What Discipleship Ministries does

Discipleship Ministries is a private, non-profit general agency of The United Methodist Church, established in 1972 by the denomination's General Conference to support the receiving, nurturing, caring, and sending ministries of congregations. It is one of 13 international agencies of the UMC, headquartered at 1908 Grand Avenue in Nashville, Tennessee, with 101-250 employees operating under a permanent remote-work policy adopted in 2020. The organization serves local church pastors, worship leaders, lay leaders, district and conference superintendents, bishops, youth and young adult ministers, and ethnic-minority ministry leaders across UMC congregations in the United States and Central Conferences worldwide through English, French, Korean, Portuguese (Brazilian), and Spanish resources.

The agency's core product is a web-based content management and distribution platform centered on worship planning resources built around the Revised Common Lectionary (2016-2026 calendar coverage), including preaching notes, liturgical guides, hymn suggestions, music resources, and a Book of Worship portal. Adjacent offerings include the eLearning platform (hosted on Teachable) with Continuing Education Unit courses, the Spiritual Gifts Inventory online assessment, the Path 1 church planting program, Fresh Expressions UM for new faith communities, the See All The People discipleship system, and event products such as the annual School of Congregational Development, quadrennial Global Young People's Convocation, and the Fusion Worship Music Conference. The Upper Room operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary providing devotional magazines and small-group spiritual formation resources. Technology differentiation is concentrated in domain specialization (liturgical calendar, Wesleyan theological content) and multi-language integration rather than in proprietary platform infrastructure.

The business model combines donations and charitable giving (direct gifts, recurring gifts, securities, planned giving, bequests, and earmarked funds for Path 1, Preachers' Fund, Children/Young People's Ministries, SBC21, Korean/Asian/Pacific Islander Ministries, Wesley Pilgrimage, and Native American Comprehensive Plan) with product sales through store.umcdiscipleship.org for physical and digital resources including lectionary calendars, Belong series booklets, See All The People materials, and Antiracism Discipleship curricula. Distribution reaches customers through the umcdiscipleship.org website, a bi-monthly email newsletter (Equipping Disciples), Mailchimp-driven ministry-specific newsletters, social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X), conferences, and mail donations to the Fund Development Office. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; many worship and leadership resources are offered free while curricula, books, and conference registrations carry fees or suggested donations.

Name

Discipleship Ministries

Legal name

Discipleship Ministries

Website

https://umcdiscipleship.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Discipleship Ministries is a non-profit general agency of The United Methodist Church that provides worship planning, leadership development, church planting, and spiritual formation resources to pastors, lay leaders, and conference leaders across UMC congregations worldwide, including its wholly-owned subsidiary The Upper Room.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Christian Ministry and Worship Resources

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311), Religious Organizations (813110)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Denominational & Ecclesiastical Governance Bodies (Dioceses, Synods, Conferences) (BPAGAJAB)

Keywords

• Worship planning resources
• Church planting
• Spiritual formation
• Lectionary resources
• Ministry leadership development

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Giving: Primary revenue stream through direct donations, one-time gifts, recurring gifts, gifts of securities, planned giving, and bequests. Multiple designated funds support specific programs including Path 1, Preachers' Fund, Children and Young People's Ministries, SBC21, Korean/Asian/Pacific Islander Ministries, Wesley Pilgrimage, and Native American Comprehensive Plan.
2. Resource Store Sales: Sale of physical and digital resources including the 2026 Revised Common Lectionary calendar, Belong series booklets, See All The People materials, Antiracism Discipleship resources, and other published materials for local churches.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Discipleship Ministries is a general agency of The United Methodist Church that provides worship planning resources (lectionary calendars, preaching notes, music resources, Book of Worship), leadership equipping programs (church planting, evangelism, stewardship, lay ministry), and spiritual formation content to local churches, district and conference leaders, and Central Conferences globally. The organization distributes physical and digital resources through an online store, delivers online courses with Continuing Education Units, and operates conferences and events, with The Upper Room serving as its wholly-owned subsidiary for individual spiritual formation resources.

Product overview

Discipleship Ministries operates as a comprehensive resource ministry offering multiple interconnected products and programs. The core offering includes worship planning resources (lectionary calendars, preaching notes, music resources, Book of Worship) and equipping leaders programs (church planting, evangelism, stewardship, lay ministry, spiritual gifts). Key branded products include The Upper Room (spiritual formation subsidiary), Path 1 (church planting), Fresh Expressions UM (new faith communities), Belong Series (sacraments resources), and Safer Sanctuaries (abuse prevention). Additional offerings include eLearning online courses, events like the Global Young People's Convocation (GYPC) and School of Congregational Development (SCD), the Spiritual Gifts Inventory assessment tool, and the See All The People discipleship system. The organization also manages the Wesley Pilgrimage travel program and hosts the Fusion Worship Music Conference.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Upper Room: A subsidiary offering spiritual formation resources including devotional magazines and books for individuals and small groups

