Baptist Bible Fellowship International

What Baptist Bible Fellowship International does

Baptist Bible Fellowship International (BBFI), also doing business as "BBFI" and "The Fellowship," is a private religious fellowship founded in 1950 that serves independent Baptist pastors, churches, missionaries, and ministry leaders in the United States and internationally. It is incorporated in Missouri and headquartered in Springfield, where the BBFI Central Office (launched January 1, 2023) and BBFI Missions Office operate. The organization functions as a denominational network rather than a commercial enterprise: it does not sell software, charge tuition, or earn investment returns, and it does not publicly disclose revenue. Its offerings are ministry services and resources rather than technology products, including the BBFI Church Planting Program, Church Development Program, Education Program (partnering with Mission University, Boston Baptist College, and Louisiana Baptist University), APEX Church Planting Assessment, the annual National Fellowship Meeting, Fellowship Week at Mission University, the Healthy Church Conference, The Fellowship Podcast on YouTube, Tribune Publishing bookstore, and a job board for ministry positions.

The BBFI's business model is donation-based: the Central Office is financially supported by contributions from local churches, businesses, and corporate partners, with funds directed toward five stated areas — State Fellowship coordination, regional and national conferences, church planting and development, internal communication, and external networking. Distribution flows through nearly 30 state fellowships that connect pastors locally, national leadership via an elected Executive Committee of volunteer pastors (President, Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer), and a small paid administrative staff headed by Executive Director Randy Harp. Corporate partners (GuideStone, Mel Himes Insurance, RightNow Media, Logos Bible Software, Clear Price Health) provide member benefits rather than primary revenue.

The organization's scale is denominational rather than commercial: thousands of affiliated churches across the United States, missionaries deployed on six continents, and digital reach via Instagram, YouTube, and podcasts. Governance is by elected, three-year-term national officers who concurrently pastor member churches, embedding operational leadership inside the membership. There are no APIs, software integrations, proprietary technology platforms, or AI/ML capabilities; the underlying technology footprint consists of a Squarespace-hosted website, social media properties, and third-party content services.

Name

Baptist Bible Fellowship International

Legal name

Baptist Bible Fellowship International

Website

https://bbfi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Baptist Bible Fellowship International is a 1950-founded, Missouri-incorporated religious fellowship that serves independent Baptist pastors, churches, missionaries, and ministry leaders across the U.S. and six continents through church planting, education, conferences, and a donation-funded Central Office in Springfield, MO.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Religious Organizations (81311), Religious Organizations (813110)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE), Missionary Training Colleges & Schools (EDAHAKAF)

Keywords

• Religious fellowship services
• Church planting programs
• Pastoral leadership development
• Missionary support services
• Baptist ministry networks

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

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 Offerings: The BBFI Central Office relies on financial support and partnership from local churches, businesses, and corporate partners. Donations support five key areas: working with State Fellowships and the Executive Committee, coordinating regional and national conferences, developing church planting and church development, communication within the Fellowship, and networking within and outside the BBFI.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Baptist Bible Fellowship International operates as a fellowship network of independent Baptist pastors, churches, missionaries, and ministry leaders, providing church planting support, church development programs, education partnerships with partner colleges and seminaries, annual conferences and national meetings, missionary deployment and field support, and an online bookstore through Tribune Publishing. The organization is coordinated through a Central Office and nearly 30 state fellowships across the United States, with missions support extending across six continents.

Product overview

Baptist Bible Fellowship International is a religious ministry organization, not a technology product company. Its offerings consist of ministry services including church planting support, church development programs, education partnerships with universities (Mission University, Boston Baptist College, Louisiana Baptist University), annual conferences (Healthy Church Conference, Fellowship Week, National Fellowship Meetings), The Fellowship Podcast, Tribune Publishing bookstore, and a job board for church positions. These are ministry programs and services, not technology products with APIs, integrations, or AI capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Fellowship Podcast

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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 minor and core.

