Willow Creek Deutschland

What Willow Creek Deutschland does

Willow Creek Deutschland e.V. is a German non-profit Christian leadership development organization founded in 1996 by Thomas Fremdt, headquartered in Gießen, Hessen, and operating as part of the global Willow Creek Association network. The organization serves churches and church leaders across the DACH region (Germany, Switzerland, and Austria) through a portfolio of integrated products and services including the annual Leitungskongress (leadership congress) in Dortmund, a quarterly magazine, digital video formats, regional Impuls-Tour events, a three-tier partnership program (Individual €65/year, Full-time Leaders €125/year, Church €250/year), study trips to Chicago, a prayer network, and an online shop. Since its first congress in Hamburg in 1996, the organization has held 41 congresses reaching over 190,000 participants cumulatively.

The business model combines recurring partnership/membership fees, congress ticket sales, magazine advertising (small ads priced at €222 plus VAT), study trip fees, and donations. Distribution occurs through direct sales at events, an online membership registration system, and digital content platforms including YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. The organization maintains jointly controlled regional entities in Switzerland and Austria (Willow Creek Schweiz and Willow Creek Österreich) and employs 9 staff. In 2024, it formed a strategic partnership with Compassion Deutschland to extend its mission into global humanitarian work through Compassion's network of 8,600+ partner churches across 29 countries.

The underlying technology stack is not publicly disclosed; the organization operates standard digital content distribution platforms and an e-commerce shop rather than proprietary technology products. No AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or software platforms are offered. Marketing relies on a multi-channel approach combining the flagship annual congress, regional events, quarterly print magazine, video podcast series, and social media engagement. The customer base is distributed across multiple Christian denominations (Lutheran, Free Church, Catholic, independent), with no significant customer concentration risk.

Name

Willow Creek Deutschland

Legal name

Willow Creek Deutschland e.V.

Website

https://willowcreek.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Willow Creek Deutschland e.V. is a German non-profit Christian leadership network founded in 1996 that serves churches and church leaders across the DACH region through an annual congress, partnership memberships, regional events, study trips, and digital content distribution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Christian Leadership Development Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Business Associations (813910), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Nonprofit, Social Services & Community Development Congresses (THAHAJAO)

Keywords

• Christian leadership development
• Church congress events
• Religious network membership
• Pastoral training programs
• Christian leadership magazine

Headquarters

HQ city

Gießen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Partnership/Membership Fees: Annual partnership fees from three tiers: Individual partnership (€65), Partnership for full-time leaders (€125), and Church partnership (€250). Partners receive discounts on congress participation, access to exclusive content, and networking benefits.
2. Congress Participation: Revenue from Leitungskongress ticket sales, exhibition fees, and congress media (video downloads). The organization hosts major congress events in German cities with thousands of attendees.
3. Magazine Advertising: The Willow Creek Magazine publishes 4x annually (in Germany) and 3x annually (in Switzerland) with advertising space sold to partners. Small ads (1/8 format) priced at €222 plus VAT.
4. Donations: The organization accepts donations for support, with the magazine offered free of charge with donation requests for ongoing production and shipping costs.
5. Study Trips: Revenue from USA study trips to the Global Leadership Summit and Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago, including reduced fees for partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Willow Creek Deutschland e.V. organizes and delivers Christian leadership development services to church communities across the German-speaking region. Its core offerings are the annual Leitungskongress (Leadership Congress) in Dortmund, the quarterly Willow Creek Magazin, a three-tier Willow-Partnerschaft membership program for individuals, full-time church leaders, and entire churches, regional Impuls-Tour events, organized study trips to the Global Leadership Summit in Chicago, and video/podcast formats including Let's talk about the talk, Willow-Talk, and Mein Willow Moment. Revenue comes from membership fees, congress ticket sales, study trip fees, magazine advertising, and donations.

