What Ethnos360 does

Ethnos360 is a US-based non-profit religious organization founded in 1942 (originally as New Tribes Mission, rebranded in 2013) that trains, equips, and deploys missionaries to plant churches among unreached people groups worldwide. It is one of 31 equal member entities within the Global Partners network, which collectively coordinates approximately 2,327 missionaries serving 263 people groups across Asia-Pacific (Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Southeast Asia), South America (Bolivia, Paraguay, Colombia, Brazil), Africa, Europe, the Canadian Arctic, and the Middle East. The organization's program portfolio centers on a multi-year training pipeline: the Ethnos360 Bible Institute (a two-year, 64-credit Bible education program available both on-campus in Waukesha, WI and online via e360bible.org) followed by the Ethnos360 Training Center in Camdenton, MO which teaches cross-cultural church-planting methodology, before deployment to the field.

The organization's core outputs include church planting, Bible translation (96 completed New Testament translations and 123 in progress), and literacy programs targeting people groups lacking access to the gospel in their heart language. Supporting infrastructure includes Ethnos360 Aviation (mission aviation using Quest Kodiak aircraft for access to remote tribal villages), the MK Care program for missionary children, the Wayumi short-term missions program, and proprietary software tools for culture and language acquisition (Stages and Engage) plus advanced translation software. Operational facilities comprise a US Home Office in Sanford, FL (which adopted a Work From Home Friday schedule in January 2026), the historic Waukesha, WI Bible Institute campus, and the Camdenton, MO Training Center, supplemented by 10 training centers globally. In March 2026, Ethnos360 acquired an eight-unit apartment building in Waukesha for $1.9M to support student housing growth.

Ethnos360 is funded primarily through donor contributions from churches and individual believers (monthly EFT, one-time gifts, designated project support, planned giving), processed through its finance office. Secondary revenue comes from EBI Online tuition ($160 per credit hour, approximately $5,720 per year full-time, totaling approximately $11,440 for the full two-year program) plus a $40/credit hour audit rate. Distribution is driven by a national network of regional representatives who speak at churches and events across the USA, complemented by magazine, podcast, video, and social media channels. ECFA accreditation is in place. The organization is governed by an Executive Board chaired by Bob Meisel with Steve Sanford as CEO, and operates within the Global Ministry Agreement framework overseen by a board with representatives from seven nations.

Name

Ethnos360

Legal name

Ethnos360

Website

https://ethnos360.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1942

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Ethnos360 is a US-based nonprofit (founded 1942) that trains and deploys missionaries through its Bible Institute and Training Center to plant churches and translate Scripture among 263 unreached people groups globally, as one of 31 entities in the Global Partners network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Missionary Training Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Educational Services (611), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based & Mission Service Programs (EDAIAGAI), Missionary Training Colleges & Schools (EDAHAKAF), Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

Keywords

• Missionary training
• Bible translation
• Church planting
• Missionary sending
• Unreached people groups

Headquarters

HQ city

Sanford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donor Contributions and Support: Missionaries raise financial support from churches and individuals through partnership development. Supporters give monthly through EFT, one-time gifts, or designated donations to specific missionaries or projects. The organization processes these contributions to fund missionary activities and church planting operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Ethnos360 is a nonprofit religious organization that trains, equips, and sends missionaries to reach unreached people groups with the gospel. Its core offerings include two-year Bible education through the Ethnos360 Bible Institute (on-campus and online), pre-field missionary equipping at the Ethnos360 Training Center, deployment of career missionaries, and specialized support services such as Ethnos360 Aviation for remote-area transportation and the MK Care Program for missionary children. All programs are oriented toward Bible translation and church planting in heart languages among people groups without a local, mature body of believers.

Product overview

Ethnos360 is a missionary training and sending organization (formerly known as New Tribes Mission, founded in 1942) that operates a portfolio of interconnected programs centered on training cross-cultural church planters to reach unreached people groups. The core offerings include the Ethnos360 Bible Institute (both campus-based and online), the Ethnos360 Training Center, and various mission participation pathways including short-term trips (Wayumi), career missions, and a skilled associate program. Supporting services include Ethnos360 Aviation for remote transportation, the MK Care program for missionary children, the Interface Missions Course for experiential learning, Ethnos360 Magazine and Podcast for mobilization and awareness, and the Renovate to Reach campaign for facility expansion. The organization is part of the Global Partners network comprising 31 entities with approximately 2,327 missionaries working among 263 people groups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ethnos360 Bible Institute: Bible education institution offering a two-year, college-level course studying every book of the Bible, founded in 1955. Prerequisite for missionary training.
• Ethnos360 Training Center
• Ethnos360 Aviation
• Wayumi
• Mission-Minded Kids
• Ethnos360 Bible Institute Online (EBI Online)

