New College Berkeley

What New College Berkeley does

New College Berkeley (NCB), legally New College for Advanced Christian Studies, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theological education and spiritual formation ministry founded in 1977 and headquartered in Berkeley, California. The organization operates as an affiliate center of distinction at the Graduate Theological Union and a member of the Consortium of Christian Study Centers, serving clergy, lay leaders, individual Christians, academics, and multi-ethnic church communities primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area with select online programming.

NCB's core offerings are a curated portfolio of spiritual formation and educational programs: Group Spiritual Direction (a nine-month small-group program at $60/month plus a $60 registration fee), the year-long Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius ($1,500 program tuition), the First Saturday Writing Workshop, the Faith & Film series, the annual Berkeley Palmer Lectureship, and Gospel/Theology/Society events. The organization also publishes Radix Magazine, its official publication exploring faith and contemporary culture, which formally joined NCB in 2024. Programs are delivered in-person at Bay Area church venues (notably First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley) and online via Zoom, with registration handled through the TicketTailor platform.

The business model is a hybrid of earned program tuition and philanthropic support. Tuition is the primary earned revenue stream, supplemented by donations, regular pledged gifts (including stock gifts), and foundation grants. Go-to-market is event-driven and community-led, relying on word-of-mouth referrals within Bay Area church communities, co-sponsorship arrangements with established congregations, and content distribution through Radix Magazine, an email newsletter, and a YouTube channel. The organization operates with a lean staff of approximately 5 employees, indicating a small-scale operational footprint.

Name

New College Berkeley

Legal name

New College for Advanced Christian Studies

Website

https://newcollegeberkeley.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

New College Berkeley is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1977 that delivers theological education and spiritual formation programs, including spiritual direction, the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, and Radix Magazine, to clergy, laity, and academics in the Bay Area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Theological Education and Spiritual Formation

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

Keywords

• Spiritual formation programs
• Theological education
• Spiritual direction services
• Faith-based workshops
• Religious publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Program Tuition and Registration Fees: Revenue generated from fees for structured programs including spiritual direction groups ($60/month plus $60 registration), Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius ($1500 program tuition), and various workshops ($15-$55 per event). Some programs offer sliding scale 'Living Lightly' pricing.
2. Donations and Gifts: NCB is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Federal ID 94-2401323, registered as New College for Advanced Christian Studies). The organization depends on charitable donations, regular pledged gifts including stock gifts, and foundation grants. Donations are fully tax-deductible.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

New College Berkeley delivers spiritual formation and theological education through cohort programs such as Group Spiritual Direction and the year-long Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, alongside workshops, writing instruction, film discussions, and lectures like the Berkeley Palmer Lectureship. Programming is delivered in person at Bay Area church venues and online via Zoom, and is complemented by Radix Magazine, the organization's long-running publication on Christian faith and contemporary culture.

Product overview

New College Berkeley offers a portfolio of spiritual formation and educational programs, including Radix Magazine (the official publication exploring faith and contemporary culture), Group Spiritual Direction, the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, First Saturday Writing Workshops, and the Faith & Film series. The organization also hosts the annual Berkeley Palmer Lectureship and various Gospel, Theology & Society events and workshops. These offerings work together as a cohesive ecosystem of programs designed to bridge church and academia, offering theological education, spiritual direction, writing instruction, and cultural engagement for clergy, laity, academics, and practitioners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Group Spiritual Direction A nine-month cohort program offering spiritual direction in small groups of four directees committed to spiritual friendship, contemplative listening, and prayer, meeting monthly in the Bay Area or online under an experienced spiritual director; intended for individuals seeking ongoing spiritual formation.
• Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius A year-long formation program based on Ignatius of Loyola's 16th-century spiritual exercises, providing weekly group spiritual direction and monthly individual spiritual direction for participants; intended for individuals seeking an immersive contemplative spiritual formation experience.
• First Saturday Writing Workshop A monthly 90-minute writing workshop offering prompts, writing time, and suggestions for developing writing practice; taught by Marilyn McEntyre, PhD, and intended for writers seeking craft development.
• Faith & Film Series A monthly film screening and post-screening discussion series examining themes of love, faith, conscience, evil, death, grace, morality, identity, and yearning for the sacred, co-sponsored with First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley; intended for film and faith audiences.
• Berkeley Palmer Lectureship An annual lectureship bringing biblical scholarship to bear on issues of concern to the university, seminary, and church, established in honor of the Reverend Earl F. Palmer; intended for academics, clergy, and lay audiences.
• Gospel, Theology & Society Events Workshops and conferences engaging social, economic, environmental, and technological challenges through the lens of faith, including Bible, theology, and ethics topics; intended for clergy, laity, and faith practitioners.
• Radix Magazine The official publication of New College Berkeley, published for half a century, featuring diverse voices exploring faith perspectives on art, literature, society, and contemporary culture; intended for readers interested in Christian engagement with culture.
• Radix Live

