Groupes Bibliques des Ecoles et Universités (GBEU)

What Groupes Bibliques des Ecoles et Universités (GBEU) does

GBEU (Groupes Bibliques des Ecoles et Universités) is a Swiss non-profit Christian student ministry founded in 1932 and headquartered in Chavannes-près-Renens, operating exclusively in French-speaking Switzerland (Suisse romande) across cantons Vaud, Geneva, Neuchâtel, Fribourg, Valais, and Bern. The organization runs two core programs — GBE (Groupes Bibliques des Ecoles), Bible study groups for secondary school students, and GBU (Groupes Bibliques des Universités), groups for university and higher-education students — and is the Suisse romande member of the international IFES network, with a parallel relationship to VBG in German-speaking Switzerland.

Its product portfolio bundles those core study groups with supplementary programs: the annual FORUM camp, Big Questions public discussion events, the Dialogue & Vérité intellectual dialogue series, the Le Rachy alpine retreat center, the quarterly À propos journal, DAB Bible discussion guides, the Marc l'Enquête evangelism resource, a physical theological library, and practical services including student housing listings, colocation matching, and student job postings. Resource distribution is supported by light technical infrastructure (Vimeo, Flickr, Google Sheets cataloging, a Togetzer carpooling page, IFES donation processing, Uncover evangelism content) — none proprietary. An HORIZON25 crowdfunding campaign (2025) is funding acquisition of permanent premises, and 2026 launches include the Rest and Reset i-café retreat and the FORUM 26 camp.

GBEU is sustained primarily by donations from individual supporters and churches, supplemented by camp/event fees (e.g., 160 CHF for Camp de rentrée GBE) and small resource sales (20 CHF for Marc l'Enquête). It employs a small team of paid collaborators led by Secretary General Jean-Renê Moret, plus a network of volunteers coordinating student Bible groups. The organization is governed by an internal Council (with Stephanie Clarke as Vice-présidente since 2023) and operates without external parent, equity, or public-market ownership.

Name

Groupes Bibliques des Ecoles et Universités (GBEU)

Legal name

Groupes Bibliques des Ecoles et Universités

Website

https://gbeu.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GBEU is a Swiss non-profit Christian student ministry founded in 1932, running Bible study groups in secondary schools (GBE) and universities (GBU) across French-speaking Switzerland as the IFES-affiliated evangelical student movement for Suisse romande.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and Faith-Based Student Ministry

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI)

Keywords

• Christian student ministry
• Bible study groups
• Evangelical student movement
• Faith-based education
• Religious community programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Chavannes-près-Renens

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Primary funding comes from donors who support the ministry. The organization accepts one-time donations, regular contributions via BVR (bulletin de versement), and supports specific collaborators or projects.
2. Camp and Event Fees: Fees for camps (FORUM) and events including accommodation and meals. Reduced rates available for students, apprentices, and those with limited means.
3. Resource Sales: Sale of books and study materials such as 'L'Enquête de Marc' for 20 CHF.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

GBEU is a non-profit Christian ministry that organizes and runs Bible study groups for secondary school students (GBE) and university students (GBU) across French-speaking Switzerland. The organization supplements these groups with annual camps (FORUM), discussion events (Big Questions, Dialogue & Vérité), a quarterly journal (À Propos), evangelism resources, a theological library, and practical student services such as housing and job listings.

