What Kappeler Institute does

Kappeler Institute for the Science of Being, USA (KI USA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered at a Seattle, WA mailing address (PO Box 99735), operating primarily through its website. Founded to preserve and disseminate the religious-philosophical writings of Dr. Max Kappeler (1910–2002) on the "Science of Christian Science," KI USA holds sole English-language rights to Kappeler's published and unpublished works under the terms of his last will and testament, positioning itself as his "sole promoter and protector." The organization publishes books in physical and PDF formats and audio recordings (MP3 and CD) organized across multiple instructional series (A, B, C, D, E, G, J, M, X), with select materials translated into Spanish and Portuguese.

The product portfolio centers on the "7+4+4 divine system of reference" — Kappeler's framework encompassing the seven synonyms for God, the four-fold operation of Being, and the four levels of spiritual consciousness. Pricing spans $10–$75 for books and $15–$500 for audio recordings, with some materials offered as free downloads. Revenue is generated entirely through individual consumer sales (one-time/perpetual license) via the website and PayPal, supplemented historically by donations — the latter of which was temporarily paused effective January 1, 2025 as part of a strategic restructuring. Distribution is digital-first and global, with phone/fax/email order support and library availability as secondary channels.

The customer base is narrow: metaphysical and philosophical thinkers seeking structured study of Christian Science through Kappeler's lens, acquired primarily via word-of-mouth referrals, the mailing list, and catalog distribution. Leadership consists of President Joel Jessen, who met Kappeler in 1966 and has taught within the organization for decades. The organization maintains a minor relationship with the John W. Doorly Trust for related doctrinal resources. KI USA explicitly disclaims affiliation with any religious organization and does not develop software, mobile applications, or AI-driven products.

Name

Kappeler Institute

Legal name

Kappeler Institute for the Science of Being, USA

Website

https://kappelerinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kappeler Institute for the Science of Being, USA is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) non-profit that publishes, protects, and promotes Dr. Max Kappeler's exclusive English-language works on the Science of Christian Science for individual metaphysical and philosophical students worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and Spiritual Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Phonograph Records & Prerecorded Audio Tapes & Disks (3652)

akta.pro primary industry

Audiobook Publishers (Trade & Consumer) (MPAJAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Audiobook Production & Studios (Narration, Recording, Editing, Mastering) (MPAJAIAB), Library & Education Audiobook Distribution (Public Libraries, Schools, Academic) (MPAJAIAE)

Keywords

• Religious publishing
• Spiritual education
• Metaphysical books
• Audio study materials
• Nonprofit publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sale of Books and Recordings: The organization sells books (PDFs and print) and recorded classes (MP3s and CDs) of Max Kappeler's works. Customers can purchase individual items or complete series. Downloads are available for free or for purchase.
2. Donations: The organization previously accepted donations but has temporarily paused donation acceptance effective January 1, 2025 as part of strategic restructuring.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Kappeler Institute publishes and sells books and audio recordings drawn from the body of work of founder Max Kappeler on the Science of Being and Christian Science metaphysics, offering titles in print, PDF, CD, and MP3 formats alongside structured study programs for individual learners.

Product overview

Kappeler Institute for the Science of Being, USA is a publishing organization that publishes, protects, and promotes Max Kappeler's works on the Science of Christian Science. The organization's product portfolio consists primarily of books (both physical and electronic PDF format) and audio recordings (MP3) organized into multiple series (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, J, JG, M, X) covering the divine system of reference—the 7 synonyms for God, the 4-fold operation of Being, and the 4 levels of Science (7+4+4). Key products include the foundational A Series (fundamentals of Christian Science), B Series (survey of Science of Being), C Series (structure of the Christian Science Textbook), D-4 and E-1 (highest teachings on divine laws), and the comprehensive Syllabus A-6 Series for in-depth study. The institute also offers newsletters, introductory packets for new students, and a mailing list service. Materials are available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Books by Max Kappeler (print and PDF) Published works by Max Kappeler on the Science of Being and Christian Science metaphysics, available in physical print and digital PDF formats for individual learners and students of metaphysics.
• Audio recordings by Max Kappeler (CD and MP3) Audio recordings of Max Kappeler's lectures and teachings on the Science of Being and Christian Science metaphysics, distributed in physical CD and digital MP3 formats for individual learners.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• John W. Doorly TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKI USA maintains a relationship with the John W. Doorly Trust for related resources. John W. Doorly (1859-1945) was Max Kappeler's teacher and pioneered research into Science for which both he and Kappeler were excommunicated from the Christian Science Church.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Hay House: Major publisher and media company in the self-help, spiritual, and mind-body-spirit space. Comparable in publishing category (spiritual books and audio), but operates at commercial scale with many authors and broad retail distribution — a much larger incumbent in the adjacent market.
• Sounds True: Multimedia publisher specializing in spiritual, self-development, and contemplative audio and books. Comparable in audio publishing infrastructure and audience (mind-body-spirit), though much broader and commercially scaled compared to Kappeler Institute's single-author scholarly focus.
• Inner Traditions / Bear & Company: Independent trade publisher of metaphysical, spiritual, and alternative-spirituality books. Comparable in publishing philosophy and product format (trade books on esoteric and religious topics), operating at a meaningfully larger scale than Kappeler Institute.
• Self-Realization Fellowship: Nonprofit religious organization that publishes Paramahansa Yogananda's books, lessons, and recorded lectures. Larger and broader in reach, but operates a similar model of exclusive rights to a single teacher's spiritual writings, sold as books and audio courses to a committed student audience.

Direct peers

• Quest Books (Theosophical Publishing House): Publishing imprint of the Theosophical Society in America, producing books on metaphysics, comparative religion, and esoteric philosophy. Direct peer in the niche of nonprofit scholarly publishing for a specific spiritual/philosophical tradition.
• Lucis Trust: Nonprofit organization that publishes and distributes the writings of Alice Bailey and related esoteric philosophy. A near-twin in business model: small nonprofit, exclusive rights to a single spiritual teacher's corpus, books and audio studies, distributed globally to a dedicated metaphysical student base.
• SteinerBooks (Anthroposophic Press): Publishing house for Rudolf Steiner's anthroposophical works. Highly comparable: small nonprofit publisher holding rights to a single deceased European metaphysician's writings, distributed via website, mail order, and libraries, with a devoted (and similarly narrow) study community.
• Swedenborg Foundation Press: Nonprofit publisher of works by Emanuel Swedenborg and Swedenborgian scholarship. Same business model — nonprofit publisher holding rights to a single deceased thinker's writings, sold as books and audio to a dedicated metaphysical study community.
• John W. Doorly Trust: Trust established for the works of John W. Doorly (1859-1945), Max Kappeler's teacher. Kappeler Institute already lists this as a partner, and the two organizations share the same niche — publishing scholarly works on the Science of Being and the structure of Mary Baker Eddy's writings — with deeply overlapping content libraries.
• Christian Science Publishing Society: The official publishing arm of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, producing The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Sentinel, Christian Science Journal, and the Bible Lesson. It is a direct peer because it also publishes periodicals and books for the Christian Science community, which is the very theological audience Kappeler Institute serves, though with an institutional/orthodox orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 Kappeler Institute