First15

What First15 does

First15 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Christian devotional ministry founded in 2014 and operated as a brand of Denison Ministries, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The organization produces a free daily devotional experience combining scripture reading, guided reflection, prayer, and curated worship music, structured around a 15-minute daily format. Its content is distributed across owned and third-party platforms: a website (first15.org), iOS and Android mobile applications, an email newsletter reaching 230,000+ subscribers, a podcast with 27M+ cumulative episode downloads, and worship music EPs distributed via Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube. Notable original sub-brands include First15 Worship, First15 Podcast, First15 Guided Prayers, and Primeros15 (a Spanish-language extension). The ministry reports more than 1 million monthly readers across its channels and a 4.9 average app-store rating.

The technology stack is conventional consumer-content infrastructure: a CMS-backed website (Sanity-hosted based on asset URLs), native mobile apps on iOS and Android, email delivery, and standard podcast and streaming-platform syndication. There is no indication of proprietary AI, ML, or specialized platform technology. The business model is donor-funded rather than commercial: all core devotional content is provided free, and revenue is generated through voluntary one-time donations and the "Life Changer" recurring monthly giving program (with tiers of $35, $100, and $500 per month). A secondary revenue stream comes from the First15 Store, which sells printed devotionals, topical devotionals, kids' resources, and partner-brand merchandise; Life Changer members receive a 25% store discount. Customer segments are predominantly individual Christian believers, with documented secondary use in prison ministry and family/multi-generational settings. First15 does not have external investors and operates as a tax-exempt ministry under its parent organization.

Name

First15

Legal name

First15 (a brand of Denison Ministries)

Website

https://first15.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

First15 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Christian ministry that provides free 15-minute daily devotionals combining scripture, guided prayer, and worship music via website, mobile apps, email, and podcast, reaching over one million readers monthly under Denison Ministries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Christian Devotional Content

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Religious & Spiritual Print-on-Demand (Bibles, Devotionals) (MPAJANAG), Faith & Religious Live Streaming Platforms (MPACACAK), Guided Meditation Instruction (1:1 & Group) (HSADAJAA)

Keywords

• Daily devotional app
• Christian devotional content
• Guided prayer audio
• Worship music streaming
• Spiritual formation resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Giving: First15 operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization under Denison Ministries. Revenue comes from individual donations, monthly Life Changer recurring gifts, and one-time contributions. All donations are tax-deductible.
2. Life Changer Monthly Program: Recurring monthly donation program where supporters give consistent monthly contributions. Life Changers receive 25% off store products and access to a direct prayer line.
3. First15 Store: Physical and digital products including 12 monthly devotionals, topical devotionals, kids resources, and partner brand resources from Denison Ministries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

First15 provides free daily 15-minute devotional experiences combining scripture-based reflection, guided prayer, and curated worship music, distributed across mobile apps (iOS/Android), website, email, and podcast platforms. The organization also sells physical and digital devotional products through an online store and funds the ministry through voluntary donations and a recurring monthly giving program. It operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit under Denison Ministries.

Product overview

First15 is a Christian daily devotional ministry with a core platform centered on 15-minute daily devotionals combining scripture reflection, guided prayer, and curated worship music. The offering consists of multiple coordinated products: the First15 Daily Devotional (available via mobile app on iOS/Android and via website/email subscription, reaching over 230,000 email users and 1+ million readers monthly), the First15 Podcast (with 27M+ episodes downloaded on Spotify and Apple Podcasts), First15 Worship (a worship music sub-brand producing original EPs and songs distributed via Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube), First15 Guided Prayers (short audio/video prayers on YouTube and Vimeo), the First15 Store (selling printed devotionals, books, and journals), and the Life Changers recurring giving program. A Spanish sub-brand, Primeros15, extends the content to Spanish-speaking audiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• First15 Worship: Worship music and songs specifically created for weekday devotional use, including 'Songs for Prayer' album series.
• First15 Podcast

Products and services

• First15 Daily Devotional (Mobile App) A 15-minute daily devotional experience available on iOS and Android, guiding users through scripture reflection, guided prayer, curated worship music, and a call to action each morning.
• First15 Daily Devotionals (Website/Email) Daily devotional content published online and delivered by email, accessible without the app. Over 230,000 email users and more than 1 million readers per month engage with the content.
• First15 Worship A worship music sub-brand producing original songs and EPs for weekday devotional use, distinct from Sunday church worship. Features artists including First15 Worship, Christy Nockels, Elevation Worship, and Sovereign Grace. Distributed via Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube.
• First15 Guided Prayers

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 1 million readers discover God in a deeper way each month
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Denison MinistriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst15 is a brand of Denison Ministries, a multi-brand organization dedicated to building culture-changing Christians. First15 operates as part of the Denison Ministries family, benefiting from their organizational infrastructure, donor base, and shared mission of spiritual transformation.
• SpotifyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFirst15 Podcast distributed through Spotify platform for user convenience and expanded reach.
• Apple PodcastsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFirst15 Podcast distributed through Apple Podcasts platform for iOS user accessibility.
• Apple MusicminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFirst15 Worship music available on Apple Music streaming platform.

Scale indicators8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Bible Gateway: Long-established online Bible and devotional resource owned by HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Comparable in providing free scripture-based devotional content at scale via web and app, though broader in scope and not focused on the daily 15-minute format.
• Calm: Mass-market meditation, sleep, and wellness app. Not a direct faith competitor but overlaps with First15's guided meditation/prayer category for secular mindfulness users — relevant as the dominant adjacent incumbent defining user expectations in guided audio meditation.
• Crosswalk.com: Major Christian content portal offering daily devotionals, Bible resources, news, and faith-based articles. Comparable in devotional content production but operates at broader content-portfolio scale across multiple Christian topics.

Direct peers

• YouVersion (Bible App): The dominant free Bible and devotional app by Life.Church with 100M+ installs, offering daily devotionals, reading plans, and audio Bible. Direct competitor in the daily devotional and scripture engagement category serving the same individual Christian believer segment.
• Pray.com: Faith and wellness app providing daily prayers, sleep content, Bible stories, and community features. Direct competitor in the daily Christian devotional and prayer app category with similar freemium + subscription monetization model.
• Abide: Christian meditation and sleep app offering guided prayers, Bible-based meditations, and daily devotionals. Directly comparable as a faith-based daily devotional and guided prayer mobile product targeting individual believers.
• Glorify: Christian devotional and worship app offering daily devotionals, worship music, and audio prayers. Directly comparable multi-format daily devotional product with shared emphasis on integrated worship music.
• Hallow: Catholic-focused prayer and meditation app that has raised significant venture funding and offers daily devotionals, guided prayers, sleep content, and Bible readings. Direct competitor in the daily devotional + guided prayer app category with overlapping audience.
• Lectio 365: Daily prayer app by the 24-7 Prayer movement offering scripture-based devotionals, prayer, and reflection for each day. Closely comparable as a daily devotional prayer app focused on brief, structured weekday spiritual practice.
• Our Daily Bread: Long-running Christian devotional publication distributed in print, email, and app form, reaching millions of readers daily. Closely comparable as a nonprofit daily devotional ministry with email, web, and mobile distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@First15
• Facebookfacebook.com/first15
• Instagraminstagram.com/first15
• Xx.com/first15
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/first15

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 First15