EVANGELICAL THEOLOGICAL SOCIETY

What EVANGELICAL THEOLOGICAL SOCIETY does

The Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) is a US-based professional academic society founded in 1949 in Cincinnati, Ohio and headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. It is organized around the doctrine of biblical inerrancy and the gospel of Jesus Christ, and its mission is to foster conservative biblical scholarship through peer-reviewed publication, in-person scholarly exchange, and ongoing community among evangelical academics. The society serves primarily biblical and theological scholars (PhD/ThD holders), pastors and church leaders, and graduate and undergraduate students, with over 4,500 members and journal subscribers across the United States and Ontario/Quebec.

ETS operates a portfolio of interconnected scholarly products. Its flagship publication is JETS, the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, a peer-reviewed quarterly journal with a back-issue archive. The society runs an annual national meeting that features plenary addresses, paper sessions, and program units, complemented by eight regional meetings held each year across the US and Canada. Supporting services include an online proposal system for paper submissions, a member directory, a member publications listing, and ETS Career Connections, a job board and candidate database for the biblical-studies labor market. The underlying technology stack is a conventional web platform (etsjets.org) hosting membership applications, journal access, and event logistics.

The society generates revenue through a recurring subscription model: annual membership dues priced at $50 (full members), $45 (associate), and $30 (student), each including JETS subscription. Supplemental revenue is earned from non-member JETS subscriptions, annual meeting registration, exhibitor fees, sponsorships, and program advertising; from paid email advertising ($600 per send) and mail-list rentals ($450 per use) offered to publishers; and from a revenue share on recorded meeting presentations via WordMp3. ETS is governed by a member-elected Board of Directors with an Executive Director serving as COO/CFO, and it operates as an independent non-profit with no parent company or external investor ownership.

Name

EVANGELICAL THEOLOGICAL SOCIETY

Legal name

Evangelical Theological Society

Website

https://etsjets.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Evangelical Theological Society is a 1949-founded US non-profit academic society that fosters conservative biblical scholarship among PhD-level theologians, pastors, and students through its quarterly JETS journal, annual national meeting, and eight regional meetings, funded primarily by annual membership dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Academic Society

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Academic & Education Conference Organizers (THAHACAE)

Keywords

• Theological scholarship society
• Academic biblical studies
• Peer-reviewed theological journal
• Scholarly membership organization
• Academic conference services

Headquarters

HQ city

Scottsdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from full, associate, and student members providing access to JETS journal, annual meeting, and member services.
2. JETS Journal Subscriptions: Quarterly journal reaching over 4,500 members and subscribers, with advertising opportunities for publishers in biblical studies, theology, and church history.
3. Annual Meeting Revenue: Revenue from annual meeting registrations, exhibit space sales, sponsorships, and advertising in the annual meeting program.
4. Email Advertising Service: Publisher email advertising service distributed to members, limited to announcements related to new publications, sales, catalogs, and publishing opportunities.
5. Mail List Rental: One-time use rental of ETS mailing lists to publishers for announcements regarding new publications, sales, and catalogs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ETS is a professional academic society that sells individual memberships (Full $50, Associate $45, Student $30 annually) granting access to its quarterly peer-reviewed Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (JETS), its national Annual Meeting, and eight Regional Meetings. It also operates member services including the ETS Career Connections job board, a Member Directory, and Member Publications listings, and runs an online Proposal System for paper submissions to its scholarly meetings.

Product overview

The Evangelical Theological Society operates as a professional academic society offering a unified portfolio of scholarly resources and services. The core offerings include the JETS journal (their flagship peer-reviewed publication), the Annual Meeting (national conference), and eight Regional Meetings. Additional services include the Career Connections job board, an online Proposal System for paper submissions, Program Units for specialized scholarly groups, a Member Directory for networking, and a Member Publications listing service. The society focuses on fostering conservative biblical scholarship centered on Scripture, with membership benefits structured around the JETS journal subscription.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• JETS: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society - the official quarterly journal of the society published since its founding.

