BRAVE Church

What BRAVE Church does

BRAVE Church is a multi-campus Christian non-profit founded in 2010 by Senior Pastor Jeff Schwarzentraub and headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, within the Denver metro area. The church operates two physical campuses (Englewood and Westminster) hosting synchronized Sunday services at 8:30AM and 10:30AM, a global online streaming channel at live.brave.org, and prison campus ministries at the Buena Vista Correctional Complex (Colorado Department of Corrections) and ADX Supermax in Florence (Federal Bureau of Prisons). Programming is organized around a structured assimilation funnel: Sunday attendance, the three-session Pathways course, baptism, and integration into one of more than 129 Cadres (small groups) spread across 26+ Denver metro cities. Age-segmented ministries include BRAVE Kids (K-6), BRAVE Students (grades 7-12, Tuesday nights), and the affiliated BRAVE Academy (K-12 Christian school at braveacademy.org). Supplementary offerings include Care Ministry (premarial coaching, hospital/hospice visitation, counseling referrals), BRAVE Food Pantry, First Tuesday prayer meetings, and special events such as Women's Conference, Financial Peace University, and an Israel Trip.

The underlying technology stack is modest: a church management platform plus the online streaming infrastructure at live.brave.org. There are no disclosed proprietary technology products, AI capabilities, mobile applications, or third-party integrations beyond standard referral partnerships with social service providers (Denver Rescue Mission, Food Bank of the Rockies, GriefShare, ACBC counselors). Sub-brands include BRAVE Academy (separate entity, K-12 education) and BRAVE Media (Pastor Jeff's teaching archive at pastorjeff.com). The organization is governed by a seven-pastor elder-qualified leadership team plus three Supervising Elders (Cal Rychener, Kent Shaw, Len Crowley) and operates with approximately 54 paid staff across pastoral, operational, and academy roles.

The business model is a voluntary-contribution non-profit: primary revenue is recurring tithes and offerings from congregation members, augmented by BRAVE Academy tuition, fees from events and curriculum partnerships (e.g., Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University), and BRAVE Media content distribution. There are no admission fees for worship services or standard programming. Customer segments are intentionally diversified by life stage and circumstance (general adults, children, students, incarcerated individuals, families in crisis). The go-to-market is community-led: organic word-of-mouth through existing Cadre members, supported by event-driven engagement (baptism drives, conferences), online content, and a structured Pathways enrollment funnel. Geographic reach is concentrated in the Denver metro with global online optionality; the church has no parent company, no institutional investors, no funding rounds, and no disclosed revenue.

Name

BRAVE Church

Legal name

BRAVE Church

Website

https://brave.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

BRAVE Church is a multi-campus Denver-area Christian non-profit founded in 2010 by Pastor Jeff Schwarzentraub, serving thousands weekly through Englewood and Westminster campuses, online streaming, prison ministries, BRAVE Kids/Students programs, BRAVE Academy (K-12), and 129+ Cadre small groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services (Church and Discipleship)

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Humanitarian Aid & Relief Ministries (BPAGAJAF)

Keywords

• Multi-campus church services
• Christian worship services
• Small group ministry
• Prison campus ministry
• Christian education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Englewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Voluntary financial contributions from congregation members during worship services and online giving

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

BRAVE Church is a multi-campus Christian church that delivers weekly worship services, small-group discipleship (Cadres), children and student ministries, a three-stage membership pathway, prison campus ministry, and a K-12 Christian academy (BRAVE Academy). Programming is offered free of charge across two physical Colorado campuses, online streaming, and inside state and federal correctional facilities. Revenue comes from voluntary tithes and offerings contributed by congregants.

Product overview

BRAVE Church is a multi-campus Christian church based in Denver, Colorado, offering a unified portfolio of spiritual formation and community programs rather than a technology product. The core offerings include weekly worship services at three physical campuses (Englewood, Westminster) plus online streaming, small group communities called Cadres (over 129 groups organized by location, demographic, and interest), the Pathways membership course, baptism programs, and age-specific ministries for Kids (all grades) and Students (grades 7-12). Additional programs include Prison Campuses ministry serving inmates at Colorado DOC and Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities, the Care Ministry offering counseling referrals and food assistance, BRAVE Academy (K-12 Christian education), First Tuesday prayer meetings, and special events such as Women's Conference and Financial Peace University. The church also operates various serving teams (Baptism, Production, Usher, Welcome, etc.) organized through Serving Cadres.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BRAVE Academy: A Christ-centered academy operating as a separate entity (braveacademy.org) serving students and families.
• BRAVE Media

