Atletas de Cristo

What Atletas de Cristo does

Atletas de Cristo Brasil is a Brazilian Christian non-profit sports ministry (ONG) headquartered in São Paulo and officially founded on February 4, 1984 (with origins in December 1981). The organization unites athletes of multiple sports, social classes, and ethnicities who share a Christian evangelical identity, using sports as a vehicle for religious outreach and discipleship rather than as a competitive or commercial activity. It explicitly positions itself as not a religion, church, denomination, or sports team, but as a movement cooperating with local churches and other Christian organizations to integrate athletes, churches, and the fans they influence.

Its core offerings are organized around four program pillars: (1) Local Groups (Grupos Locais), which form the operational backbone by providing communion, spiritual/emotional support, and contextualized Bible studies to athletes across Brazil and abroad; (2) the 'Atletas no Ar' radio program, produced in partnership with Rádio Trans Mundial (RTM Brasil); (3) the 'Atletinhas de Cristo' youth program targeting 10-16 year-olds in schools, clubs, and academies; and (4) the 'Joga Limpo Brazil Team', a charity football squad of current and former professional players that performs exhibition matches in Brazil and internationally. The organization also sells branded merchandise, notably the Biblia Atletas de Cristo, through an e-commerce storefront.

The business model is donation-driven: Atletas de Cristo is an entity without profit motive that subsists on voluntary contributions (received via bank deposits at Banco Bradesco and Banco Itaú), with no tithes collected from athletes and no large corporate sponsors. Its workforce is small (11-50 employees per public records), supplemented by dozens of volunteers and a small number of missionaries. There is no proprietary technology, no software product, no AI component, and no disclosed financial metrics; the ministry is governed by an elected board with Marcelo Lipatin Lopez currently serving as the sixth President (since December 2020).

Name

Atletas de Cristo

Legal name

Atletas de Cristo Brasil

Website

https://atletasdecristo.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Atletas de Cristo Brasil is a São Paulo-based Christian non-profit sports ministry, founded in 1984, that uses local athlete fellowship groups, a radio program, a youth program, and a charity football team to deliver evangelical outreach to athletes across Brazil and internationally, funded by voluntary donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Sports Ministry

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Business Associations (813910), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

University/School Sport Governing Bodies (Collegiate/Scholastic Associations) (MPAKAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Volunteer Program Funding, Scholarships & Fundraising Support (EDAIAGAO)

Keywords

• Christian sports ministry
• Faith-based athletics
• Sports evangelization
• Christian athlete fellowship
• Youth sports outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Campinas

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Voluntary Donations: Atletas de Cristo is a non-profit entity that subsists through voluntary donations. Does not receive tithes from athletes or have large corporate sponsors.
2. Product Sales: Profits from sales of products with the 'Atletas de Cristo' brand (including Bibles) benefit the ministry's work. For Local Groups, profits are shared as special discounts to generate resources for local work.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Atletas de Cristo is a non-profit Christian sports ministry that uses sports as a universal language for evangelization. It operates local fellowship groups across Brazil and internationally, runs the 'Atletas no Ar' radio program in partnership with Rádio Trans Mundial, delivers the 'Atletinhas de Cristo' youth program for children aged 10-16, and organizes the 'Joga Limpo Brazil Team' for international humanitarian football matches. The ministry sells branded products including a Bible edition to fund its operations.

Product overview

Atletas de Cristo is a Christian sports ministry organization that operates as a unified set of programs and initiatives rather than a commercial technology product. The core offerings include the Atletas no Ar radio program (in partnership with Rádio Trans Mundial), Atletinhas de Cristo youth program, the Joga Limpo Brazil Team charity football initiative, and Local Groups for community-based fellowship and Bible study. The organization also sells branded merchandise including the Biblia Atletas de Cristo through its online store. These programs are designed to use sports as a vehicle for Christian evangelization and spiritual development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Atletinhas de Cristo: A program designed to reach children and adolescents who practice sports in schools, clubs, and sports academies to receive teachings with moral and Christian values through their teachers and coaches.
• Joga Limpo Brazil Team
• Atletas no Ar

