SCM Verlagsgruppe

What SCM Verlagsgruppe does

SCM Verlagsgruppe GmbH is a German Christian media publishing group headquartered in Holzgerlingen, Germany, operating under the ownership of Stiftung Christliche Medien, a nonprofit foundation. Founded in 1919 and operating through its core subsidiary SCM Hänssler, the group publishes and distributes Christian books, Bibles, music and sheet music, films, gifts/lifestyle products, and children's media across German-speaking markets. The catalog totals more than 5,735 products, with the largest categories being music (4,780 items) and sheet music/scores (4,227 items), supplemented by 888 book titles, a Bibles line, films, and gift/lifestyle items. The flagship intellectual property is the 'Feiert Jesus!' worship songbook series, which has been continuously published for over 30 years and is available in multiple volumes and formats (ring-bound, chords, kids, anniversary editions), giving SCM an entrenched position within German Protestant worship programming.

The business operates an integrated go-to-market across owned direct-to-consumer e-commerce (scm-shop.de), a wholesale dealer portal (Händlerportal) feeding Christian bookstores, and a digital download channel with 5,395+ digital SKUs available globally. Monetization is primarily transactional, with physical hardcover books priced at €14.95–€25.00, eBooks from €19.99, and a club membership program (SCM Club) offering member discounts alongside an affiliate program and email newsletter. The customer base is split between individual Christian consumers, churches and Christian communities purchasing worship and educational resources, and wholesale Christian bookstore buyers. Recent strategic emphasis has been on heritage monetization (the 2025 '100 Jahre Hänssler' centenary edition, the 2024 'Feiert Jesus! Gold' 30th-anniversary volume), vertical extension into children's and youth sub-brands (hänssler kids, Feiert Jesus! Kids), and the continued expansion of digital downloads to extend reach beyond German-speaking physical retail. There is no evidence of proprietary AI/ML capabilities; the technology footprint is a standard publishing e-commerce stack with digital delivery of EPUB, PDF, and MP3 assets.

Name

SCM Verlagsgruppe

Legal name

SCM Verlagsgruppe GmbH

Website

https://scm-haenssler.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

SCM Verlagsgruppe GmbH is a German Christian publishing group, owned by Stiftung Christliche Medien, that operates the Hänssler imprint and scm-shop.de to publish and sell Christian books, worship music, sheet music, films, and gifts to individual consumers, churches, and Christian bookstores across German-speaking markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Christian Publishing and Media

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Religious Fiction & Inspirational Literature Publishing (MPAJAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sacred Texts & Scripture Publishing (Bibles, Qur’ans, Vedas, Torah, Sutras) (MPAJAHAA), Sermon, Homiletics & Ministry Resource Publishing (Preaching Aids, Pastoral Resources) (MPAJAHAD), Religious Children’s Publishing (Faith-Based Kids & YA) (MPAJAHAJ), Devotional & Prayer Publishing (Devotionals, Prayer Books, Meditation Guides) (MPAJAHAB)

Keywords

• Christian publishing
• Worship music
• Religious books
• Sheet music
• Christian media

Headquarters

HQ city

Holzgerlingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SCM Verlagsgruppe is a German Christian publishing group that, through its SCM Hänssler imprint, publishes and sells Christian literature, music, sheet music, films, gifts, and children's media. The company operates the scm-shop.de e-commerce platform, offering over 5,700 products including 888 books, 4,780 music items, 4,227 sheet music items, and 5,395 digital downloads, plus wholesale distribution to Christian bookstores through its Händlerportal (dealer portal). Its flagship offerings include the Feiert Jesus! worship songbook series and the Damaris Kofmehl Bible-thriller novels.

Product overview

SCM Hänssler is the principal publishing imprint of SCM Verlagsgruppe, a German Christian media publishing group owned by Stiftung Christliche Medien. It operates as a multi-format publishing house offering a unified catalogue across distinct product verticals: books (including the Feiert Jesus! worship songbook series as its flagship music product, Bible thrillers by Damaris Kofmehl, and a wide range of non-fiction, biography, and fiction titles), music and sheet music, films, gifts/lifestyle products, and children's/youth materials. The entire portfolio is sold through the SCM-Shop.de e-commerce platform, which supports both physical formats (Hardcover, CD, DVD, paperback) and digital formats (eBook/EPUB, PDF, MP3 download). The publisher also maintains branded sub-lines such as Feiert Jesus! (and its Kids spin-off), hänssler kids, the Damaris Kofmehl Bible-thriller series, and the Israel-Thriller series, alongside 100 Jahre Hänssler (centenary) commemorative editions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Feiert Jesus!: Christian worship song collection series - one of the most well-known German Christian music songbook series spanning 30+ years
• hänssler kids
• hänssler music