Quantifiable outcome

• Hundreds of people have found that communal spiritual practice amplifies their ability to hear God through NCB's spiritual direction programs

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences (CTNS)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Co-sponsored AI & Creation Care event at GTU. CTNS is an affiliated center at the Graduate Theological Union.
• Latino-led Ministries for the Pacific Southwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant ChurchminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Co-sponsored Communal Discernment workshop with Dr. Robert Chao Romero, connecting NCB programming to Latino church networks.
• Radix MagazinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Radix Magazine ('Where Christian Faith Meets Contemporary Culture') is the official publication of NCB and has been for half a century. The magazine officially joined NCB in 2024 for a new era of inspired writing at the intersection of culture and Christian faith.
• Graduate Theological Union (GTU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew College Berkeley is an affiliate center of distinction at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. This partnership provides academic credibility, access to theological scholarship, and integration with GTU's educational ecosystem.
• Consortium of Christian Study CenterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCB is a member of the Consortium of Christian Study Centers, connecting it with similar organizations nationwide for resource sharing, best practices, and collaborative initiatives in theological education.
• Leadership FoundationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCB is a provisional local affiliate of the Leadership Foundations network, providing connections to urban ministry and community development resources.
• First Presbyterian Church of BerkeleycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLong-standing co-sponsorship relationship for events including Faith & Film series and Berkeley Palmer Lectures. Church provides venue (Geneva Hall, Room G202) at 2407 Dana Street, Berkeley.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation: Shalem is a long-established Christian contemplative and spiritual formation organization offering programs in spiritual direction, retreats, and group formation. Like NCB, it serves clergy and laity seeking deeper contemplative practice and operates as a small, donor-supported nonprofit with hybrid in-person and online programming.
• Regent College: Regent College is a graduate theological school in Vancouver offering non-degree spiritual formation and theological education with a focus on the integration of faith and contemporary culture. It overlaps with NCB in audience (clergy and laity), spiritual direction pedagogy, and missional theology emphasis, and Susan Phillips has prior affiliation with Regent.
• Renovaré: Renovaré is a Christian spiritual formation ministry offering conferences, retreats, cohorts, and resources for individuals and churches. It shares NCB's mission of fostering spiritual growth through structured programs and is a relevant peer for participant overlap in spiritual formation programming.
• Center for Action and Contemplation: Founded by Richard Rohr, CAC offers contemplative formation programs, online courses, and resources for Christians seeking deeper spiritual practice. It is one of the most prominent contemporary spiritual formation organizations and competes with NCB for participants interested in contemplative Christianity, Ignatian spirituality, and group formation.
• Graduate Theological Union: NCB is an Affiliate Center of Distinction at GTU, making GTU both partner and closest institutional peer. GTU is a consortium of theological schools in Berkeley offering graduate theological education; NCB's programming complements GTU's degree-oriented offerings with non-degree spiritual formation for clergy and laity in the same ecosystem.

Others

• Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality: The SSCS is a professional academic society supporting scholarship on Christian spirituality. While not a direct competitor, it shares NCB's academic-theological orientation, overlaps with NCB's academic and theological-student audience, and connects to the same GTU-affiliated scholarly community.

Broad incumbents

• Fuller Theological Seminary: Fuller is a major evangelical seminary offering graduate degrees and continuing education for clergy and lay leaders. While NCB operates at much smaller scale and is non-degree, Fuller competes for the same donor and participant pool seeking theological formation in the western U.S. and offers overlapping spiritual formation and intercultural programs.
• Biola University Center for Christian Thought and Practice: Biola University is an evangelical Christian university in Southern California with centers for spiritual formation and theological study. Its spiritual formation initiatives and Talbot Seminary compete for the broader western-U.S. theological education market where NCB operates.

Emerging players

• Laity Leadership Institute: Organizations focused on lay leadership formation (such as those affiliated with LifeWay and similar denominational bodies) train laity for ministry in churches. They overlap with NCB's secondary segment of individual Christians seeking growth and serve a comparable audience in non-degree, cohort-based formation programming.
• Henri Nouwen Society: The Henri Nouwen Society promotes the spiritual legacy of Henri Nouwen through retreats, online resources, and formation programs. It competes for donors and participants in the contemplative Christian formation space and shares NCB's small-team, donor-supported nonprofit model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ma1rsp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-college-berkeley

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about New College Berkeley