Center for Pastor Theologians

What Center for Pastor Theologians does

The Center for Pastor Theologians (legal entity: The Society for the Advancement of Ecclesial Theology, EIN 26-2742007) is a 501(c)(3) interdenominational evangelical nonprofit founded in 2007 and headquartered in Oak Park, Illinois. Its mission is the theological and pastoral formation of pastors and ministry leaders, centered on a six-year flagship fellowship and an integrated portfolio of cohort programs (local, student, Church Identity, and one-year learning cohorts), an annual conference held in Oak Park, dinners and discussions, a bi-annual peer-reviewed journal, articles and book reviews, and The Pastor Theologians Podcast distributed on iTunes, Google, Spotify, and Stitcher. The organization is led by a small staff of approximately 10, including a President, three Directors (Partner Engagement, Operations, and Programs), a Manager of Church Programming, and creative, publications, and administrative support, with oversight from a Board of Directors and counsel from named theological mentors affiliated with institutions such as Wheaton College, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and the University of St Andrews.

Revenue is generated almost entirely through charitable donations and grants, with no fees publicly disclosed for the fellowship, cohorts, conference, podcast, or journal. Distribution is conducted through application-based fellowship admissions, local cohort meetings in dozens of US cities, the annual conference, and web-based content delivery via the Squarespace-hosted pastortheologians.com site and podcast feeds. In 2023 CPT was awarded a Lilly Endowment Thriving Congregations Initiative grant for the 'Renewing the Ecclesial Identity of the American Church' program, and in April 2024 it partnered with Emmaus Theological Seminary to launch a Doctor of Ecclesial Theology (ThD) degree, both of which mark the most recent material programmatic expansions. The underlying technology footprint is modest: a Squarespace website, RSS/Buzzsprout podcast distribution, and standard social/podcast platforms; there are no disclosed AI/ML, API, or proprietary platform capabilities.

Name

Center for Pastor Theologians

Legal name

The Society for the Advancement of Ecclesial Theology

Website

https://pastortheologians.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Center for Pastor Theologians is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 2007 and based in Oak Park, Illinois, that forms evangelical pastors and ministry leaders through a six-year fellowship, local and student cohorts, an annual conference, a peer-reviewed journal, and a podcast.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pastoral Formation Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (813110), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Ministerial Training Institutes (Clergy Formation) (EDAHAKAE)

Keywords

• Pastoral formation programs
• Theological education
• Ministry leader development
• Ecclesial theology resources
• Clergy fellowship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Oak Park

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 26-2742007), The Society for the Advancement of Ecclesial Theology doing business as the Center for Pastor Theologians relies on charitable donations from individuals and organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Center for Pastor Theologians is an interdenominational evangelical nonprofit organization that forms pastor theologians through its flagship Fellowship program, multi-year learning cohorts, an annual conference, and published content such as a podcast and journal. It serves pastors, ministry leaders, and ministry students who seek to integrate pastoral ministry with theological depth, supported by donations and grants.

Product overview

The Center for Pastor Theologians is an interdenominational evangelical organization offering a suite of formation programs and resources for pastors and church leaders. The core offering is a platform of ministerial development products: the Pastor Theologian Fellowship Program (a six-year formation track), Senior Fellowship symposia, various Cohort programs (Local, Student, Church Identity, and One-Year Learning Cohorts), the annual Pastor Theologians Conference, and Pastor Theologian Dinners. These programs are complemented by content resources including The Pastor Theologians Podcast, a bi-annual peer-reviewed Journal, articles, book reviews, and Conference Media. The portfolio functions as an integrated ecosystem of fellowship, education, and resource production aimed at forming pastor theologians for church renewal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pastor Theologian Fellowship
• Senior Fellowship
• One-Year Learning Cohorts
• Local Cohorts
• Student Cohorts
• Church Identity Cohort
• Pastor Theologians Conference
• Pastor Theologians Podcast
• CPT Journal
• Articles and Resources
• Pastor Theologians Dinners and Discussion

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Emmaus Theological SeminarycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 April 2024CPT partnered with Emmaus Theological Seminary in Cleveland, Ohio to launch a new ThD (Doctor of Ecclesial Theology) degree. Emmaus is committed to building a seminary rooted in the pastor theologian vision and ecclesial theology. The partnership brings together strengths of PhD and DMin degrees with robust scholarly emphasis for theological reflection in and for the church.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Renovaré: A spiritual formation organization serving pastors and ministry leaders through conferences, cohorts, and content; similar formation-by-community model with a theological depth emphasis that overlaps CPT's value proposition.
• Acts 29: A church planting and pastoral development network with membership structure, conferences, and pastoral assessment — comparable to CPT in pastor-facing formation and conference-based engagement within the evangelical ecosystem.
• 9Marks: An evangelical organization focused on church health and pastoral training, producing resources, conferences, and a Journal — closely comparable to CPT's formation-through-content and conference-driven approach.
• The Gospel Coalition: An interdenominational evangelical organization that similarly forms pastors through councils, conferences, and a national network. It is the closest peer to CPT given overlapping evangelical pastoral formation mission, conference-driven engagement model, and content ecosystem.

Others

• Barna Group: A research and consulting organization producing data-driven insights on pastors and church leaders; thematically adjacent to CPT through shared pastor audience and thought-leadership content.

Broad incumbents

• Christianity Today: A long-established evangelical media and ministry organization that publishes resources for pastors and church leaders; broader in scope than CPT but overlapping in evangelical pastor audience and content-driven engagement.
• Fuller Theological Seminary: A major accredited seminary offering degree programs and continuing education for pastors; relevant as a broader incumbent in pastoral theological formation, particularly given CPT's ThD partnership with Emmaus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-pastor-theologians

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Center for Pastor Theologians