Stiftung Marburger Mission

What Stiftung Marburger Mission does

Stiftung Marburger Mission is a German church foundation (Stiftung) under civil law, founded in 1909 and headquartered in Marburg, Germany, dedicated to worldwide Christian missionary work. The foundation sends men and women as missionaries — both through short-term assignments/internships and long-term placements — together with and for partner churches across eight countries (Germany, Spain, Russia, Thailand, Taiwan, Cambodia, Brazil, Peru) and the East Africa network. Programs include child sponsorship under the Rome Phrakhun sub-brand (Eastern Lawa children in Thailand) and the heartbeat sub-brand (children with disabilities in Russia), Bible translation initiatives (e.g., Kaingang in Brazil), humanitarian aid including anti-trafficking efforts, theological education partnerships, and community development projects.

The organization operates approximately 60 employees and is led by Director Wolfgang Winkler (appointed May 28, 2025, succeeding Rainer Becker effective January 1, 2026), with Karina Kaiser as Board Member and Head of Administration. It holds no proprietary technology products; the technology stack is limited to operational tooling such as CleverReach for email newsletters/prayer messages and QR code photo-transfer for donations. Strategic partnerships span the Working Group of Evangelical Missions (AEM), Church of Christ Thailand, China Lutheran Seminary, Diospi Suyana, TABOR Protestant College, Stiftung Marburger Medien, and YWAM, with the State Church Office of the Evangelical Church Kurhessen-Waldeck providing supervisory oversight.

The business model is entirely donation-based with no commercial revenue. The foundation operates as a Glaubenswerk (faith-based work) financed 100% through individual donations, child sponsorship subscriptions, church contributions, and event-based fundraising such as the annual Spendenlauf cycling event. It applies a 90/10 principle routing 90% of donations to field projects and 10% to administration, holds tax-exempt status (decision of tax office Giessen), and is authorized to issue donation confirmations. The AEM donation seal (renewed through 2028) and annual audits provide donor-confidence infrastructure. Reported 2026 expenditures as of May 2026 totaled €970,693.

Name

Stiftung Marburger Mission

Legal name

Stiftung Marburger Mission

Website

https://marburger-mission.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1909

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stiftung Marburger Mission is a 1909-founded German church foundation that sends missionaries and runs child sponsorship, Bible translation, and humanitarian programs across eight countries and East Africa, funded entirely through donations under a 90/10 spending principle.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious & Humanitarian Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), Faith-Based & Mission Service Programs (EDAIAGAI)

Keywords

• Christian missionary services
• Child sponsorship programs
• Humanitarian aid projects
• Bible translation services
• Religious community development

Headquarters

HQ city

Marburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization operates as a faith-based work (Glaubenswerk) that finances its tasks entirely through donations. They follow a 90/10 principle where 90% of donations go directly to projects and 10% covers administrative costs. They are exempt from corporate tax per decision of the tax office Giessen and are authorized to issue donation confirmations for tax purposes.
2. Sponsorship Programs: Child sponsorship programs such as Rome Phrakhun for children of Eastern Lawa in Thailand, and project sponsorships through heartbeat for children with disabilities in Russia.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Stiftung Marburger Mission is a German church foundation that coordinates the sending of Christian missionaries and supports community development, child sponsorship, Bible translation, and humanitarian aid projects across more than eight countries and an East Africa network. Operations are funded entirely through donations under a 90/10 principle (90% to projects, 10% to administration) and the foundation is a member of the AEM (Arbeitsgemeinschaft evangelikaler Missionen).

Product overview

Stiftung Marburger Mission operates as a church mission foundation that coordinates missionary dispatch and support services. The organization runs multiple programs including child sponsorship (Rome Phrakhun), community development across 9+ countries, heartbeat (Christian children's fund for children with disabilities), Bible translation initiatives, and church development. Additional offerings include short-term assignments, long-term missionary placement, donation management, prayer networks, newsletters, and the MM Magazine publication. The organization facilitates donations through online forms and photo-transfer QR codes, with operations spanning Germany, Thailand, Taiwan, Cambodia, Peru, Russia, Spain, Brazil, and East Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• heartbeat: Christian Children's Fund of the Marburg Mission Foundation, working for children with disabilities since November 2009, primarily through sponsorships. Operates in Russia.