Products and services

• Ethnos360 Bible Institute (EBI) A two-year, college-level Bible education program providing foundational biblical training with emphasis on cross-cultural church planting, originally founded in 1955, now available both on-campus and online, serving as a prerequisite for missionary candidates pursuing field service.
• Ethnos360 Bible Institute Online (EBI Online) An online version of the full 64-credit Bible Institute program with year-round trimester enrollment, featuring pre-recorded video lectures, group discussions, and mentorship requirements, priced at $160 per credit hour with $40 audit rate plus $100 technology and $100 admin fees per semester.
• Ethnos360 Training Center A missionary training facility located in Camdenton, Missouri that equips cross-cultural church planters with church planting methodology as part of the Pre-Field Equipping (e1) stage of the Global Partners training program, where US citizens typically receive their initial pre-field training.
• Wayumi Short-Term Trips A combined summer camp and missions trip program that provides participants with an immersive experience in missions and culture, serving as an entry point for individuals considering long-term missionary service.
• Interface Missions Course A six-week, college-level missions course offered in Papua New Guinea for college students, married couples, singles, pastors, and other adults, designed to provide deeper exposure to missions work.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96 completed New Testament translations with 123 in progress across unreached people groups
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Global Partners NetworkflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Global Partners is a network of 31 mission entities bound together by shared purpose, core values, ministry distinctives (heart language ministries and Scripture translation), and commitment to reaching unreached ethnic groups worldwide. Ethnos360 is one equal member among these partners, working to expand the Church beyond the edge where it currently exists.
• Global Ministry Agreement Board (GMA Board)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe GMA Board ensures all Global Partners follow the Global Ministries Agreement framework. The board consists of members from seven different nations, maintaining clarity regarding commitments that bind partners together.
• Ethnos CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEthnos Canada is a sending entity that has expanded its ministry to include reaching the Inuit people in the Canadian Arctic. They work in partnership with other Global Partner entities and have pioneered missionary work among previously unreached Arctic communities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ): Cru is a broad evangelical organization with international missionary sending and global training programs; while it spans many ministry areas beyond unreached people groups, it overlaps with Ethnos360 in career missions and church planting.
• Youth With A Mission (YWAM): YWAM is a large interdenominational mission movement with global training centers and short-term programs (DTS) that parallel Ethnos360's Wayumi and Training Center offerings, though it serves a broader, less specialized audience.
• Operation Mobilisation (OM): OM is one of the largest global evangelical mission movements, sending thousands of missionaries to unreached areas with a broader portfolio that includes ships, relief, and short-term programs that overlap with Ethnos360's career and short-term pathways.

Direct peers

• Wycliffe Bible Translators: Wycliffe Bible Translators is a sister faith-based organization whose core mission is translating Scripture into heart languages for unreached people groups, directly overlapping with Ethnos360's translation and language-acquisition work and sharing a similar missionary training pipeline.
• Pioneer Bible Translators: Pioneer Bible Translators focuses on Bible translation and church planting among unreached language communities, with a comparable model of training missionaries for long-term field service in remote regions.
• SIM (Serving In Mission): SIM is a large interdenominational mission organization that sends missionaries to unreached communities, with a comparable focus on church planting, cross-cultural training, and a network of international partner entities.
• TEAM (The Evangelical Alliance Mission): TEAM is an evangelical mission agency that sends missionaries to plant churches among unreached people groups globally, with a comparable multi-region sending model and donor-funded operations.
• Frontiers: Frontiers is a faith-based mission organization focused specifically on planting churches among unreached Muslim people groups, using a similar model of missionary training, sending, and partner-organization networks.
• ABWE (Association of Baptists for World Evangelism): ABWE is a faith-based sending organization that trains and deploys missionaries to plant churches among unreached people groups, with a similar Bible college training pipeline and donor-supported operating model.

Emerging players

• E3 Partners: E3 Partners is a faith-based organization that mobilizes church planters and short-term teams to reach unreached people groups, with a model and target audience that intersect with Ethnos360's career and Wayumi pathways.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Ethnos360
• Facebookfacebook.com/ethnos360
• Instagraminstagram.com/ethnos360
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ethnos360

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles24 records

Subsidiaries6 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 Ethnos360