What CLC INTERNATIONAL LTD does

CLC International Ltd is a UK-incorporated, privately held Christian nonprofit ministry founded in 1941 by Ken and Bessie Adams in Colchester, originally as Evangelical Publishing House. The organization's mission is to make Christian literature and Bibles available to all nations, operating today through 122+ physical bookshops, 18 warehouses, and 20 publishing houses across 42-43 countries on six continents. CLC reaches over 10,000 people daily through bookshops and serves primary segments including individual Christians and families, churches and pastors, children and youth, missionaries, and Christian retailers. The organization operates under regional names including ELS (Evangelical Literature Service) in India and Karashidane in Japan, and produces books in 23 languages.

CLC's revenue model combines bookshop retail sales, e-commerce through country-specific websites (including clcportugal.com, kenyaclc.org, elsindia.org, and clcebooks.com for digital), wholesale distribution to churches and retailers, mobile ministry units, and book tables at church events. Publishing rights licensing (e.g., CLC Portugal's Portuguese titles) provides a complementary stream. Pricing is determined by individual country operations, with Children's Bibles costing approximately $2.50 to $4.60 to print and ship. Underlying technology consists of a consumer eBook platform (clcebooks.com offering 7,500 titles in six languages with iOS and Android apps), country-specific e-commerce sites, and print-on-demand capabilities. Recent leadership (Hervé Lessous as International Director since July 2024, first Digital Director Ivano Cramerotti) and concurrent facility expansions in Kenya, India, Panama, and Ivory Coast indicate an active modernization and growth phase.

Name

CLC INTERNATIONAL LTD

Legal name

CLC International

Website

https://clcinternational.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1941

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CLC International Ltd is a UK-based Christian nonprofit ministry operating 122 bookshops, 18 warehouses, and 20 publishing houses across 42 countries, distributing Bibles and Christian literature in 23 languages to individual believers, churches, schools, and missionaries worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Christian Publishing and Book Distribution

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Book Publishers (51313), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Book Printing (2732)

akta.pro primary industry

Sacred Texts & Scripture Publishing (Bibles, Qur’ans, Vedas, Torah, Sutras) (MPAJAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Religious Education & Catechetical Publishing (Sunday School, Catechism, Study Guides) (MPAJAHAC), Sermon, Homiletics & Ministry Resource Publishing (Preaching Aids, Pastoral Resources) (MPAJAHAD), Religious Reference & Study Tools Publishing (Commentaries, Concordances, Lexicons) (MPAJAHAL), Religious & Specialty Publishing Distribution (CRAOALAD), Worship & Liturgy Publishing (Liturgical Texts, Missals, Service Books, Hymnals) (MPAJAHAE)

Keywords

• Christian book publishing
• Bible distribution
• Religious book retail
• Christian literature ministry
• Multilingual publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Coimbra

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices18 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Bookshop Retail Sales: Physical retail sales of Bibles, Christian books, and literature through 122 bookshops worldwide
2. Online/Web Sales: E-commerce sales through country-specific websites including clcportugal.com, www.clc.bg, www.kenyaclc.org, www.elsindia.org, www.christianbooksindia.com, www.clc-cotedivoire.com, www.clcbook.com, www.clcsvizzera.com, www.clccyprus.com
3. Wholesale Distribution: Wholesale supply of Christian literature to churches, ministries, and retailers
4. Publishing Rights Licensing: Sale of publishing rights for Portuguese and other language titles to other CLC countries for translation and distribution

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CLC International publishes and distributes Bibles, Christian books, and Christian media in 23 languages through a network of 122 physical bookshops, 18 warehouses, 20 publishing houses, country-specific e-commerce websites, a wholesale channel serving churches and retailers, and mobile ministry units across 42+ countries. Its mission is to make Christian literature and resources available to all nations to support faith and Christian maturity.