Product overview

GBEU operates as a unified Christian student ministry organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs and resources. The organization comprises two main student group types: GBE (Groupes Bibliques des Ecoles) for secondary school students and GBU (Groupes Bibliques des Universités) for university students. These are supported by supplementary programs including the annual FORUM camp, Big Questions discussion events, Dialogue & Vérité intellectual dialogue series, and the Rachy retreat center. Resource offerings include the À Propos journal publication, DAB (Discussions Around the Bible) Bible study guides, Marc l'Enquête evangelism material, a library, and an online presence through Vimeo video content and Flickr photo archives. Additional services include student housing listings, roommate matching, student job postings, and volunteer/donation opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GBE (Groupes Bibliques des Ecoles): Bible study groups for students in secondary schools, gymnases, and vocational schools
• GBU (Groupes Bibliques des Universités)
• Le Rachy
• FORUM
• Big Questions
• Dialogue & Vérité

Products and services

• GBE (Groupes Bibliques des Ecoles) Regular Bible study groups held in secondary schools, gymnases, and vocational schools across French-speaking Switzerland, designed for students aged 15-19 to study the Bible and discuss faith questions.
• GBU (Groupes Bibliques des Universités) Regular Bible study groups in universities and higher education institutions in French-speaking Switzerland, part of the international IFES student movement network.
• FORUM Annual Camp Annual multi-day Christian camp for students from across French-speaking Switzerland, featuring Bible teachings, seminars, workshops grouped by academic field, and plenary sessions.
• Big Questions

Named customers3 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

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VBG (Verband Evangelischer Schüler- und Studentenvereins)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman-speaking Swiss partner organization within the IFES network, representing student Bible study movements in German Switzerland.
• IFES (International Fellowship of Evangelical Students)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal fellowship of evangelical student movements. GBEU is the Swiss Romande member. Provides international resources, conferences, and networking for student evangelism.
• HET-pro (Haute école de théologie)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for student housing and internship programs. HET-pro offers student apartments available to GBEU community members.
• Le Rachy (Chalet du Rachy)minorOthersMountain chalet facility used for retreats and camps, operated in partnership.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Foi en Questions (foienquestions.eu): Apologetics website affiliated with GBEU addressing questions of faith, science, and Bible reliability. Adjacent/emerging player in the French-language Christian apologetics space with overlapping audience.
• Question Suivante: French-language evangelism platform explicitly cited as a partner site on gbeu.ch. Targets similar intellectually curious French-speaking audiences with apologetics content, partially overlapping GBEU's 'Big Questions' offering.

Direct peers

• VBG (Verband Evangelischer Schüler- und Studentenvereins): German-speaking Swiss counterpart of GBEU within the IFES network, running parallel Bible study programs for secondary and university students. It is the closest direct peer by mission, structure, and theology, but serves a different linguistic region of Switzerland.
• Agapé France: French evangelical student and young-professional movement with similar Bible study, camps, and apologetics programming. Strongly comparable in demographic targeting and faith tradition, with larger national scale.
• Groupes Bibliques Universitaires (GBU) France: French national federation of evangelical university Bible groups, with near-identical programs (study groups, camps, apologetics resources). Directly comparable mission, demographic, and program structure, operating across France.

Broad incumbents

• IFES (International Fellowship of Evangelical Students): Global umbrella network that GBEU belongs to. IFES is the broad incumbent across 180+ countries and provides resources, governance models, and training frameworks that closely mirror GBEU's operating approach.
• InterVarsity Christian Fellowship: Large established evangelical student movement (US-rooted, global presence) operating Bible studies, conferences, and missions on university campuses. Comparable mission and student-targeting model with substantially larger scale.
• Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ): Global evangelical organization with university-focused evangelism and discipleship programs, including intellectual-engagement initiatives. Overlapping mission and audience, but operating at much larger scale and broader scope.
• Navigators: International Christian organization with longstanding student ministry programs (Navs) emphasizing Bible study, discipleship, and leadership development. Comparable in core offering (Bible-based student formation) but globally scaled.
• Scripture Union: International Christian movement with a long history of school- and student-focused Bible engagement work, including in Switzerland and France. Comparable Bible-study focus on secondary and tertiary students across multiple countries.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/gbeu
• Facebookfacebook.com/GBEU
• Instagraminstagram.com/gbeu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groupes-bibliques-des-ecoles-et-universit-s-de-suisse-romande-gbeu-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Groupes Bibliques des Ecoles et Universités (GBEU)