Life Changers

What Life Changers does

Life Changers International Church is a nonprofit religious organization founded in 1993 by Pastors Gregory and Grace Dickow in Elk Grove, Illinois. It operates two physical campuses — the headquarters at 2500 Beverly Rd in Hoffman Estates and a second site at 1337 W 15th St in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood — alongside a global online church community. The organization delivers Christian worship services, age-tiered ministry programming (Life Changers Kids for newborns through 6th grade, Champion Youth for teenagers, HIYP for young adults), recovery programs for grief/divorce/abuse/addiction, community outreach through the Dream Center (food pantry, holiday and back-to-school drives), and international humanitarian missions spanning Haiti, Peru, India, Ukraine, and Sri Lanka.

The technology and distribution stack is built around a multi-platform digital ministry: online streaming, iOS and Android mobile applications, the Pushpay digital giving platform, and YouTube content distribution. Its reach is anchored by the international television ministry "The Power to Change Today," which reaches millions of households weekly, and a global online church with sermon translation into 10 languages. Wholly-owned subsidiaries include Valeo Academy (K-12 Christian education founded by Grace Dickow) and Life Changers Worship (music ministry with a debut album). Content assets include 73+ on-demand sermons, the Think Like a Champion podcast (225+ episodes), and authored programs (Fast from Wrong Thinking, Soul Cure E-Course).

Revenue is generated through voluntary tithes and offerings from congregation members, facilitated by Pushpay for online, mobile, and recurring giving, supplemented by non-cash donations (stocks, Bitcoin, Ethereum, real estate, vehicles), estate planning services, merchandise sales via Square, and tuition at Valeo Academy. No services carry a price tag; all programming is free to attendees. The organization operates without external investors, parent companies, or institutional ownership — the Dickow family maintains direct leadership, and no funding rounds, acquisitions, or M&A activity are evident in the data.

Name

Life Changers

Legal name

Life Changers International Church

Website

https://lifechangerschurch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Life Changers International Church is a 30+ year-old nonprofit religious organization operating two Chicago-area campuses and a global online community, providing worship services, age-tiered ministries, Christian K-12 education, recovery programs, and international missions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

akta.pro primary industry

Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI)

Keywords

• Church services
• Religious community
• Spiritual development
• Faith-based education
• Worship ministry

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis, Minnesota

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Traditional church donations from congregation members including online giving via Pushpay, mobile app, and mail
2. Non-Cash Donations: Accepts stocks, cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Ethereum), real estate, business interests, and vehicle donations as non-cash charitable contributions
3. Estate Planning Services: Annual estate planning class to help members create wills and trusts, with proceeds supporting church missions
4. Church Merchandise: Online store selling church merchandise through Square commerce platform

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Life Changers is a multicultural church providing weekly worship services, Bible teaching, and community programs through two physical campuses in the Chicago metropolitan area and a global online church community. The organization operates comprehensive ministries spanning all age groups including children's programs, youth ministry, young adult programs, recovery support, a K-12 Christian school (Valeo Academy), and international missions in Haiti, Peru, India, Ukraine, and Sri Lanka.

Product overview

Life Changers operates as a multi-faceted church organization with a centralized campus structure supplemented by digital and community-focused extensions. The core offering is Life Changers Church providing Sunday worship services, supported by specialized ministries including Kids Ministry, Champion Youth, and HIYP for age-specific spiritual development; Valeo Academy for K-12 education; and Recovery Programs and Dream Center for community outreach. The Global Family online community enables remote engagement with all ministry offerings, while Life Changers Worship produces music content and Champion distributes podcast/media content. Mission Programs extend the ministry globally. Life Groups provide the primary community structure for member engagement across all demographics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Valeo Academy: K-12 Christian education institution founded by Grace Dickow
• Life Changers Worship
• Think Like A Champion
• Champion Youth
• HIYP
• Dream Center

Products and services

• Sunday Worship Services Weekly Sunday worship services at 10:30 AM at Hoffman Estates and Chicago campuses featuring Spirit-filled worship, Bible-based preaching, and children's programming for the multicultural congregation.
• Global Online Church Online streaming church experience for global members with Spanish interpretation, on-demand content, and sermon translation in 10 languages including Russian, Mandarin, Portuguese, Hindi, Arabic, Creole, French, Indonesian, and Bengali.
• Valeo Academy K-12 Christian education institution founded by Grace Dickow providing academic instruction integrated with faith-based values as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Life Changers.
• Life Changers Worship Music and worship ministry that produces worship music and albums including the debut album 'Suddenly' with a 13-day devotional, and leads worship at services and traveling events.
• Champion Youth Youth ministry program for middle and high school students with dedicated app integration, Wednesday night events, Crew small groups, worship nights, and leadership development curriculum.
• Life Changers Kids Ministry Children's ministry program for newborns through 6th grade offering nursery care, toddler classes, LC Kids for ages 4-11, Sixers for 6th graders, and Exceptional Kids class for special needs support.
• HIYP (High Impact Young People) Young adult ministry for the 18-35 age demographic offering monthly HIYP Nights, Life Groups, worship experiences, retreat programs, and purpose-focused community building.
• Life Groups Small group ministry structure with 40+ groups serving men, women, couples, young adults, bilingual members, and youth, meeting twice monthly for Bible study, community, and mutual support.
• Dream Center Community outreach program providing social services including weekly food pantry distribution at both campuses, back-to-school drives, holiday gift programs, and humanitarian aid for Chicagoland families in need.
• Recovery Programs Pastoral counseling and support ministry offering recovery programs for individuals dealing with grief, divorce, abuse, and addiction through church-based support services.
• Think Like A Champion Podcast and media ministry by Pastor Gregory Dickow producing 225+ faith-based podcast episodes and content for broader distribution across digital platforms.
• The Power to Change Today International television ministry hosted by Gregory Dickow reaching millions of households weekly with biblical teaching both domestically and internationally.
• Missions and Global Outreach International missions initiatives supporting Life Changers Church Haiti with 200 pastors attending weekly Bible School, Ukraine Orphanage and Rehabilitation Center, Peru mountain village missions serving 60+ families, India orphanages, and Sri Lanka post-bombing church rebuilding.
• Church Merchandise Store Online store selling church merchandise through the Square commerce platform including branded apparel and accessories.