Products and services

• Rome Phrakhun Child sponsorship program providing access to further education and cultural identity strengthening for children and young people of the Eastern Lawa ethnic group in Chiang Mai, Thailand, through a dormitory project. Bears the donation seal of the Evangelical Alliance Germany.
• heartbeat Christian Children's Fund of the Marburg Mission Foundation providing support for children with disabilities primarily through sponsorships, offering help for families in Russia with information, education, and networking services.
• Short-term Assignments / Internships (Kurzzeiteinsätze) Short-term mission opportunities allowing participants to experience practical mission work, typically in partner countries and projects.
• Long-term Missionaries (Langzeitmitarbeit) Full-time missionary placement service sending men and women with the message of Jesus Christ to eight countries and the East Africa network.
• Donation Run: Kilometers to Change Life (Spendenlauf) Annual cycling event raising funds for children in Cambodia, supporting practical aid including first aid kits, rice packages, school materials, and swimming lessons for families near the Phnom Penh landfill.
• Renew Soccer Sports ministry program featuring Brazilian footballers touring Germany, combining passion for sport with sharing the Christian faith through football matches and inspirational events.
• Prayer Network (Gebetsnachrichten) Weekly prayer newsletter enabling supporters to pray specifically for missionary concerns and needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 970,693 € expenditures for 2026 (as of May 2026)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• AEM – Arbeitsgemeinschaft evangelikaler MissionencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe organization is committed to following the donation principles of the Working Group of Evangelical Missions (AEM) and submits to annual audits. AEM provides standards and oversight for charitable mission organizations in Germany.
• CCT – Church of Christ ThailandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Church of Christ Thailand for mission work in Thailand, supporting community development and church planting activities.
• China Lutheran SeminarymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheological education partnership for training church leaders and missionaries in Chinese-speaking regions.
• Diospi SuyanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Diospi Suyana, a mission organization working in Latin America, for shared mission objectives.
• TABOR Protestant College (Evangelische Hochschule TABOR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with TABOR Protestant College for theological education, with regular visits from missionaries like the Schneiders reporting on their work to students.
• YWAM – Youth with a MissionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerShort-term mission teams from YWAM visit project sites like the Bethesda home in Taiwan, bringing volunteers and support for humanitarian work.
• Bethesda Home (Taiwan)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Bethesda home in Hualien, Taiwan has been operating for 70 years, providing care and support. The Hope Café opened as an integrative space within the home.
• State Church Office of the Evangelical Church Kurhessen-WaldeckcoreOthersFoundation supervision by the state church authority, providing regulatory oversight and institutional recognition.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Youth With A Mission (YWAM): Global interdenominational Christian mission movement active across 180+ countries, running short-term mission teams, discipleship schools, and humanitarian projects. Stiftung Marburger Mission already partners with YWAM (e.g., Bethesda Taiwan), and YWAM serves as a broad incumbent with overlapping programs.
• Arbeitsgemeinschaft Evangelikaler Missionen (AEM): Umbrella association of German evangelical mission organizations of which Stiftung Marburger Mission is a member. Sets donation standards, conducts audits, and represents the segment to donors and regulators. Broader incumbency in the same category.
• Deutsche Evangelische Allianz: German evangelical umbrella alliance whose donation seal Stiftung Marburger Mission's Rome Phrakhun program carries. Represents the broader German evangelical constituency and sets standards that govern the organization's fundraising compliance.

Direct peers

• Christliche Hoffnung e.V. Smaller German faith-based mission organization supporting missionary deployment, sponsorship, and Bible translation. Comparable in scale and donation-based funding model to Stiftung Marburger Mission.
• Vereinte Evangelische Mission (VEM): German-based ecumenical mission organization sending missionaries and supporting churches in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Comparable in missionary placement, ecclesial partnership, and donor-funded project model.
• WEC International: Global evangelical mission organization headquartered in the UK with significant German presence, focused on church planting, Bible translation, and humanitarian work among unreached people groups. Directly comparable in missionary sending and child sponsorship.
• Liebenzeller Mission: German evangelical mission society based in Bad Liebenzell that sends missionaries internationally and runs donation-funded programs. Direct peer to Stiftung Marburger Mission as a German Evangelical faith-based mission with similar sending, sponsorship, and church-planting model.
• Frankfurter Mission: German Protestant mission society rooted in Frankfurt am Main, supporting missionary and development work in Africa and Asia. Comparable German-evangelical mission profile, donor-funded structure, and project portfolio.
• DMG interpersonal e.V. German evangelical mission with a similar profile of sending long-term missionaries, operating child sponsorship, Bible translation, and humanitarian projects across multiple countries. Directly comparable faith-based work and donor base.

Regional players

• Evangelische Mission im Nahen Osten (EMNO): German Protestant mission focused on Middle East countries with Christian community engagement and humanitarian projects. Comparable faith-based, donation-funded mission model with regional rather than global focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@marburgermission
• Facebookfacebook.com/marburgermission
• Instagraminstagram.com/marburgermission
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stiftung-marburger-mission

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stiftung Marburger Mission