What Global Disciples does

Global Disciples International (legal entity), operating as Global Disciples, is a US-based Christian nonprofit organization founded in November 1995 and headquartered at 315 West James Street, Suite 202, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The organization's core function is training and equipping near-culture mission workers—indigenous Christian believers who already live near or have access to least-reached people groups (defined as groups where 5% or fewer are professing Christians). Global Disciples delivers this through a three-interlocking-trainings methodology: Global Disciple Training (GDT), Small Business Training, and Leadership Training. It does not build proprietary technology; the products are codified training curricula, manuals, and reproducible program designs implemented through its partner network.

Global Disciples' distribution model is built on church clusters: groups of at least three cooperating local churches that own and operate training programs and contribute a minimum of 55% of training expenses by year four. The network comprises 2,099+ church clusters running 3,900+ training programs across 71 nations (with roughly 2,260 in Africa, 1,355 in Asia, and 292 in Latin America), including 15 nations where religious, cultural, or political authorities restrict or deny access to the Gospel. Annual reporting (FY24) cites 31,541 disciple-makers trained, 76,239 new believers in fellowships, and 4,246 new churches planted. Country-level National Foundations in Indonesia, Ethiopia, Canada, Kenya, India, Nigeria, Zambia, and Mexico provide local governance and fundraising rails.

The revenue model is donor-funded rather than commercial, with individual donations (including a recurring monthly "THE REACH" program at $25, $102, and $167 price tiers), event sponsorships ($500-$5,000+), event-driven fundraising dinners in Indiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania, planned/legacy giving, and commodity giving (grain via local elevators). Broader acquisition channels include brokerage and DAF transfers through the National Christian Foundation, Viewpoint with Dennis Quaid public television exposure, and Fox Business national spots. Reported pricing per outcome is $102 per new believer, $250 per disciple-maker trained, and $2,000 per church planted. In 2024 founder Galen Burkholder transitioned from CEO to Ambassador; Josh Keefer serves as Interim CEO while a permanent CEO is being recruited, and Jeremy Campbell (hired 2023) leads North American operations as President.

Name

Global Disciples

Legal name

Global Disciples International

Website

https://globaldisciples.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Global Disciples International is a US-based Christian nonprofit that trains and equips near-culture mission workers through local church clusters in 71 nations, running Global Disciple Training, Small Business, and Leadership programs that report 31,541 disciple-makers trained, 76,239 new believers, and 4,246 churches planted annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Christian Mission Training and Church Planting Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

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), Education, Skills & Workforce Development Aid Programs (BPADABAE)

Keywords

• Christian mission training
• Discipleship training programs
• Church planting services
• Least-reached people ministry
• Near-culture missionary training

Headquarters

HQ city

Lancaster

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters. The organization operates THE REACH monthly giving program, a community of monthly donors supporting ongoing training operations.
2. Event Sponsorships: Corporate and individual sponsors support Global Disciples events with sponsorship levels ranging from $500 to $5,000+, with benefits including logo recognition, website features, newsletter mentions, and social media shoutouts.
3. Planned Giving/Legacy Giving: Bequests, wills, and legacy planned giving options that allow donors to sustain the ministry beyond their lifetime.
4. Commodity Giving: Donors can donate commodities (grain) through local elevators, which are sold and proceeds directed to the mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Global Disciples trains and equips near-culture mission workers in 71 countries through three interlocking training programs: Global Disciple Training (GDT), Small Business Training, and Leadership Training. The organization partners with local church clusters to prepare indigenous believers to multiply disciples and plant churches among the world's least-reached people groups, with all training programs owned and operated by local churches providing at least 55% of funding by year four.

Product overview

Global Disciples offers a comprehensive training ecosystem centered on its three core training programs: Global Disciple Training (GDT), Small Business Training, and Leadership Training. These programs work together as interlocking parts of a strategy to multiply disciples and churches among least-reached people. The organization also operates THE REACH, a monthly donor community, and provides Annual Equipping Events for regional director training. Digital resources include e-books (Near-Culture Ministry, Mission Possible, Share Mission Stories Safely), prayer guides (7-Day Prayer Guide, Monthly Prayer Calendar), the Least-Reached Infographic, and the Within Reach Video. An online giving platform with multiple payment options supports donor engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• THE REACH: THE REACH is Global Disciples' monthly giving community, a program that connects monthly donors who support the organization's mission to reach least-reached people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Products and services

• Global Disciple Training (GDT) The foundational training program that prepares disciples to go to least-reached people groups, make new disciples, and plant locally sustainable fellowships. GDT uses biblical, adaptable methodology and is delivered through local church clusters in 71 nations.
• Small Business Training Business development training that provides church planters with a means of financial support and a cultural identity to engage with communities. Enables sustainable ministry while opening doors for Gospel conversations.
• Leadership Training Training that ensures church planters and new fellowships grow and mature spiritually under Christ-like leaders and mentors, focusing on leading with humility, truth, compassion, grace, and servanthood.
• THE REACH Monthly Giving Community Monthly donor community program that enables consistent financial support of training disciple-makers at giving tiers of $25, $102, or $167 per month. Members receive exclusive updates, stories, and video content, with annual match program eligibility at $85+ monthly gifts.
• Annual Equipping Events (AEEs) Regional four-day training gatherings where program directors come together for Bible teaching, prayer, worship, and training to further equip disciple-makers and church planters.
• Online Giving Platform Secure online donation system accepting Google Pay, Apple Pay, credit/debit cards, bank transfers, and brokerage account cash transfers. Supports one-time and recurring monthly gifts with multiple giving channels.
• Regional Fundraising Dinners In-person fundraising events featuring dinner, inspiration, and mission updates held in Indiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania. Includes event sponsorship opportunities at levels from $500 to $5,000+.