Products and services

• SCM Hänssler Books & Media Core publishing imprint of SCM Verlagsgruppe publishing Christian books (non-fiction, biographies, fiction, devotionals, children's & youth books), Bibles, audiobooks, eBooks, and periodicals in the German Christian media space.
• SCM Hänssler Music Music publishing division producing and distributing Christian music across genres including praise & worship, choir & congregation, instrumental, children's music, musicals, and MP3 downloads.
• SCM Hänssler Sheet Music Sheet music publishing arm offering printed music for brass/woodwind, choirs (mixed, men's, women's, children's), piano, worship songs, children's songs, children's musicals, and individual song sheets.
• SCM Hänssler Films Film publishing and distribution division offering dramas, series, Bible adaptations, children's films, documentaries, and lectures/talks on DVD and video.
• Feiert Jesus! Worship Songbook Series Flagship worship songbook series spanning multiple volumes (Feiert Jesus! 1–6+), formats (spiral-bound, Chords, easy guitar), and special editions (Best of, Gold anniversary), containing German-language worship songs with lyrics, melody lines, and guitar chords for church services, home groups, and small groups.
• Feiert Jesus! Kids Songbook Series Children's worship songbook series including a notated songbook with over 180 songs for use in children's ministry, containing both classic and newly published children's songs.
• Bibel-Thriller by Damaris Kofmehl Sub-series of Bible-based thriller novels by bestselling author Damaris Kofmehl, retelling biblical narratives (Noah, Abraham, Josef, Jakob) as modern-paced thriller narratives with spiritual themes.
• SCM-Shop.de E-Commerce Platform Primary e-commerce and digital sales platform for SCM Verlagsgruppe, selling the publisher's full catalogue including books, music, sheet music, films, gifts, and children's products across physical and digital formats (CD, DVD, MP3 download, eBook in EPUB/PDF). Includes customer club membership and affiliate programme.
• Christian Gifts & Lifestyle Gift and lifestyle product line including greeting cards, stationery, decoration, tableware, jewellery, clothing/textiles, games/toys, calendars, pop-up books, gift books, and gift vouchers.
• Children's & Youth Products Children's and youth product range including picture books, children's books, children's Bibles, children's music, children's films, children's cups/tableware, children's calendars, audio plays, arts/crafts, and teen books.
• Israel-Thriller Novel Series Series of thriller novels set in Israel covering themes of faith, decision, and courage; includes titles such as 'Der Auftrag' and 'Die Entscheidung', available as individual books or a discounted bundle.
• hänssler kids Children's publishing imprint under SCM Hänssler, publishing age-appropriate books, music, films, and interactive products for children and youth, including the Club der 7 Siegel (Club of 7 Seals) mystery series.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Stiftung Christliche MediencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCM Verlagsgruppe GmbH is an affiliate company of Stiftung Christliche Medien (Foundation for Christian Media), which owns and oversees the publishing group. This foundation backing provides strategic alignment with Christian media mission.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kailash Verlag: German publisher with a religion/spirituality catalog under the Droemer Knaur umbrella. Comparable in publishing inspirational and religious literature for German-speaking readers, though with broader spiritual rather than strictly Christian focus.
• adeo Verlag: German Christian publisher producing books, audio books, and films in the Christian lifestyle and faith space. Comparable as a mid-sized multi-format Christian media company targeting individual believers and church customers.
• Christliche Verlagsgesellschaft Dillenburg: German Christian publisher producing books, music, and media for churches and individuals. Comparable as a long-established evangelical publisher with multi-format offerings for the German Christian market.
• SCM R. Brockhaus: Christian publishing imprint within the same SCM/Stiftung Christliche Medien family. Directly comparable in mission, distribution platform, and audience, producing Bible studies, Christian non-fiction, and inspirational titles.
• Brunnen Verlag: German Christian publisher based in Gießen producing books, Bibles, and Christian media. Directly comparable as a German-language religious publisher serving churches, bookstores, and individual Christian consumers with overlapping product categories.
• Gerth Medien: German Christian media publisher specializing in music, books, and gifts, also affiliated with Stiftung Christliche Medien. Closely comparable as a sister imprint within the same foundation, offering worship music and devotional content to overlapping audiences.
• Francke-Buchhandlung: Long-running German Christian publisher and bookseller with a focus on evangelical and pietistic literature. Comparable in serving German Protestant communities with books, devotionals, and Christian media.
• Calwer Verlag: German Christian publisher associated with evangelical educational and devotional content. Comparable in producing Bible-based books, sermon aids, and Christian educational material for German-speaking Protestant audiences.

Regional players

• Bonifatius Verlag: German Catholic publisher based in Paderborn producing books, music, and media for the Catholic market. Comparable in product mix (books, music, gifts) but serves the Catholic segment rather than SCM's primarily evangelical audience.

Broad incumbents

• Penguin Random House Germany: Germany's largest trade publisher across general fiction, non-fiction, and religion. Comparable as a publisher operating at scale with established distribution, but serving a much broader secular market rather than a Christian-specialized niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SCMHaensslerFilm
• Facebookfacebook.com/SCMShop.de
• Instagraminstagram.com/scmshop.de

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 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 SCM Verlagsgruppe