• GuideStone RetirementminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner providing retirement planning services to BBFI pastors and churches. Listed as a benefit partner on the BBFI corporate partners page.
• Mel Himes InsuranceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner providing insurance services. Listed as a benefit partner on the BBFI corporate partners page.
• Logos Bible SoftwarecoreTechnology or IntegrationCorporate partner providing Bible software with BBFI-only discounts offered through Central Office training webinars. Logos has provided exclusive discounts to BBFI members and hosts training webinars through the Central Office.
• Clear Price HealthminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner for health insurance services. Part of the corporate networking strategy to establish partners that serve the BBFI.
• Mission UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormerly Baptist Bible College (BBC), a legacy partner institution founded by BBFI. Located in Springfield, MO and hosts annual Fellowship Week. Partner institutions receive recognition, accountability, and alignment with the Fellowship's mission.
• Boston Baptist CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution of the BBFI providing theological education and ministry training. Listed as a BBFI-approved school for preparing the next generation of Christian leaders.
• Louisiana Baptist UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution of the BBFI providing higher education with a BBFI affiliation. Listed as a BBFI-approved school for preparing the next generation of Christian leaders.
• APEX Church Planting AssessmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBBFI's official church planter assessment program including in-depth three-day assessment and personalized mentoring program. Terry Kizer serves as APEX Director.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Regional players

• Pioneer Network (UK): A UK-based church planting network with assessment, training, and ongoing support for church planters across multiple denominations. Comparable as a network-led church planting model, though operating in a different (UK) geography and a more inter-denominational context.

Direct peers

• General Association of Regular Baptist Churches (GARBC): A fellowship of independent, fundamentalist Baptist churches with similar doctrinal distinctives, a national association structure, affiliated colleges, and a church planting emphasis — the closest functional analog to BBFI's independent-Baptist fellowship model.
• Converge (formerly Baptist General Conference): A Baptist fellowship/network that operates church planting assessments, global missions partnerships (Converge Worldwide), and credentialing for church planters — a structural peer in how it organizes church planting and missions across independent Baptist churches.
• Acts 29 Network: A church planting network that provides assessment, coaching, and ongoing support for church planters and member churches, structurally analogous to BBFI's APEX + Central Office combination, though operating in a broader evangelical (not Baptist-specific) doctrinal space.
• Cooperative Baptist Fellowship: A moderate Baptist fellowship that coordinates missions ( CBF Global), church planting, and ministry partnerships across autonomous Baptist churches — a structural peer in operating as a fellowship rather than a denomination, though with different doctrinal distinctives than BBFI.
• Mission America Coalition / National Association of Free Will Baptists: A Free Will Baptist denominational fellowship offering church planting, missions (NAFWBM), and education (Welch College) — comparable as a smaller Baptist fellowship with its own missions board, college, and church planting programs serving autonomous churches.
• Baptist Missionary Association of America: A fellowship of cooperating Baptist churches that shares BBFI's DNA of church planting, missions (BMA Missions), and Baptist education partners (e.g., Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary). Highly comparable as an independent-Baptist network with global missions reach.

Broad incumbents

• Southern Baptist Convention: The largest Protestant denomination in the U.S., operating national church planting (NAMB), IMB global missions, six seminaries, and state convention infrastructure — directly comparable to BBFI across missions, education, and church planting, but at vastly greater scale and with formal denominational governance.
• Evangelical Free Church of America: An evangelical fellowship of autonomous churches that supports church planting, missions, and ministerial credentialing through regional districts. Comparable in the fellowship-of-autonomous-churches model and in offering church planting assessment pathways.

Emerging players

• Church Multiplication Network: A church multiplication-focused network providing assessment, training, and coaching to church planters across multiple denominations — comparable to BBFI's APEX in providing a structured assessment funnel, though operating at smaller scale and without a broader fellowship governance overlay.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@TheFellowshipPodcast2025
• Instagraminstagram.com/bbfi
• Xx.com/bbfiorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/bbfiorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/baptist-bible-fellowship-international

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Baptist Bible Fellowship International