Evangelical Media House

What Evangelical Media House does

Evangelisches Medienhaus GmbH (EMH) is a Stuttgart-based media services company wholly owned by the Evangelische Landeskirche in W\u00fcrttemberg, operating as the official media and communications arm of the regional Protestant church. Founded in 1905 as the publisher of the Evangelisches Gemeindeblatt (today Germany's largest Protestant church-area newspaper, IVW-certified at 27,872 copies in Q1 2025), EMH has evolved into a three-pillar organization spanning Beratung (consulting), L\u00f6sungen (digital solutions), and Medienwelt (media production). Headcount is 51-100 employees.

EMH's core products are two self-service digital platforms and a portfolio of broadcast/media productions. digendo (launched 2025) is a print and media portal offering pre-configured church corporate design templates for invitations, flyers, posters, and election materials, distributed on a freemium model with 6-month free access for W\u00fcrttemberg churches. Gemeindebaukasten is a website builder serving 658 W\u00fcrttemberg congregations plus 122 churches in Hessen Nassau, Berlin Brandenburg, Pfalz, and Oldenburg. The Medienwelt division produces the Gemeindeblatt newspaper, AndachtsCast podcast (5,000+ subscribers, ~500,000 streams), radio devotions reaching ~600,000 weekday and ~1 million Sunday listeners across seven stations, TV formats (Alpha & Omega, Gloria-Gottesdienste, Hoffnungsmensch) distributed via Bibel TV and Regio TV, and epd-Video content reaching major national broadcasters. A 2023 crossmedia newsroom integrated editorial workflows across all channels.

The business model combines multiple revenue streams: e-commerce product sales through shop.evmedienhaus.de (religious books, cards, gifts, seasonal items at sub-EUR 3 unit prices with volume discounts), subscription/hosting fees for Gemeindebaukasten, transactional fees on digendo print orders, and professional services revenue from media production. Distribution is primarily domestic Germany, with geographic expansion underway into Pfalz (newspaper, 2024) and other state churches via Gemeindebaukasten. Go-to-market combines product-led growth (self-service platforms), community-led engagement (training 1,000+ church employees through the Landeskirche network), and event-driven outreach at church conferences and elections. The company has no external shareholders, no venture funding, and no disclosed revenue figures.

Name

Evangelical Media House

Legal name

Evangelisches Medienhaus GmbH

Website

https://evmedienhaus.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1905

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Evangelisches Medienhaus is a Stuttgart-based, church-owned media services company serving German Protestant communities with the Gemeindebaukasten website builder, digendo print portal, the Evangelisches Gemeindeblatt newspaper, and broadcast/multimedia production distributed through Bibel TV, Regio TV, and major radio stations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Media Services

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAJAI

Faith-Based Media, Publishing & Broadcasting (Radio, TV, Digital, Press)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Religious & Faith-Based Organizations

SECONDARYMPAIAEAF

Religious Radio Broadcasting

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Radio & Audio Broadcasting (Terrestrial, Satellite, Digital Radio)

SECONDARYMPAJAHAB

Devotional & Prayer Publishing (Devotionals, Prayer Books, Meditation Guides)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Religious & Spiritual Publishing

SECONDARYMPAJAHAI

Denominational & Community Periodicals (Church Magazines, Diocesan/Temple Newsletters)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Religious & Spiritual Publishing

Keywords

• Church media services
• Religious publishing services
• Church communication platforms
• Digital print services
• Church website builder

Headquarters

HQ city

Stuttgart

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. E-commerce Product Sales: Online shop selling religious media products including books, cards, gifts, hymnals, church year items, and promotional materials to churches and individuals. Direct consumer sales through shop.evmedienhaus.de.
2. digendo Print and Media Services: Print-on-demand and professional printing services through the digendo platform. Churches order customized materials through the portal which forwards directly to print facilities.
3. Gemeindebaukasten Website Platform: Website building and hosting services for church communities. Provides scalable solutions from basic parish websites to comprehensive church communication platforms.
4. Professional Media Production: Production of video content, radio segments, TV programs (Gloria Gottesdienste), podcasts (AndachtsCast), and multimedia content for church clients and broadcast partners.
5. epd-Video Content: Contributing production to the nationwide epd-Video platform, a service of the Evangelischer Pressedienst, reaching major broadcasters like ZDF, RTL, and regional stations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Evangelisches Medienhaus is a media production and publishing company serving the Evangelical Landeskirche in Württemberg and broader German Protestant church community. It produces and distributes content across print (Evangelisches Gemeindeblatt newspaper), radio, TV, video, online, podcast, and social media channels. It also operates specialized digital platforms — digendo (church media/print portal) and Gemeindebaukasten (church website builder) — plus a retail shop (shop.evmedienhaus.de) selling religious books, cards, gifts, and seasonal products.

