Evangelische Kirche Berlin-

What Evangelische Kirche Berlin- does

The Evangelische Kirche Berlin-Brandenburg-schlesische Oberlausitz (EKBO) is a regional Protestant state church (Landeskirche) within the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), tracing its formal origin to the 1817 Prussian union of Lutheran and Reformed traditions. It operates a federated network of 10+ Kirchenkreise (church districts) covering all Berlin neighborhoods and extending into Brandenburg and Schlesische Oberlausitz, delivering worship, pastoral care, education, social services, and cemetery operations. Its physical footprint encompasses roughly 200 Evangelical kindergartens in Berlin (forming part of a 423-Kita / 30,000-place VETK network across three federal states), 21 schools serving approximately 7,000 K-12 students, 117 Evangelical cemeteries, and the Diakonie social services network (nursing, hospice, refugee support, counseling). Its digital front door is the berlin-evangelisch.de portal, built on the ChurchDesk CMS with Matomo analytics and YouTube integration, supported by a monthly newsletter launched in November 2024 and a portfolio of podcasts covering interfaith dialogue, grief, queer faith, and regional church history.

EKBO's revenue is not commercially disclosed; it is funded primarily through Kirchensteuer (church tax, collected by the German state as a percentage of income tax), supplemented by donations (including the recurring Brot für die Welt campaign), kindergarten fees regulated by Berlin's Kita-Navigator system, tuition at Evangelical schools, and state contracts for Diakonie social services. All core spiritual services are provided free of charge to members and non-members. The go-to-market is community-led: parish engagement, events, the digital portal, and word-of-mouth, with no commercial sales motion. Customer segments include the general public of Berlin, families with children, K-12 students, vulnerable populations served by Diakonie, LGBTQ+ individuals, and international residents. Leadership is under Prof. Dr. Julia Helmke as Generalsuperintendentin.

Name

Evangelische Kirche Berlin-

Legal name

Evangelische Kirche Berlin-Brandenburg-schlesische Oberlausitz

Website

https://berlin-evangelisch.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1817

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

EKBO is a regional Protestant state church in Berlin, Brandenburg, and Schlesische Oberlausitz, operating 10+ church districts that deliver worship, pastoral care, ~200 Kitas, 21 schools, 117 cemeteries, and Diakonie social services, funded primarily by Kirchensteuer, donations, and fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Kirchensteuer (Church Tax): The primary funding source for the Protestant Church in Germany is the Kirchensteuer, a voluntary church tax collected by the state on behalf of member churches. Members pay a percentage of their income tax as church contributions. This funds the operational budget of all church districts, congregations, schools, kindergartens, and social institutions.
2. Donations and Offerings: Voluntary donations (Spenden) collected during worship services, special campaigns (e.g., Brot für die Welt), and charitable giving. Donations support humanitarian projects, community programs, and specific church initiatives.
3. Diakonie Social Services: Social services operated by the Diakonie network generate some revenue through state contracts, fees for care services, and donations. Diakonie operates nursing services, hospitals, and social counseling centers.
4. Kindergarten Fees: Evangelical kindergartens (approximately 200 in Berlin) charge parents fees for childcare services, partially subsidized by the state under Berlin's Kita system.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

EKBO provides Protestant religious services, pastoral care, life-event ceremonies (baptism, confirmation, marriage, funeral), religious education for children and youth, and a broad range of diaconal and community-support programs across its regional territory. Offerings are delivered through a network of more than 1,000 parishes and supported by digital communications via its website.

