Deutscher EC-Verband

What Deutscher EC-Verband does

Deutscher EC-Verband, formally registered as Deutscher Jugendverband "Entschieden für Christus" (EC) e.V., is a German Christian youth organization headquartered in Kassel and structured as a registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein). It serves children, teenagers, and young adults across Germany through faith-based youth work, operating a portfolio that includes the EC-Festival national gathering (1,800 attendees), the EC-Sommer-Bibelschule summer Bible school, mentoring courses, the new Coachingweiterbildung coaching program scheduled for 2026-2027, the "Leben in 4D" discipleship track, the entschieden magazine, and tiered EC-Mitgliedschaft memberships (EC-Mitglied, EC-Supporter, EC-kids). Distribution runs through church referrals, Instagram, the print magazine, and the digital learning platform jugendarbeit.online, with publication sales fulfilled via partnerships with BORN-Verlag and SCM-Shop.

The underlying technology stack is modest: jugendarbeit.online functions as the primary digital engagement and learning surface, while the broader operation is event-driven and community-led rather than platform-native. The organization is affiliated with the international EC World Association (EC-Weltverband), anchoring it within a wider federation of EC movements.

The business model is a non-profit mix of donations, membership fees across three tiers, and publication sales. With 14 employees, the go-to-market is community-led and church-referral-driven, supplemented by social media (Instagram), print (entschieden magazine), and the digital platform. No revenue, membership-count, or donor-concentration figures are publicly disclosed, limiting financial visibility.

Name

Deutscher EC-Verband

Legal name

Deutscher Jugendverband 'Entschieden für Christus' (EC) e.V.

Website

https://ec-jugend.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Deutscher EC-Verband is a registered German Christian youth non-profit headquartered in Kassel, serving children, teenagers, and young adults through tiered memberships, faith-based training, the EC-Festival, the entschieden magazine, and the jugendarbeit.online digital platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Youth Ministry Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Services (61), Educational Support Services (611710), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

In-Service Professional Development (Workshops/Institutes/Short Courses) (EDACAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Leadership, Debate & Model UN Camps (EDAMALAK), Digital/Interactive Curriculum Content (Apps, Games, Multimedia Lessons) (EDACAJAK), ECE Leadership & Administration Training (Directors/Owners/Supervisors) (EDACAIAD)

Keywords

• Christian youth ministry
• Youth work programs
• Faith-based training
• Youth Bible education
• Christian community events

Headquarters

HQ city

Kassel

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization accepts donations from individuals and supporters to fund youth programs, activities, and missionary work with children and teenagers.
2. Membership Fees: Annual membership programs including EC-Mitglied (member), EC-Supporter (supporter), and EC-kids (children's membership) with associated benefits.
3. Publication Sales: Sale of educational and devotional materials, magazines (entschieden), and resources for youth work through BORN-Verlag and SCM-Shop.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Deutscher EC-Verband delivers faith-based youth work programs across Germany for children, teenagers, young adults, and students through a network of local EC church groups. The organization publishes the quarterly "entschieden" magazine, runs training courses in mentoring and coaching for youth leaders, hosts annual events such as the EC-Festival and Sommer-Bibelschule, and offers tiered membership programs (EC-Mitglied, EC-Supporter, EC-kids) funded primarily by donations and member contributions.

Product overview

Deutscher EC-Verband (German EC-Verband) is a Christian youth association organized around the principles of 'Entschieden für Christus' (Decided for Christ). The organization offers a portfolio of faith-based programs, training, and resources including quarterly publication 'entschieden', summer Bible school (EC-Sommer-Bibelschule), mentoring courses (Online Mentoring Crashkurs, Mentoring-Grundkurs), coaching training (Coachingweiterbildung), and the digital platform jugendarbeit.online. The portfolio is structured around youth work across age groups (children, teens, young adults), with tiered membership options (EC-Mitglied, EC-Supporter, EC-kids) and annual events such as the EC-Festival. The organization operates primarily as a service provider for youth workers and volunteers in church settings, rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• entschieden: The organization's quarterly magazine publication covering topics of faith, youth work, and community stories.