Quantifiable outcome

• 31,541 disciple-makers trained annually
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Joshua ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal Disciples participates in the Global Prayer Movement for the Unreached with Joshua Project, providing the 'Unreached of the Day' widget and resources for prayer for unreached people groups.
• Indonesia National FoundationcoreOthersFirst National Foundation launched in 2009 to provide leadership and funding for national ministry in Indonesia.
• Ethiopia National FoundationcoreOthersSecond National Foundation launched in 2010, providing leadership and funding support for Global Disciples activities in Ethiopia.
• Canada National FoundationcoreOthersNational Foundation launched in 2012 in partnership with Canadian churches for funding and leadership development.
• Kenya National FoundationcoreOthersNational Foundation launched in 2012 to provide leadership and funding for national ministry in Kenya.
• India National FoundationcoreOthersNational Foundation launched in 2014 to provide leadership and funding for Global Disciples activities in India.
• Nigeria National FoundationcoreOthersNational Foundation launched in 2019 to provide leadership and funding for national ministry in Nigeria.
• Zambia National FoundationcoreOthersNational Foundation launched in 2019 to provide leadership and funding for national ministry in Zambia.
• Mexico National FoundationcoreOthersNational Foundation launched in 2020 to provide leadership and funding for Global Disciples activities in Mexico.
• Church Clusters (2,099+) in 71 NationscoreOthersClusters of at least 3 local churches in 71 countries that own and operate discipleship-mission and leadership training programs. The clusters provide at least 55% of training expenses and select program directors from their congregations.
• Alliance for the UnreachedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal Disciples is a member of the Alliance for the Unreached, which promotes the International Day for the Unreached observed with Pentecost.
• Brown Schultz Sheridan and FritzminorOthersExternal auditing firm that conducts annual audits of Global Disciples financial statements. Books are audited annually to maintain ECFA membership and financial transparency standards.
• National Christian Charitable Foundation Inc. (NCF)minorOthersNCF handles brokerage account cash transfers and stock transfers for donors using Donor-Advised Funds. Account numbers provided for Fidelity, Schwab, and Merrill Lynch.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• All Nations International: All Nations is a global mission and training movement focused on disciple-making and church planting among least-reached people groups, with a strong emphasis on reproducible, indigenous-led training. Its training-empowers-indigenous-workers model is highly analogous to Global Disciples' approach.
• SEND International: SEND is an international, interdenominational mission organization that plants churches among least-reached people, with emphasis on reproducing disciple-makers through training. Its model of recruiting, training, and partnering with local churches for least-reached outreach is comparable to Global Disciples' core activity.
• Frontiers: Frontiers is a global mission organization that focuses on church planting among unreached and least-reached people groups in the Muslim world and elsewhere. Its model of identifying least-reached places, partnering with churches, and mobilizing workers closely parallels Global Disciples' near-culture mission worker approach.
• Pioneers: Pioneers is an international church-planting mission organization that mobilizes teams to engage unreached people groups globally. Its emphasis on church multiplication, least-reached focus, and church-based partnership model is closely aligned with Global Disciples' mission and methodology.
• Youth With A Mission (YWAM): YWAM is a large global Christian missionary organization that trains and sends workers to the nations through Discipleship Training Schools and other programs. Global Disciples' Global Disciple Training (GDT) and emphasis on reproducible training programs mirror YWAM's training-and-sending model.
• Operation Mobilisation (OM): OM is a global evangelical mission organization operating in over 100 countries that recruits, trains, and sends workers to least-reached communities. Its international training and sending infrastructure is comparable to Global Disciples' church-cluster-based training network.

Broad incumbents

• Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ): Cru is one of the largest evangelical mission organizations in the world, with global training, leadership development, and church-engagement programs. While it addresses many of the same donor and church-relations audiences as Global Disciples, its portfolio is far broader and its niche is not specifically least-reached training.
• International Mission Board (IMB): The IMB is the global mission-sending entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, deploying missionaries worldwide and engaging unreached people groups. Although it is denominational in origin and far larger, its mission-sending and church-partnership mechanics overlap with Global Disciples' church-cluster approach.
• Samaritan's Purse: Samaritan's Purse is a large evangelical international relief and missions organization operating across many of the same geographies as Global Disciples. It provides spiritual and physical aid but is not focused specifically on the near-culture disciple-maker training and church-cluster model that defines Global Disciples.

Others

• Joshua Project: Joshua Project is a research and prayer initiative that compiles data on unreached people groups and provides the 'Unreached of the Day' widget that Global Disciples distributes. It is a thematic ally and ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor for training programs or donor dollars.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@globaldisciplesintl
• Facebookfacebook.com/globaldisciples
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/global-disciples
• Instagraminstagram.com/globaldisciples

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Global Disciples