Product overview

Willow Creek Deutschland is a German Christian church leadership network offering a portfolio of products centered around the Leitungskongress (Leadership Congress), the Willow Creek Magazin, video formats (Let's talk about the talk, Willow-Talk, Mein Willow Moment), regional Impuls-Tour events, a three-tiered Partnership Program, Studienreise trips to Chicago, and a prayer network. The offerings form an integrated ecosystem designed to inspire, strengthen, and connect church leaders across denominational boundaries in the German-speaking region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Leitungskongress (Leadership Congress) Flagship annual leadership conference bringing together church leaders, staff, and volunteers across denominations for keynotes, workshops, and networking. Held in German cities (Dortmund Westfalenhalle in 2026) and built on the model of the U.S. Global Leadership Summit.
• Willow Creek Magazin Quarterly print and digital journal for the German-speaking Willow network featuring church portraits, interviews, and best-practice examples from across the church spectrum, with advertising space sold to partners.
• Let's talk about the talk Video podcast format in which a Willow team reviews and discusses excerpts from Leadership Congress and Global Leadership Summit lectures, accompanied by downloadable PDF discussion guides for small-group use.
• Willow-Talk Video conversation series featuring discussions with guests on personal spirituality, leadership insights, and missionary church building, distributed through the Willow Creek Deutschland website.
• Mein Willow Moment Series of video portraits and written stories in which people share transformative spiritual experiences from Willow events, used to inspire and recruit new participants into the network.
• Impuls-Tour Traveling regional events that bring Willow inspiration to cities across Germany, offering preview experiences of the annual Leitungskongress in smaller venues with local partner recruitment.
• Willow-Partnerschaft (Partnership Program) Three-tiered annual membership program (Individual €65, Full-Time Leaders €125, Church €250) offering discounted congress participation, video download discounts, magazine job-posting discounts, exclusive network forum invitations, and website visibility.
• Studienreise (Study Trip) Organized group trips from the DACH region to Chicago to attend the Global Leadership Summit, visit the Willow Creek Community Church campus, and experience its community programs, with reduced fees for partnership members.
• Gebetsnetz (Prayer Network) Prayer network connecting members across the Willow community for spiritual support and intercession, accessible through registration on the Willow Creek Deutschland website.
• Willow Shop Online store at willowshop.de selling Willow Creek merchandise, books, and conference media recordings to the Willow network and the wider public.

Quantifiable outcome

• 41 congresses have inspired 190,000+ participants since 1996

Named customers2 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

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Compassion DeutschlandflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Willow Creek Deutschland and Compassion International have formed a strategic partnership to strengthen local churches in the poorest countries of the world and deepen awareness of global responsibility in German congregations. Compassion operates through 8,600+ local partner churches in 29 countries, providing child development programs through 1-to-1 sponsorships, various aid funds, and a strategic mother-child program. The partnership aims to help local churches fulfill their calling to justice and mercy.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Compassion International: WCD's flagship strategic partner; operates the child-sponsorship and church-based development program across 29 countries. Comparable as a faith-based nonprofit leveraging church networks for mission delivery, now formally aligned with WCD.
• Leadership Network: Nonprofit focused on innovation and leadership development for large churches and church networks in the US. Comparable as a peer network serving church executives with conferences, research, and coaching.
• K5L Conference (Kirche-Kann-Mehr): German conference for innovative and emerging church leaders. Comparable as a more recent direct competitor in the German church leadership congress space, attracting a similar audience with a modern church-planting focus.
• Catalyst (Church Leadership): US-based church leadership conference and content network (now part of Alcoeur/Aerial). Comparable as a cross-denominational church leader gathering and content brand competing for the same audience WCD serves.
• Campus für Christus (Campus Crusade / Cru Germany): German affiliate of the international Cru/Campus Crusade movement. Comparable as a German-language cross-denominational Christian organization running events, conferences, and leadership training for churches and young leaders.

Broad incumbents

• Willow Creek Association (Global): The global parent organization of Willow Creek Deutschland; runs the Global Leadership Summit and worldwide church leadership network. Comparable as the strategic umbrella in which WCD operates as a regional chapter.
• Willow Creek Community Church: The original US church whose leadership model and content WCD adapts for the German-speaking context. Comparable as the source brand and content library for WCD's Leitungskongress.
• Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland (EKD): The umbrella organization of Protestant/Lutheran churches in Germany. Comparable as the dominant institutional provider of church leadership development and conferences in the German-speaking Protestant space.

Regional players

• CVJM (Christlicher Verein Junger Menschen) Deutschland: German YMCA movement — a major interdenominational Christian youth and leadership organization. Comparable as a long-established German cross-denominational Christian institution running conferences, training, and member networks, though with a youth focus.
• Arbeitsgemeinschaft Christlicher Kirchen in Deutschland (ACK): German ecumenical council of Christian churches. Comparable as a cross-denominational institution in the German Christian space, though focused on formal ecumenical dialogue rather than leadership congresses.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/willowdeutschland
• Facebookfacebook.com/willowcreek.de
• Instagraminstagram.com/willowcreek_de
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/willowcreek-de

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Willow Creek Deutschland