Quantifiable outcome

• Haitian Bible School with 200 pastors attending weekly
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Life Changers Church HaiticoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSatellite church operation in Haiti celebrating 10 years, hosting crusades, weekly services, and Haitian Bible School with 200 pastors attending weekly. Church is in constant use and taking the love of Jesus to far away villages with food, clothing, and earthquake-resistant home construction.
• Teo & Maribel Samanamud (Peru Missionaries)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMissionaries reaching high mountain villages of Peru, currently clothing and feeding 60+ families with goal to reach 500 families. Partnership focuses on humanitarian aid and evangelism.
• Ukraine Orphanage and Rehabilitation CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonthly support for hundreds of precious children who have experienced trauma, providing complete care including shelter, meals, school, and rehabilitation. Children and staff have safely escaped to neighboring countries during the conflict.
• Pastors Roshan Mahesan - Zion Church, Sri LankaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPost-Easter bombing recovery partnership to restore lives, rebuild the church, and revive the community after 28 members were killed at Zion Church in Batticaloa.
• India Orphanages and MinistriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with friends and ministries in India committed to helping orphanages across the nation, hosting crusades and conferences sharing the message of God's radical grace and acceptance. Global television outreach has great impact in India.
• PushpaycoreTechnology or IntegrationDigital giving platform provider enabling online tithes, offerings, recurring giving, and non-cash donations (stocks, crypto, real estate). Used for church app integration and online giving functionality.
• Gregory Dickow MinistriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational television ministry The Power to Change Today reaching millions of households weekly. Includes Fast from Wrong Thinking global phenomenon, podcast, online store, and Soul Cure E-Course.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• churchome: Digital-first church emphasizing streaming services, app-based engagement, and online community groups; smaller physical footprint but highly comparable online-platform and mobile-app strategy to Life Changers' Global Online Church.

Broad incumbents

• Lakewood Church: One of the largest U.S. megachurches with international TV broadcast, worship-music production, and global humanitarian initiatives; comparable to Life Changers' TV ministry and missions footprint, but operates at significantly larger scale.
• The Potter's House (T.D. Jakes Ministries): Dallas-based megachurch with international television ministry, bestselling teaching content, and diversified ministry subsidiaries—comparable to Life Changers in media-brand-led operations, though at materially larger scale.

Others

• Pushpay (now Resi Media / Parishionic parent): Digital giving and church engagement platform provider that Life Changers uses for tithes and donations—an enabling technology vendor rather than a direct peer, but relevant as a comparator for the church's tech stack and giving-infrastructure choices.

Direct peers

• Willow Creek Community Church: Chicago-area multi-campus church with teaching-focused programming, Life Group (small group) model, global missions partnerships, and an established digital media presence—a strong same-geography comparable to Life Changers' Chicago footprint.
• Christ Fellowship Church: Multi-site South Florida church with kids, youth, young adult, online campus, and global missions program; comparable in demographic segmentation and digital streaming infrastructure to Life Changers.
• Transformation Church: Multi-ethnic, multi-campus nondenominational church with significant digital/streaming reach, original worship content, and a charismatic founder-pastor brand—overlapping Life Changers' multicultural identity and media-led approach.
• Gateway Church: Multi-campus Texas-based church with extensive online campus, worship-music production, children's and youth ministries, and global outreach—mirroring Life Changers' physical-plus-digital footprint and sub-brand ecosystem.
• Elevation Church: Large, multi-campus, digitally savvy nondenominational church led by a single high-profile pastor (Steven Furtick) with online streaming, original worship music, and global content reach—closely comparable in operating model, brand-led media strategy, and Life Group structure to Life Changers.
• North Point Ministries (Andy Stanley): Network of churches led by a founder-pastor brand with heavy emphasis on teaching content, podcast distribution, and small groups—closely analogous to Life Changers' content-library-plus-Life-Group model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/lifechangers
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCO7sGiSKihUtJRmmX4zt0UQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/lifechangerschurch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/life-changers
• Instagraminstagram.com/lifechangers
• TikToktiktok.com/@lifechangers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Life Changers