Product overview

Evangelisches Medienhaus (EMH) is a media company serving the Evangelische Landeskirche in Württemberg and broader German Protestant church community. Its portfolio is organized around three service pillars — Beratung (consulting), Lösungen (solutions), and Medienwelt (media world) — plus a retail e-commerce platform (Medienhaus Shop) and an editorial/publication division. Key digital platforms include digendo (a print and media portal offering professional templates for church communications), the Gemeindebaukasten (web builder for church websites used by 780+ communities), and the Evangelisches Gemeindeblatt newspaper (with crossmedia newsroom and multiple newsletters/podcasts). The Medienwelt division produces video, radio, TV, and podcast content across formats including Alpha & Omega, Gloria-Gottesdienste, Hoffnungsmensch, and epd-Video. The Medienhaus Shop at shop.evmedienhaus.de retails books, cards, gifts, seasonal items (Advent/Christmas, Easter), hymnals, music CDs, and outdoor advertising materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• digendo: Digital printing and media portal for church community work providing templates and printing services.
• Gemeindebaukasten
• Praxis 100°

Products and services

• digendo A digital media portal for church community communication offering professionally designed templates for printing and digital media, including church election materials, invitations, flyers, posters, and brochures. Pre-configured for print production; requires no graphic design skills. Targeted at Protestant church parishes in Germany.
• Gemeindebaukasten An internet-based website builder enabling church communities to create and maintain their online presence. Used by over 658 Württemberg parishes and 122 additional communities across multiple German state churches. Includes modules for church institutions, youth organizations, and diaconal facilities.
• Evangelisches Gemeindeblatt The flagship print newspaper of EMH, established 1905, published for Württemberg and since 2024 also for the Pfalz region. IVW-audited circulation of 27,872 copies in Q1 2025 with a reach of 107,451 contacts. Germany's largest Protestant church-area newspaper. Operates crossmedia via a shared newsroom since 2023.
• Kirchliche Hörfunkformate (Radio Andachten) Daily radio devotion segments broadcast across multiple German radio stations reaching approximately 600,000 listeners on weekdays and nearly 1 million on Sundays. Stations include Radio 7 (150,000 listeners), Hitradio antenne 1, Radio Ton, Die NEUE 107.7, Donau 3 FM, ENERGY, and bigFM.
• Alpha & Omega TV A television format broadcast via TV and online channels, generating approximately 3.0 million contacts in 2025. One of EMH's flagship video productions featuring interviews and topical content for Protestant audiences.
• Gloria TV-Gottesdienste Weekly televised church services produced by EMH and broadcast via Bibel TV and Regio TV. Approximately 1.5 million contacts in 2025. Includes Nachteulen-Gottesdienste and Nachtschicht-Gottesdienste formats recorded at various churches.
• Hoffnungsmensch A multi-platform format spanning video, TV, and podcast. Video content generates approximately 680,000 contacts; the podcast receives approximately 109,000 streams. Targeted at Protestant audiences seeking inspirational content.
• epd-Video A nationwide platform for Protestant video communication under the umbrella of the Evangelischer Pressedienst (epd). EMH is one of the most prolific producers in the network. 150-second videos distributed nationally to media outlets including ZDF, RTL, Tagesspiegel, Funke-Mediengruppe, and RND. Approximately 1.3 million contacts in 2025.
• AndachtsCast Podcast Daily podcast devotion produced by the Gemeindeblatt newsroom, with over 5,000 subscribers and approximately 500,000 streams. Targeted at Protestant audiences seeking daily devotional content.
• Familien-Adventskalender A video-based Advent calendar format for families, generating approximately 580,000 video contacts and approximately 100,000 YouTube views via the children's channel. Targeted at Christian families during the Advent season.
• Digitale Wochenbegleitung A weekly newsletter providing digital weekly accompaniment, reaching over 7,000 subscribers. Distributed via the EMH editorial team to Protestant audiences.
• Medienhaus Shop (shop.evmedienhaus.de) E-commerce platform selling physical and digital media products for church community work. Product categories include hymnals and songbooks, books, cards for various occasions, gifts, outdoor advertising materials (display cases, posters, banners, 'Kirche geöffnet' signage), seasonal products (Advent/Christmas, Easter), and event materials.