Products and services

• The Upper Room (Spiritual Formation) Spiritual formation resources including devotional magazines and books for individuals and small groups, helping people grow in faith.
• Path 1 / Church Planting Team of leaders from global, national, regional, and local levels of The United Methodist Church that trains, equips, and deploys church leaders to start and sustain new and vital congregations and ministries.
• Fresh Expressions UM Wesleyan Spirit-led movement cultivating new Christian communities that serve the present age, focusing on inclusive, accessible, transformative, and connectional values.
• Belong Series Comprehensive suite of resources for deepening engagement with sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion, including Foundations Guides, Explore booklets, lesson plans, and teaching videos.
• Safer Sanctuaries Abuse prevention policy development resource that empowers faith communities to develop and implement policies and procedures that make everyone safer.
• Spiritual Gifts Inventory Online assessment tool helping believers discover their spiritual gifts for ministry in the world and building up the body of Christ.
• eLearning Platform Online course platform offering high-quality courses including some with Continuing Education Units for faith life enrichment.
• AI For Ministry Masterclass Online training series offering beginner to advanced training on artificial intelligence applications in ministry contexts, including sermon preparation, faith formation, and church leadership support.
• Global Young People's Convocation (GYPC) Global gathering for young Methodists (ages 12-35) held every four years, featuring worship, learning, networking, and legislative sessions.
• School of Congregational Development (SCD) Annual conference equipping leaders to reimagine the future of the church through formation, imagination, and activation, featuring practitioners in church planting and revitalization.
• Worship Planning Resources Comprehensive worship planning materials including lectionary calendars, preaching resources, planning resources, music resources, history of hymns, seasons and holidays resources, and the Book of Worship.
• Wesley Pilgrimage Spiritual journey to England offering immersion in Christ-centered leadership of John and Charles Wesley, including visits to significant Wesley locations and small group reflections.
• Fusion: Worship Music Conference Weekend workshop designed to empower pastors and musicians to lead vibrant, contemporary worship grounded in theological integrity.
• See All The People Comprehensive discipleship system for developing and implementing disciple-making strategies in local churches.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The United Methodist Publishing HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDiscipleship Ministries has a written agreement with The United Methodist Publishing House to offer resources from The United Methodist Book of Worship (1992) on their website. Congregations may reproduce these resources for worship and educational purposes with proper copyright attribution.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lifeway Christian Resources: Resource arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, structurally analogous to Discipleship Ministries as a denominational agency providing curriculum, conferences, eLearning, worship resources, and study materials to local churches. Closest model peer in terms of mandate, funding model, and customer base.
• Renovaré: Christian spiritual formation ministry producing books, conferences, and formation curricula. Comparable focus area (spiritual formation, devotional content) served through similar channels (content, events, small group materials), with cross-denominational reach similar to The Upper Room.
• Center for Action and Contemplation: Spiritual formation organization producing devotional content, online courses, and teaching resources for Christian audiences. Comparable to The Upper Room and Discipleship Ministries' formation programs in mission and content-led delivery.
• Seedbed: Wesleyan/Methodist-aligned publishing platform producing theological content, daily devotionals, and formation resources. Highly comparable in theological tradition (Wesleyan) and audience (Methodist clergy and laity), though smaller in scale.
• Christianity Today: Leading evangelical Christian media organization producing content, magazines, and resources for church leaders. Comparable audience (pastors and ministry leaders), content-led model, and reliance on denominational/cross-denominational reach.

Broad incumbents

• Faithlife (Logos Bible Software): Provider of Bible study software, digital content libraries, and church management tools widely used by pastors and ministry leaders. Comparable audience and content/resource delivery to local church leaders, with overlap in worship planning and study resource categories.
• David C Cook: Established Christian publisher and curriculum provider serving churches globally with children's, youth, and adult ministry resources. Comparable as a major non-denominational Christian resource provider, though operating at broader scale and across multiple denominations.
• Group Publishing: Major provider of children's, youth, and adult ministry curriculum and vacation Bible school resources to churches. Comparable as a content-led ministry resource publisher with comparable customer base (local church leaders).
• United Methodist Publishing House: Publishing arm of The United Methodist Church and formal partner of Discipleship Ministries, operating the Abingdon Press imprint. Comparable as a UMC-affiliated content and resource producer, though focused on publishing rather than programmatic ministry.

Others

• Asbury Theological Seminary: Wesleyan-Holiness theological seminary offering graduate theological education and continuing education for ministry leaders. Comparable Wesleyan theological tradition and audience of Methodist/holiness clergy and lay leaders, though operating as a degree-granting institution rather than a resource agency.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UMCdiscipleship
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/boardofdiscipleship
• Facebookfacebook.com/UMCdiscipleship
• Instagraminstagram.com/umcdiscipleship
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/umcdiscipleship

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Discipleship Ministries