Products and services

• BRAVE Church Sunday Services
• Cadres (Small Groups)
• Pathways Course
• Baptism Program
• BRAVE Kids Ministry
• BRAVE Students Ministry
• Prison Campuses Ministry
• First Tuesday Prayer Meetings
• Care Ministry
• BRAVE Food Pantry
• BRAVE Academy
• Online Streaming
• Special Events and Conferences

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Denver Rescue MissionminorOthersReferral resource partner for individuals and families experiencing homelessness or in need of shelter and food assistance. BRAVE Care Ministry connects members with this resource.
• Food Bank of the RockiesminorOthersReferral resource partner for individuals and families facing food insecurity. BRAVE Care Ministry directs members to this resource.
• GriefShareminorOthersProgram partnership for grief support groups. BRAVE Church facilitates GriefShare groups using their curriculum and resources.
• Dave Ramsey Financial Peace UniversityminorOthersCurriculum partnership for financial counseling and education. BRAVE Church offers Financial Peace University as a Cadre with Dave Ramsey's curriculum.
• Prepare/EnrichminorOthersPremarital assessment and coaching program used by BRAVE Church for couples preparing for marriage.
• ACBC Certified Christian CounselorsminorOthersReferral resource for professional Christian counseling services. BRAVE Care Ministry maintains a list of ACBC-certified counselors for member referrals.
• Colorado Department of CorrectionscoreOthersFormal ministry partnership allowing BRAVE Church to operate worship services, Bible studies, and Cadres at Buena Vista Correctional Complex.
• Federal Bureau of PrisonscoreOthersFormal ministry partnership allowing BRAVE Church to operate worship services, Bible studies, and Cadres at ADX Supermax Florence facility.
• BRAVE AcademycoreOthersK-12 Christian school affiliated with BRAVE Church, serving as a pipeline for families and extending ministry to children through education. Website: braveacademy.org
• BRAVE MediaminorOthersMedia ministry of BRAVE Church led by Pastor Jeff Schwarzentraub, providing sermon content and teaching resources. Website: pastorjeff.com

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Southeast Christian Church: Large multi-campus church in the Louisville metro with a broad age-stage ministry portfolio (kids, students, adults) and an extensive small-group network analogous to BRAVE's Cadres.
• Elevation Church: Multi-site church led by Steven Furtick in Charlotte, NC with a similar 'unapologetic' preaching identity, strong online streaming presence, and youth/students ministry emphasis that parallels BRAVE.
• Gateway Church: Multi-campus church in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro with strong students/children's ministry programming, online broadcast, and a 'serving teams' volunteer model that resembles BRAVE's Serving Cadres.
• Watermark Church: Dallas-area church with a discipleship-focused, multi-generational ministry model (kids, students, adults, recovery, community) closely aligned to BRAVE's life-stage programming and care ministry.
• Life.Church: One of the largest multi-campus churches in the U.S., founded by Craig Groeschel, with a pioneering online streaming platform and digital discipleship tools — a model benchmark for BRAVE's online.brave.org strategy.
• Church of the Highlands: Large multi-campus church in Birmingham, AL with a comparable 'next steps' assimilation pathway, small-group-centered model, and disciplined discipleship curriculum mirroring BRAVE's Pathways/Cadre structure.
• Summit Church: Multi-campus church in the Raleigh-Durham area with a strong small-group/DNA model, theological depth, and emphasis on community engagement — closely comparable to BRAVE's discipleship framework.
• North Point Community Church: Large multi-campus evangelical church founded by Andy Stanley in the Atlanta metro area with strong teaching focus, online broadcasting, and small-group ministry model directly comparable to BRAVE's Cadre system.
• Saddleback Church: Historic multi-campus church with a strong small-group (Celebrate Recovery, Men's/Women's ministry) infrastructure and global missions emphasis, similar in mission-driven breadth to BRAVE's prison and care ministries.

Regional players

• Flatirons Church: Multi-site church headquartered in Lafayette, Colorado, directly competing with BRAVE in the Denver-Boulder metro for the same seeker, family, and student demographics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bravechurchdenver

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 BRAVE Church