Brethren

What Brethren does

The Church of the Brethren, Inc. is a nonprofit Christian denomination headquartered at 1451 Dundee Avenue, Elgin, Illinois, with roots in the Schwarzenau Brethren founded by Alexander Mack in Germany in 1708 and the first North American baptism in Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1724. It is classified as a Historic Peace Church rooted in Anabaptist and Pietist traditions and serves approximately 800 member congregations across the United States, with sister churches and global mission partnerships in Nigeria (EYN), Brazil, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Haiti, and other countries. Its ministry portfolio spans Brethren Disaster Ministries (rebuilding), Children's Disaster Services (emergency child care), Brethren Volunteer Service, Brethren Press (publishing, including Messenger magazine and Shine Curriculum co-published with MennoMedia), the Brethren Historical Library and Archives, the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy in Washington, DC, and ministerial training through Bethany Theological Seminary and the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership.

The denomination is governed by the Annual Conference as its highest body, with the Mission and Ministry Board and General Secretary (currently David Steele) providing leadership between conferences. Its principal revenue streams are congregational tithes and offerings, designated special offerings (Disaster Ministries, Global Mission), Messenger magazine subscriptions (individual $21/year, student $18, club $18, sustaining tiers $35–$75, international $36–$56), Messenger advertising (full page $1,353 per insertion), and Annual Conference registration. Eder Financial (formerly Brethren Benefit Trust) provides affiliated insurance and retirement services to congregations and members.

The organization operates three physical sites — General Offices in Elgin, IL (under exploration for relocation and sale as of June 2026), the Brethren Service Center warehouse/distribution facility in New Windsor, MD (now partially leased to Catholic Medical Mission Board), and the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy in Washington, DC. Staff headcount is in the 11–50 range, supporting what the source describes as community-led, event-driven, and direct-to-consumer (magazine) go-to-market motions across approximately 4,700 Messenger subscribers and a multi-channel digital presence spanning website, podcast, YouTube, email, and social media.

Name

Brethren

Legal name

Church of the Brethren, Inc.

Website

https://brethren.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1708

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Church of the Brethren is a nonprofit Anabaptist Historic Peace Church denomination founded in 1708, serving approximately 800 US congregations plus international sister churches through disaster relief, volunteer service, theological education, publishing (Messenger magazine, Brethren Press), and peacebuilding advocacy, funded by congregational tithes, offerings, subscriptions, and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Denomination and Faith-Based Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG), Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE)

Keywords

• Religious denomination
• Congregational ministries
• Disaster relief services
• Christian education curriculum
• Global mission work

Headquarters

HQ city

Elgin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Primary revenue stream from member congregations through tithes and offerings collected at local church level, supporting denominational ministries and operations.
2. Special Offerings: Annual special offerings for specific causes such as Disaster Ministries, Global Mission, and other designated programs.
3. Messenger Magazine Subscriptions: Official denomination magazine generates subscription revenue from individuals ($21/year, $39/2 years), students ($18/year), and church clubs ($18/year, $34/2 years). International subscriptions available at higher rates.
4. Conference Registration: Revenue from Annual Conference registration fees for delegates and attendees.
5. Advertising Revenue: Messenger magazine accepts advertisements from compatible organizations, with rate card pricing for various ad sizes and frequency discounts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination coordinating ministries, programs, and resources for approximately 800 member congregations across the United States. It delivers services including disaster relief and rebuilding (Brethren Disaster Ministries, Children's Disaster Services), global mission partnerships, faith formation curriculum (Shine Curriculum), ministerial training, peacebuilding advocacy, and publishes the official Messenger magazine. Funding comes primarily from member tithes, offerings, donations, and publication subscriptions.

Product overview

The Church of the Brethren operates primarily as a religious denomination rather than a technology company. Its product offerings consist of publications and educational resources: MESSENGER Magazine (the official monthly publication, 10 issues/year, tracing back to 1851), Shine Curriculum (jointly published with MennoMedia for Sunday school Christian education), the Shine Everywhere initiative (a faith formation program), Newsline Digest newsletter, the annual Yearbook, and Brethren Press as the publishing division. These publications serve the denomination's ~800 congregations across the United States and sister churches internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Brethren Disaster Ministries: Disaster response and rebuilding programs serving communities affected by disasters
• Brethren Press
• Brethren Volunteer Service
• Children's Disaster Services
• Messenger
• Global Mission
• Office of Peacebuilding and Policy