Products and services

• Atletas no Ar (Radio Program) A radio program partnership between Atletas de Cristo and Rádio Trans Mundial (RTM Brasil) that delivers sports news, information about social transformation through sports, health and sports practice impact, and news about Christian athletes. Targeted at athletes and sports enthusiasts across Brazil.
• Atletinhas de Cristo A youth sports ministry program targeting children and adolescents aged 10-16 who practice sports in schools, clubs, and training centers. The program provides Christian moral values instruction through coaches and teachers, with monthly or biweekly gatherings for worship, Bible study, and mentorship from Christian athletes.
• Joga Limpo Brazil Team A charity football team composed of Brazilian professional footballers and former national team players that performs friendly matches and exhibition games internationally to support humanitarian aid, social projects, and educational initiatives.
• Local Groups (Grupos Locais) Community-based groups across Brazil and abroad that form the backbone of the ministry, providing communion moments, spiritual and emotional support to athletes and sports enthusiasts, along with contextualized Bible studies.
• Bíblia Atletas de Cristo A Bible edition branded with Atletas de Cristo, available for purchase through the organization's online store. Profits from product sales benefit the ministry's work.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3 million copies of 'Força Para Viver' book distributed in 1987, with 600,000 people responding to accept Jesus as Savior
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Rádio Trans Mundial (RTM Brasil)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership between Atletas de Cristo and Rádio Trans Mundial for the 'Atletas no Ar' radio program. The program aims to bring sports information as a tool for social transformation and evangelization; sports practice and health impact; and news about Christian athletes with special focus on events.
• Banco BradescosupportingOthersBank used for voluntary donations. Bradesco Account: Agency 0107-4, Account 242.077-5
• Banco ItaúsupportingOthersBank used for voluntary donations. Itaú Account: Agency 0866, Account 06540-2

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ): Global interdenominational Christian mission that houses Athletes in Action as its sports ministry arm; overlaps with Atletas de Cristo on voluntary-donation funding, multi-country footprint, and equipping leaders for evangelization across student-athlete populations.
• The Navigators: Established global Christian ministry focused on disciple-making across professions; offers an adjacent peer view for Atletas de Cristo's volunteer- and disciple-led local groups, faith-formation workshops, and intercessory prayer networks.

Direct peers

• Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA): Largest US-based faith-and-sports organization uniting Christian athletes, coaches, and peers; structurally the closest analogue to Atletas de Cristo, serving athletes of all denominations with biblical studies, conferences, and camp programs.
• Athletes in Action: International sports ministry operating under Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ) that reaches professional, college, and youth athletes through chaplaincy, teams, and events - overlaps directly with Atletas de Cristo's local-groups, athlete-credentialing, and cross-sport ministry model.
• Sports Outreach International: Faith-based sports mission running coaching, athlete, and chaplaincy programs across developing countries; close peer to Atletas de Cristo on using sport as a vehicle for church engagement, intentional volunteer deployment, and international humanitarian tours (analogous to Joga Limpo).
• InterVarsity Christian Fellowship: Campus-based Christian fellowship with a dedicated student-athlete ministry that convenes Bible studies, chapels, and missions for collegiate athletes - functionally a student/young-adult peer to Atletas de Cristo's Atletinhas de Cristo youth program and devotional/historic study offerings.
• Ambassadors in Sport: UK-based Christian sports ministry uniting and discipling athletes and coaches worldwide through international projects and teams; comparable to Atletas de Cristo on cross-border athlete ministry and the use of sport-tour events for evangelization.

Others

• Salvation Army Brazil Territory: International evangelical humanitarian organization with active Brazil operations and a willingness to integrate sport, social programs, and donation-supported mission work; relevant adjacent comparator for Atletas de Cristo's blended ministry, fundraising, and humanitarian tour model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/tvatletasdecristo
• Facebookfacebook.com/atletasdecristooficial
• Instagraminstagram.com/atletasoficial
• Xx.com/atletasdecristo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/atletas-de-cristo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Atletas de Cristo