Products and services

• entschieden Magazine Quarterly print/digital magazine covering stories from the German EC-Verband, faith formation, event recaps, and ministry resources, aimed at EC members, youth workers, and supporters.
• EC-Sommer-Bibelschule Annual summer Bible school program held in Sassnitz/Rügen providing faith-based education, fellowship, and community activities for youth participants from across Germany.
• Online Mentoring Crashkurs An online crash course in mentoring designed for youth workers and volunteers to acquire foundational mentoring skills for youth ministry contexts.
• Coachingweiterbildung A five-module coaching training program covering system coaching, personal development, crisis and conflict management, and change processes, designed for leaders of volunteer or professional teams in youth ministry.
• Mentoring-Grundkurs A foundational multi-module mentoring course held in Kassel that equips participants with skills for mentoring relationships in youth ministry contexts.
• jugendarbeit.online An online resource platform providing devotionals, impulses, and materials for youth group work and personal spiritual use by youth workers and young people.
• EC-Mitgliedschaft Tiered membership program offering EC-Mitglied (member), EC-Supporter (supporter), and EC-kids (children's membership) pathways that provide engagement and benefits within the EC youth association.
• EC-Festival Annual festival bringing together youth from across Germany for worship, community activities, and spiritual programming, with the 2026 edition held in Baunatal drawing approximately 1,800 attendees.
• Leben in 4D A youth program built on the association's core principles of being decided for Christ, belonging to the congregation, united with all Christians, and sent into the world, addressing faith, community, unity, and mission.

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BORN-VerlagcoreOthersPublishing partner for youth work materials and resources. BORN-Verlag is mentioned as part of the EC-Verband structure, producing educational and devotional content for children, youth, and families.
• SCM-ShopminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRetail distribution partner for EC publications and books. The SCM-Shop sells resources recommended by the organization such as 'Gott geht mit!' by Carola L'hoest.
• jugendarbeit.onlinecoreTechnology or IntegrationDigital platform partner for online youth work resources. An independent initiative within the EC network providing digital devotionals, materials, and impulse content for youth workers.
• EC World Association (Weltverband)Strategic or Co-development PartnerInternational EC federation connecting German EC-Verband with similar youth organizations globally. Part of the worldwide EC movement focused on Christian youth work.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CVJM Deutschland: Germany's YMCA affiliate, a nationwide Protestant Christian youth association offering parallel programming for children, teens, young adults, and families — directly comparable to EC's portfolio of local groups, training, and events.
• Evangelische Jugend in Deutschland (EKD Jugendwerk): Official youth organization of Germany's Protestant regional churches, serving similar age cohorts across local congregations with comparable mission trips, training, and community programming.
• Bund der Deutschen Katholischen Jugend (BDKJ): The umbrella Catholic youth association in Germany with similar federated structure across dioceses, comparable membership tiers, and parallel focus on faith formation, community belonging, and political/societal engagement of young people.
• Verband Christlicher Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder (VCP): Interdenominational German Christian scouting organization directly comparable to EC's "Pfadfinder - Entschieden für Christus" scout program, combining outdoor/adventure education with Christian formation.
• Deutsche Pfadfinderschaft Sankt Georg (DPSG): Catholic scouting association in Germany that competes for the same children/youth in faith-based scouting activities; overlaps with EC's scouting segment in target audience and ministry model.
• Adventjugend in Deutschland: Youth department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Germany, running parallel denominational youth programming (children, teens, young adults) with camps, training, and publications — a near-analogue at smaller scale.
• Studentenmission in Deutschland (SMD): German evangelical student ministry that directly parallels EC's "studiEC" segment, providing campus Christian community, theological formation, and mission programs for university students.

Broad incumbents

• YMCA Europe: Pan-European YMCA federation; broader incumbent whose German affiliate (CVJM) directly competes, but operates as a much larger umbrella organization across many countries.
• IFES Germany (Christliche Studentenverbindung): International Fellowship of Evangelical Students with German affiliates, comparable to studiEC but operating at a larger, multi-country scale with broader evangelical network and resources.

Others

• BORN-Verlag: Listed as an internal branch/division of EC-Verband itself, but operationally also functions as a publishing partner to other German Christian youth organizations, producing devotional and educational materials for children, youth, and families.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/ecjugend

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 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 Deutscher EC-Verband