Products and services

• JETS (Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society) The flagship peer-reviewed academic journal of the society, published quarterly, covering biblical studies, theology, and related disciplines. Includes current issues, a PDF archive of past volumes, and a manuscript submission system. Available via membership subscription and to separate non-member subscribers.
• ETS Annual Meeting Annual national conference bringing together biblical and theological scholars for paper presentations, plenary sessions, multiple program units, special events, and networking. Features exhibitor booths and sponsorship opportunities for publishers and seminaries.
• ETS Regional Meetings Eight regional conferences held annually in February-April covering Northeast, Eastern, Southeast, Ontario/Quebec, Midwest, Southwest, Northwest, and Far West regions. Provide smaller-scale scholarly exchange, student paper competitions, and regional networking opportunities.
• ETS Career Connections Job board service connecting ETS members with employment opportunities in biblical studies, theology, biblical languages, and related academic disciplines. Includes job candidate listings and employer submission options for academic positions.
• ETS Membership Annual membership program offered in three tiers (Full Members at $50, Associate Members at $45, Student Members at $30, with retired rate at $30). Includes JETS journal subscription, voting rights for full members, paper presentation eligibility, and access to member services. Memberships are valid for one year from the date of initial membership or renewal.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 4,500 members and subscribers receive JETS journal quarterly

Named customers11 records

Segments3 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.

• Theologians Without BorderscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025TWB team members attend ETS Annual Meetings to connect with Majority World seminaries and recruit Associate Scholars for online and in-person teaching visits. TWB has 100 scholars in 8 disciplines available to serve global theological education. ETS provides venue and networking at booth 1105 for annual meeting collaboration.
• Center for Classical Theology (CCT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024CCT hosts annual lectures the night before ETS annual meetings, featuring theologians such as Michael Horton, Adonis Vidu, and Carl R. Trueman. CCT is dedicated to contemplating God by listening to His word and drawing on the Great Tradition. Crossway publishing sponsors CCT annual lectures.
• WordMp3minorGTM or Marketing PartnerWordMp3 records and sells ETS Annual Meeting presentations for purchase and download, providing revenue share and extending access to presentations beyond the annual meeting.
• Cambridge Scholars PublishingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCambridge Scholars Publishing invites ETS members to submit scholarly book proposals across humanities, social sciences, and sciences. No fees to publish with global distribution to 175+ countries.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Catholic Biblical Association (CBA): A Catholic academic society of biblical scholars that publishes the Catholic Biblical Quarterly and hosts annual meetings. CBA mirrors ETS in being a faith-defined scholarly society with a peer-reviewed journal and annual convention aimed at clergy and academics.
• Wesleyan Theological Society (WTS): A theological society organized around the Wesleyan-Arminian tradition, with membership, annual meeting, and a peer-reviewed journal. WTS is a smaller denominational peer to ETS, with the same membership/journal/meeting business model but a narrower doctrinal constituency.
• American Academy of Religion (AAR): Major US academic society for religious studies scholars, operating an annual meeting with paper sessions and multiple peer-reviewed journals. AAR is the principal peer to ETS in scale, governance model, and member services, with a broader (non-doctrinal) membership base.
• Society of Biblical Literature (SBL): The largest international academic society devoted to biblical scholarship, convening an annual meeting and publishing peer-reviewed journals. SBL is the most direct peer to ETS — both serve academic biblical/theological scholars, run annual conferences, and publish research journals, though SBL is pluralistic where ETS is doctrinally bounded.
• Evangelical Philosophical Society (EPS): An evangelical academic society for Christian philosophers with membership, annual meeting sessions (often co-located with ETS), and a peer-reviewed journal (Philosophia Christi). EPS competes for the same conservative-evangelical academic audience and scholar pipeline.

Regional players

• Tyndale Fellowship: A UK-based evangelical theological research fellowship with member study groups covering biblical and theological disciplines. Tyndale Fellowship is the closest international (non-North American) evangelical peer to ETS and competes for the same global evangelical scholar community.
• Society for the Study of Theology (SST): The UK and Ireland's principal ecumenical academic society for theology and religious studies, hosting an annual conference and affiliated journals. SST is a regional peer to ETS with a comparable academic-society model but a primarily European footprint and broader doctrinal base.

Broad incumbents

• Association of Theological Schools (ATS): The accrediting body and membership association for North American seminaries and schools of theology. ATS serves an overlapping institutional customer base (seminary faculty and administrators) and provides career-services and continuing-education infrastructure that overlaps with ETS Career Connections.

Others

• Cambridge Scholars Publishing: An academic publisher that invites ETS members to submit book proposals and acts as a publishing partner. As an adjacent ecosystem participant, it serves the same evangelical scholar audience and is a counterparty in ETS's publisher relationship rather than a direct competitor.

Emerging players

• Institute for Biblical Research (IBR): An evangelical academic society closely aligned with ETS, with overlapping membership of evangelical biblical scholars. IBR is smaller and more research-focused but competes for the same conservative-evangelical scholar niche and co-locates many of its sessions with the ETS annual meeting.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/evangelical-theological-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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