Quantifiable outcome

• Church communication materials produced without graphic expertise through digendo templates
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Regio TVcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional television partner broadcasting Gloria-Gottesdienste. 12 services produced annually, each airing for one month on Sundays at 11:00 and 13:00, significantly expanding reach in Württemberg.
• Bibel TVcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChristian television network broadcasting Gloria-Gottesdienste and other EMH video content. Key broadcast partner for reaching Christian audiences nationwide.
• Evangelischer Pressedienst (epd)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEMH is one of the largest contributors to epd-Video, a nationwide platform for Protestant video communication. Content also reaches major broadcasters like ZDF, RTL, Tagesspiegel, Funke-Mediengruppe, and RND.
• Kirchen von Hessen-Nassau, Pfalz, BadenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with indeon.de, the evangelical online magazine, expanding digital reach beyond Württemberg and attracting younger audiences through cooperation.
• Radio 7, Hitradio antenne 1, Radio Ton, Die NEUE 107.7, Donau 3 FM, ENERGY, bigFMcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRadio station network broadcasting EMH-produced church programming. Weekday reach of 600,000, Sunday reach of nearly 1 million listeners across multiple stations.
• Evangelisches GemeindeblattcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint editorial operations in shared newsroom since 2023. EMH publishes Gemeindeblatt für Württemberg (IVW-certified 27,872 copies) and has expanded to include Gemeindeblatt für die Pfalz since 2024.
• Evangelische Landeskirche in WürttembergcoreOthersEMH is a company of the Evangelical Landeskirche in Württemberg. This parent organization relationship provides primary customer base and institutional support.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Canva: Global template-based design platform offering print and digital templates, the closest generic substitute for digendo's print/template use case. Not denomination-specific but increasingly viable for budget-conscious parishes that previously needed digendo.
• Wix.com: Generic website builder platform competing against Gemeindebaukasten for the church website use case. Comparable in core functionality but lacks church-specific templates, accessibility features, and ecclesiastical corporate-design integration that EMH provides.
• Bibel TV: German Christian television channel and a broadcast distribution partner of EMH (carries Gloria Gottesdienste). Adjacent rather than competitive — enables EMH's video content reach while being a separate entity with its own programming slate.
• Evangelischer Pressedienst (epd): German nationwide Protestant news agency headquartered in Frankfurt. Functions as a partner/distributor of EMH's video content (epd-Video) but is not a direct competitor — its news service operation overlaps with EMH's editorial functions, and both are core infrastructure for Evangelical media in Germany.

Direct peers

• Gütersloher Verlagshaus: Historic German Protestant publisher (now part of Random House Germany) producing religious nonfiction, theology, and devotionals. Directly comparable to EMH's book and resource publishing arm — same Evangelical denomination, similar audience, overlapping product categories — but operated as a commercial publisher rather than church-owned entity.
• DOMRADIO: Cologne-based Catholic radio and online media platform serving the German Catholic Church with comparable digital+audio publishing model. Closest cross-denominational structural peer — multi-channel faith-based media with broadcast and web delivery — though serving the Catholic rather than Protestant market.
• Calwer Verlag: Stuttgart-based Protestant publisher producing religious books, devotionals, and church resources. Most directly comparable peer by geography (Württemberg), denomination (Evangelical), and product mix (print religious media for parishes). Smaller in scale and without the digital platform footprint of EMH.
• Gemeinschaftswerk der Evangelischen Publizistik (GEP): Frankfurt-based umbrella organization coordinating Evangelical public-relations and media work across Germany's Protestant churches, operating the epd news service. Comparable as a church-owned media infrastructure organization with similar mission orientation, multi-channel publishing, and Protestant-church mandate, though functioning more as a coordinating body than a publishing company.

Regional players

• Badischer Verlag: Local publisher in Baden (adjacent region to Württemberg) producing the Badisches Tagblatt and regional press. Comparable as a Protestant-adjacent regional publishing operation but more newspaper-focused and lacking the digital platform/broadcast depth of EMH.

Broad incumbents

• Verlag Herder: Major German Catholic publishing house with breadth across books, periodicals, theology, and church resources, headquartered in Freiburg. Comparable product breadth and church-resource focus but at significantly larger scale and serving the Catholic market; operates as a commercial publisher rather than church-owned subsidiary.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/evangelisches-medienhaus-gmbh
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Evangelical Media House