubs directly comparable in mission.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/orchardgroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orchard-group-nyc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 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 Orchard Group