Product overview

CLC International is a Christian literature ministry operating a global distribution and publishing network. The core offering consists of physical bookshops (122 locations worldwide), a global publishing operation with 20 publishing houses producing books in 23 languages, and wholesale distribution through websites. Digital products include the clcebooks.com platform with 7,500 eBooks and mobile apps. Special initiatives include the Children's Bibles Project targeting 50,000+ Bibles across multiple countries, the Myanmar Bible Project for Burmese Scripture, and regional programs like Kenya's ACABA awards and Mama Africa Book Box outreach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CLC Bookshops Physical retail distribution of Bibles, Christian books, and Christian media across 122 bookshops in 40+ countries, serving over 10,000 people each day in local languages.
• Global Publishing Publishing operations through 20 publishing houses worldwide producing Christian literature in 23 languages to shape and influence Christian reading culture.
• CLC eBooks Platform Digital eBook platform offering 7,500 eBooks in six languages with iOS and Android mobile applications for global access to Christian literature.
• Wholesale Distribution Wholesale supply of Christian literature to churches, Christian ministries, and retail partners through global distribution networks.
• Children's Bibles Project Initiative producing affordable, age-appropriate children's Bibles in multiple languages, with a goal to print at least 50,000 children's Bibles across multiple countries.
• Myanmar Bible Project Project to print 20,000 Burmese Bibles and reprint 10,000 Myanmar Study Bibles to meet the spiritual needs of Myanmar's population.
• ELS India Bookshop Network Network of 23 bookshops operated by Evangelical Literature Service (ELS) across India, including mobile ministry, publishing, web sales, and wholesale operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reaches over 10,000 people daily
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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 minor.

• Tyndale Publishing HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTyndale Publishing House is a key partner for the Children's Bibles Project. CLC collaborated with Tyndale to translate and publish God's Colorful Kingdom Storybook Bible (31 stories) into 14 languages for 19 countries. Tyndale Foundation has also provided grants supporting various CLC projects worldwide.
• Copenhagen Publishing HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLC collaborates with Copenhagen Publishing House to obtain rights for translation of children's Bibles and other Christian literature. The Bible Storybook for Starters and other picture books have been published through this partnership across multiple CLC countries.
• David C. CookminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDavid C. Cook is mentioned as a publisher from whom CLC obtains foreign language rights for translation of Christian materials in the Children's Bibles Project.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights9 records

Direct peers

• Bible Society (UK): UK-based Christian nonprofit translating and distributing Bibles globally, similar to CLC's origins in the UK and its international fellowship model. Both organizations share the mission of making Scripture accessible in local languages.
• American Bible Society: Nonprofit engaged in Bible translation, publishing, and global Bible distribution, with strong presence in the United States and international affiliate network. Closely comparable to CLC as a mission-driven Bible publishing and distribution organization.
• Gideons International: Global Christian nonprofit specializing in Bible placement (hotels, schools, hospitals, prisons) and distribution. Comparable to CLC as a faith-based, globally distributed Bible-distribution organization with a 100+ year history.
• Biblica: International Bible ministry that translates, publishes, and distributes Scripture globally (NIV, etc.). Comparable to CLC in its global Bible distribution mission and translation focus.

Broad incumbents

• Zondervan (HarperCollins Christian Publishing): Large commercial Christian publisher (NIV Bible, many Christian trade titles) and competitor to CLC's publishing arm. Operates at much larger scale in Western markets while CLC focuses on emerging markets and direct distribution.
• Tyndale House Publishers: Major Christian publisher (New Living Translation) and a key CLC partner for the Children's Bibles Project. Comparable to CLC in religious publishing with a much broader commercial catalogue and US headquarters.
• SPCK (Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge): UK-based Christian publisher (one of the oldest in the world) producing theological and ministry resources. Comparable to CLC's UK-originated Christian publishing and theological text production (CLC Korea has published 2,000+ theological titles).

Others

• World Vision International: Large Christian humanitarian NGO operating across many of the same fragile geographies as CLC (Africa, Asia, Latin America). Comparable as a faith-based global NGO with a multi-country operating model, though focused on humanitarian aid rather than publishing.

Emerging players

• Doulos Publications: Small-scale Christian publishing and distribution organization focused on underserved languages in Latin America. Comparable to CLC as a niche mission publisher with multilingual translation focus.

Regional players

• Sociedade Bíblica do Brasil: Brazilian Bible Society distributing Bibles and Christian literature across Latin America. Closely comparable to CLC's Latin American operations (especially CLC Brazil-adjacent markets where CLC Plaza David in Panama operates).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@clcinternational/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/clcintl
• Instagraminstagram.com/clcintl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clc-international-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Subsidiaries7 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 CLC INTERNATIONAL LTD