Bremische Ev. Kirche

What Bremische Ev. Kirche does

Bremische Evangelische Kirche (BEK) is the Evangelical Lutheran state church for the German state of Bremen, operating as a Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts (public-law corporation) since 1848. It serves members across 52 autonomous congregations in Bremen, Bremen-Nord, and Bremerhaven through a community-led go-to-market model that delivers in-person worship, pastoral counseling, sacraments (baptism, confirmation, weddings, funerals), and life-event services. Beyond religious services, BEK operates as a substantial social-services provider: it runs approximately 80 evangelical daycare facilities through the Landesverband Ev. Tageseinrichtungen, offers extensive counseling (addiction, debt, family, crisis, refugee assistance) in coordination with Diakonie, and runs cultural programming (Kulturkirche), youth services (Lighthouse), and a central information/pastoral center (Kapitel 8).

Its core technology consists of a TYPO3 CMS website (kirche-bremen.de) with self-hosted Matomo analytics, an online donation platform powered by twingle GmbH (supporting PayPal, credit card, Google Pay, Apple Pay, and direct debit), an event registration system, and the BEK-Net employee intranet. A Termindatenbank holds over 8,000 searchable events and directories across the church network. Audio distribution via SoundCloud and video via YouTube extend its digital footprint. Approximately 2,300 active employees and pension recipients serve across the church, its congregations, and institutions.

The revenue model is dominated by the German Kirchensteuer (church tax), collected as a percentage of member income tax through the state tax system — a recurring, membership-based revenue stream that is unique to recognized religious corporations under German public law. Supplementary revenue comes from voluntary donations (online and during services), daycare service fees from the 80 Kindertageseinrichtungen, and fees for ancillary services. Core religious services are provided free of charge to members; church membership itself operates on a subscription-like basis tied to income. The church is governed by the Kirchenparlament and Kirchenausschuss, led by the Präses and Kirchenpräsident, with no private ownership structure.

Name

Bremische Ev. Kirche

Legal name

Bremische Evangelische Kirche

Website

https://kirche-bremen.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1848

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bremische Evangelische Kirche is the Evangelical Lutheran state church for the German state of Bremen, serving 52 congregations across Bremen, Bremen-Nord, and Bremerhaven. It delivers worship, pastoral care, social counseling, youth programs, and 80 daycare facilities, funded primarily through church tax and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Community Food Services (62421)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Denominational & Ecclesiastical Governance Bodies (Dioceses, Synods, Conferences) (BPAGAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA), Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG), Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

Keywords

• Religious services
• Pastoral care
• Congregational worship
• Social services
• Faith education

Headquarters

HQ city

Bremen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Church Tax (Kirchensteuer): Primary funding source collected through the German state tax system from church members. Members pay a percentage of their income tax as church tax.
2. Donations and Offerings: Voluntary donations collected during services and through online platforms. Online donations processed via twingle GmbH.
3. Daycare Services Fees: Fees collected from approximately 80 evangelical daycare facilities (Kindertageseinrichtungen) under the Landesverband.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Bremische Evangelische Kirche is a German Protestant (Evangelical Lutheran) regional church organization that provides religious services including worship, sacraments, and pastoral care, along with faith education, social services, and operates daycare facilities for families across its congregations in Bremen.

Product overview

Bremische Evangelische Kirche operates a comprehensive digital ecosystem centered on its main website (kirche-bremen.de), which serves as a unified platform connecting 52 congregations. The portfolio includes specialized portals: BEK-Net for internal employee communications, the event registration system for workshops and concerts, and the Termindatenbank event database with 8,000+ entries. The church also maintains the Kapitel 8 information center, the Wesersegen blessing service, Kulturkirche cultural programming, and a network of 80 evangelical daycare facilities. The offering is characterized by a platform-plus-specialized-services architecture rather than a monolithic product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Free baptism services for all families
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• twingle GmbHcoreTechnology or Integrationtwingle GmbH provides the online donation platform for church donations, supporting multiple payment methods including PayPal, credit card, Google Pay, Apple Pay, direct debit, and bank transfer. The platform includes analytics and is hosted on German servers with data processing agreements.
• DiakoniecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose partnership with Diakonie (Protestant welfare organization) for social services including Friedehorst facility mentioned in church president tribute.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Diakonie Deutschland: National umbrella for Protestant welfare services and a core strategic partner of BEK (e.g., Friedehorst facility referenced in church communications). Operates the same social-services categories — daycare, counseling, refugee aid, disability services — at national scale.
• Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern: Largest German Protestant Landeskirche, demonstrating how BEK's model scales across multi-million-member, multi-region operations. Provides a benchmark for upside scale and structural complexity in the same organizational archetype.
• Caritas Deutschland: Catholic counterpart to Diakonie and the dominant faith-based welfare provider in Germany. Delivers directly overlapping services (family counseling, addiction support, refugee assistance, daycare) at national scale and competes with BEK's Diakonie-partnered programs.

Direct peers

• Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Niedersachsen: Fellow EKD member church operating as a public-law corporation in a neighboring German federal state. Same governance model, same Kirchensteuer funding mechanism, similar parish-based delivery model — the closest structural analogue to BEK.
• Evangelische Kirche Berlin-Brandenburg-schlesische Oberlausitz: EKD member church serving Berlin and Brandenburg with the same public-law corporation status, Kirchensteuer funding, and parish-plus-specialized-services delivery model. Useful comparator for urban Landeskirche operations.
• Evangelische Kirche von Westfalen: Large EKD Landeskirche with the same Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts status, parallel Kirchensteuer funding, and a comparable mix of parishes, schools, daycare centers, and social welfare programs — a directly comparable peer at greater scale.
• Evangelische Kirche in Hessen und Nassau: Another EKD regional Protestant church with state-recognized public-law status, operating multiple congregations, daycare facilities, and social-services arms across Hesse and Nassau — directly comparable in operational structure to BEK.
• Katholisches Bistum im Lande Bremen: Catholic diocese covering the same Bremen geography, also funded via Kirchensteuer and providing parallel worship, social-services, and education programs. Operates as BEK's principal theological and operational counterpart within the same territory.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/bremischeevangelischekirche
• Facebookfacebook.com/BremischeEvangelischeKirche
• Instagraminstagram.com/bremische.evangelische.kirche
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bremische-ev.-kirche

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries6 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 Bremische Ev. Kirche