Products and services

• MESSENGER Magazine The official magazine of the Church of the Brethren, published 10 times annually in print and digital editions. Reaches approximately 4,700 subscribers with features, news, Bible studies, opinion, and denominational content.
• Shine Curriculum A joint publication of Brethren Press and MennoMedia providing Sunday school curriculum for faith formation. Part of the Shine Everywhere initiative focused on connecting faith practices at church and at home.
• Brethren Disaster Ministries Disaster response and rebuilding programs serving communities affected by disasters, including volunteers in recovery efforts such as in Letcher County, KY in 2025.
• Children's Disaster Services Emergency services providing care for children during disasters and community crises.
• Brethren Volunteer Service Volunteer service program placing volunteers in communities nationwide for faith-based service opportunities.
• Annual Conference Annual Conference held June 28-July 2, 2026 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, gathering delegates from approximately 800 congregations for worship, business sessions, networking, and resources. Includes livestreaming for virtual attendees.
• Yearbook Annual publication containing congregational and district statistics, denominational data, and church information for the Church of the Brethren.
• Eder Financial (formerly Brethren Benefit Trust)

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026CMMB has begun renting warehouse space at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, MD, using space formerly occupied by the Material Resources program. CMMB is a faith-based NGO working globally to bring healthcare closer to home, with Access to Medicines Program having distributed over $6.3 billion worth of medicines and medical supplies to 114 countries over 25 years.
• Church World Service (CWS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCWS is a partner organization for immigration advocacy and support. CWS provides updates on Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians and other immigration matters relevant to the denomination's advocacy work.
• Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMEP is a partner organization for the Church of the Brethren Office of Peacebuilding and Policy. CMEP advocates for peace in the Middle East through diplomatic efforts rather than military intervention.
• World Council of Churches (WCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWCC is an ecumenical partner that the Church of the Brethren participates in. WCC recently signed a statement on AI in warfare calling for halt to AI systems in military kill chains.
• MennoMediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMennoMedia is a joint publication partner with Brethren Press for the Shine: Living in God's Light Curriculum. MennoMedia received a Lilly Endowment grant on behalf of the Shine Everywhere initiative.
• Eder FinancialcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEder Financial (formerly Brethren Benefit Trust/BBT) provides financial services including insurance and retirement benefits to Church of the Brethren congregations and members.
• On Earth PeacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOn Earth Peace is an Annual Conference agency focused on peacebuilding and conflict transformation, preparing resources like the Annual Conference edition of Agape: A Peacemaking Guide for Kids.
• Bethany Theological SeminarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBethany Theological Seminary provides theological education and training for Church of the Brethren ministers. The Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership is a joint program with the seminary.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• United Methodist Church: Much larger US mainline Protestant denomination with comparable structure, publishing operations (UM Publishing House), global mission footprint, and historic-peace-adjacent social principles.
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA): Larger US mainline Protestant denomination with a parallel congregational structure and Lutheran Disaster Response; comparable publishing and theological-education footprint, but at meaningfully greater scale.
• American Baptist Churches USA: Mainline Baptist denomination with a similarly decentralized congregational structure and parallel publishing/educational ministries, providing a useful comparable for denominational governance.
• United Church of Christ: Progressive US mainline Protestant denomination with comparable theological positioning, congregational governance and social-justice mission, but operating at larger scale and reach.

Direct peers

• Presbyterian Church (USA): Another US Historic Peace Church in the mainline Protestant tradition with parallel denominational structure, governing bodies, disaster-response programs (Presbyterian Disaster Assistance), and publishing operations.
• American Friends Service Committee: Quaker-affiliated humanitarian organization with disaster response, peacebuilding and international programming that directly parallels Brethren Disaster Ministries, Children's Disaster Services, and the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy.
• Mennonite Church USA: A sibling Anabaptist denomination with shared theological heritage, a Historic Peace Church identity, and a comparable US congregational network. Directly comparable as a co-peace-church body of similar size and theology.
• Religious Society of Friends (Quakers): Co-Historic Peace Church with the same peace witness and simplicity tradition as the Brethren, comparable theology, and similar small-to-mid sized US denominational footprint.

Others

• World Vision: Faith-based humanitarian NGO whose international disaster response, global mission and child-focused programs parallel Brethren Disaster Ministries, Children's Disaster Services and Global Food Initiative—useful benchmark for the aid-delivery line of business at greater scale.

Emerging players

• Bethany Theological Seminary: Anabaptist theological seminary operating under covenant with the Church of the Brethren and home to the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership; comparable educational niche with overlap on ministerial training and formation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/ChurchOfTheBrethren
• Facebookfacebook.com/churchofthebrethren
• Xx.com/ChoftheBrethren
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/church-of-the-brethren-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries10 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 Brethren