Product overview

The Evangelische Kirche Berlin-Brandenburg-schlesische Oberlausitz operates a comprehensive digital and physical service ecosystem centered around the berlin-evangelisch.de website portal. The core offering consists of the main website platform supplemented by a monthly newsletter launched in November 2024. Physical services include approximately 200 Kindertagesstätten (Kitas) and 21 schools serving educational needs, comprehensive pastoral care services through Seelsorge.Berlin (digital/in-person), Telefonseelsorge, hospital and emergency chaplaincy, and Diakonie social services spanning home care, family support, migration assistance, and hospice care. Cultural offerings include choral ensembles, brass choirs, and music programs organized through the EKBO choir association. Spiritual programs feature faith courses, Taizé services, monastery experiences, and meditation practices. The organization also maintains an extensive event calendar system and offers digital worship services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Protestant Worship Services Regular Protestant worship services (Gottesdienste) held in parishes across Berlin, Brandenburg, and Schlesische Oberlausitz, open to members of the public.
• Life-Cycle Ceremonies (Taufe, Konfirmation, Trauung, Bestattung) Baptisms, confirmations, weddings, and funerals performed by EKBO clergy for members and their families.
• Religious Education and Youth Work Sunday school, confirmation classes (Konfirmandenunterricht), youth ministry, and faith-based educational programs for children and adolescents in the region.
• Diaconal and Social Services Charitable counseling, aid for people in need, hospital and prison chaplaincy, refugee and integration support, and other diaconal services delivered through EKBO-affiliated institutions.
• Parish Community Activities Community programs including choirs, fellowship groups, cultural events, and pastoral gatherings run by local parishes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 117 cemeteries maintained by Evangelical congregations across Berlin
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• ChurchDesk GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationChurchDesk GmbH (Schinkestraße 9, 12047 Berlin) provides the website infrastructure, content management system, event management, and newsletter tools powering the berlin-evangelisch.de portal. ChurchDesk is also credited on the website's accessibility statement as responsible for certain JavaScript elements and iFrames.
• Verband Evangelischer Tageseinrichtungen für Kinder (VETK)coreOthersVETK is the professional association of the Evangelical Church for early childhood education, operating as a department of the Diakonisches Werk Berlin-Brandenburg-schlesische Oberlausitz. It represents 423 kindergartens and 30,000 Kita places across three federal states. VETK provides information, networking, and continuing education for member facilities.
• Ecumenical Council of Churches Berlin-Brandenburg (Ökumenischer Rat Berlin-Brandenburg)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ökumenischer Rat assists international visitors in finding their national congregation in Berlin and helps connect people to Protestant denominations. It is referenced as a key resource for the International Service section of the church website.
• Diakonie-PortalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDiakonie-Portal provides an aggregated online platform for all Diakonie social services across Berlin, offering a comprehensive overview of counseling, nursing, refugee, and care services provided by the church's social welfare arm.
• Stadtkloster Segen (Communität Don Camillo)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Swiss Communität Don Camillo lives, prays, and works at Stadtkloster Segen in Berlin, combining the protected space and silence of a monastery with urban life. Recognized as a spiritual community by EKBO.
• Berliner Dom (Stiftung St. Matthäus)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBerliner Dom hosts Glaubenskurse and Gesprächsabende (faith courses and discussion evenings), functioning as a key site for spiritual education within the church's portfolio. The church also houses the art and cultural foundation St. Matthäus.
• Brot für die WeltmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrot für die Welt is the Protestant development aid organization. Christmas services across Berlin collect donations for Brot für die Welt, making it a recurring charitable partnership with the church.
• CROSS ROADS BerlinminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCROSS ROADS offers city walks and church tours for curious visitors and tourists, discovering churches, cemeteries, and memorial sites as places where Christians have shaped their faith. Partnered for church tourism and cultural engagement.
• Ökumenisches Gedenkzentrum PlötzenseeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ecumenical memorial center offers group and school tours, project days, and events commemorating the nearly 3,000 people executed there under Nazi injustice. Church-affiliated and pastorally supported.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Broad incumbents

• Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland (EKD): The national umbrella organization of Germany's Protestant Landeskirchen, of which EKBO is a member. Provides the broader industry context, public-facing representation, and shared services — broader in scope but not a direct operational peer.

Others

• Caritas Deutschland: The Catholic equivalent of Diakonie, operating parallel social, healthcare, and educational services across Germany. Functionally comparable to EKBO's Diakonie arm and a key ecosystem participant.
• Diakonie Deutschland: The national federation of Protestant social services in Germany — effectively the parent umbrella for EKBO's Diakonie operations. Provides industry-wide context for the social-services arm of EKBO's portfolio.

Direct peers

• Erzbistum Berlin: The Catholic Archdiocese covering the same Berlin/Brandenburg region. Operates a directly comparable network of parishes, schools, Kitas, social services (Caritas equivalent), and cemeteries — making it the closest 1:1 analogue to EKBO within Berlin.
• Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Norddeutschland (Nordkirche): Largest German Evangelical Landeskirche, formed in 2012 by merging several regional churches. Operates the same combined model of parishes, schools, Kitas, Diakonie, and administrative districts — structurally the most directly comparable Landeskirche to EKBO.

Regional players

• Evangelische Kirche im Rheinland (EKiR): A major western German Landeskirche with a similar mix of parishes, schools, social institutions, and administrative Kirchenkreise. Comparable in structure and service portfolio, but serving a different geography.
• Evangelische Kirche in Hessen und Nassau (EKHN): Larger western/southern German Landeskirche with a comparable mix of parishes, schools, Kitas, and Diakonie operations. Provides another close structural analogue.
• Evangelische Landeskirche in Württemberg: A major southwestern German Landeskirche with a similar mix of religious services, education, and Diakonie. Comparable in structure but operates in a different geography.
• Evangelische Kirche in Mitteldeutschland (EKM): Central German Landeskirche covering Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. Operates the same combined religious, educational, and social-service model as EKBO across a multi-state region.
• Erzdiözese München und Freising: A major Catholic archdiocese in southern Germany operating a similar combined model of parishes, schools, social services, and cemeteries in a different but equally significant German metropolitan region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/evangelische-kirche-berlin-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Evangelische Kirche Berlin-