Evang.-ref. Landeskirche des Kantons Zürich

What Evang.-ref. Landeskirche des Kantons Zürich does

The Evangelisch-reformierte Landeskirche des Kantons Zürich is a public-law corporation and the cantonal Reformed church body for Canton Zurich. It serves registered members and the wider population through worship and life-cycle ceremonies, pastoral and specialized chaplaincy, religious education, social services, community programs, environmental initiatives, and events. Service delivery is organized through more than 50 local church parishes (Kirchgemeinden) and 12 district church administrations (Bezirkskirchenpflegen).\n\nOperationally, the church uses zhref.ch as a Drupal-based platform hosted on Microsoft Azure, with Microsoft Dynamics for member, course, invoicing, and newsletter administration; SharePoint for document distribution; Active Directory and SAML for Extranet access; SendGrid for transactional email; Google Analytics with consent; OneTrust for cookie management; and Saferpay for shop payments. It also operates an Extranet and the RefLab innovation lab, whose 2024 Jesus-Bot \"Sharing Jesus\" provides text-based conversational access to faith and biblical topics and is available for testing.\n\nPrimary funding is church tax paid by registered members, supplemented by course and seminar fees, online-shop sales, and donations or collections. Core religious services are generally free, making fee-based and commercial activities secondary. Engagement is community-led through parishes, physical sites, healthcare and educational institutions, outreach programs, digital channels, and events, with central departments providing specialized support across the canton; the organization has no venture-capital or private-equity ownership.

Name

Evang.-ref. Landeskirche des Kantons Zürich

Legal name

Evangelisch-reformierte Landeskirche des Kantons Zürich

Website

https://zhref.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Evangelisch-reformierte Landeskirche des Kantons Zürich is a public-law church body serving members and communities across Canton Zurich through worship, pastoral care, education, social services, regional parish programs, and digital innovation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and Pastoral Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (81311), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

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 Healthcare Ministries (Hospitals, Clinics, Medical Missions) (BPAGAJAH), Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)

Keywords

• Religious services
• Pastoral care
• Religious education
• Church community
• Spiritual counseling

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich, Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Church Tax (Kirchensteuer): As a public-law corporation, the Landeskirche levies church taxes on its registered members who are residents of Canton Zurich. This constitutes the primary source of revenue for both the canton-wide church administration and individual Kirchgemeinden.
2. Course and Seminar Fees: The church generates revenue through educational offerings including CAS Diakonie, the Evangelischer Theologiekurs, 'Zusammen auf Kurs' youth leadership training, and other continuing education programs. Fees are published per course in individual listings.
3. Online Shop Sales: The church operates an e-commerce shop selling religious products and materials. Delivery is limited to Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Payment options include invoice and credit card via Saferpay (Worldline SIX Payment Services).
4. Donations and Collections (Kollekten): The church administers various fundraising collections distributed to charitable causes including HEKS (refugee work), Mission 21, bedrängte Christen, and other ecumenical and missionary projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Evangelisch-reformierte Landeskirche des Kantons Zürich is a cantonal Protestant church body that delivers pastoral, liturgical, educational, and social welfare services to the residents of Canton Zurich. Core offerings include Kirchliche Feiern (baptism, confirmation, weddings, funerals, worship services, and church music), Seelsorge (pastoral care across hospitals, psychiatric clinics, care homes, prisons, airports, and crisis settings), religious education for children and families, the Kloster Kappel monastery and retreat center, an online shop, and a public-law governance framework supported by Kirchgemeinden across 12 districts.

Product overview

The Evangelisch-reformierte Landeskirche des Kantons Zürich operates as a unified church organization offering a portfolio of pastoral, educational, and community services rather than a traditional product platform. Core offerings include Kirchliche Feiern (church celebrations such as baptism, confirmation, wedding, and funeral services), Seelsorge (comprehensive pastoral care across healthcare, prisons, asylum centers, and mobile settings), and religious education programs. The church maintains digital platforms including an Online Shop for publications, the notabene monthly magazine for staff, and RefLab as an innovation laboratory that has developed the 'Sharing Jesus' AI chatbot. The Extranet serves as an internal platform for employees and authorities. Physical facilities include Kloster Kappel (monastery/retreat center) and coworking spaces. Innovation is supported through the Innovationskredit program, while the Kirchensynode provides governance through elected parliamentary representation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kirchliche Feiern (Church Celebrations) Pastoral celebration services offered to members and the broader public, including baptism (Taufe), confirmation (Konfirmation), wedding (Hochzeit), funeral (Abdankung), regular worship services (Gottesdienste) including film-Gottesdienste and 'Unser Vater', as well as church music (Kirchenmusik). Provided free of charge and funded through church taxes.
• Seelsorge (Pastoral Care) Comprehensive pastoral care covering palliative care, psychiatric clinic chaplaincy, healthcare and nursing center chaplaincy, asylum center chaplaincy, hospital chaplaincy, prison chaplaincy, mobile chaplaincy (army, train station, airport, university), online chaplaincy, and police/rescue services chaplaincy. Provided free of charge across Canton Zurich.
• Kloster Kappel Monastery, retreat, and conference center located in Kappel am Albis offering pilgrimage services, spiritual retreats, historical site visits, and events such as Klosternacht. Available for group bookings and individual spiritual retreats.
• Online Shop E-commerce storefront selling religious products, publications, documents, and materials. Prices include Swiss VAT; payment via Saferpay (credit card or Sofort) or invoice within 10 days. Delivery limited to Switzerland and Liechtenstein within 2-4 working days.
• Innovationskredit (Innovation Credit) Financial and advisory support program providing funding (e.g., CHF 200,000 Gassenkirche allocation) and professional accompaniment for innovative ideas and new forms of church community submitted by parishes and church actors.
• Gassenkirche (Street Church) Pioneering inclusive weekly church format serving homeless and marginalized individuals in Zurich's Langstrasse quarter, held at the Gassencafé Sunestube. Co-financed equally by the Reformed Church, Catholic Church of Canton Zurich, and Stiftung Sozialwerk Pfarrer Sieber with CHF 200,000 from the church's Innovationskredit.
• RefLab – Sharing Jesus AI Chatbot Conversational AI chatbot developed by the church's RefLab innovation lab enabling users to interact about faith, spirituality, and biblical topics through natural-language text conversations. Available for testing at reflab.ch.
• notabene Magazine Monthly internal magazine for staff and authorities of the Zurich cantonal church, covering news across all church work areas and featuring human-interest stories. Available in print and electronic (PDF) formats with free subscription.
• Coworking Space Shared workspace offered by the church for community use, collaboration, and as a venue for church-related activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200,000 CHF allocated to innovative church projects via Innovationskredit
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stiftung Sozialwerk Pfarrer Sieber (SWS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The Gassenkirche project is co-financed equally by the Reformed Church Canton Zürich, the Catholic Church Canton Zürich, and Stiftung Sozialwerk Pfarrer Sieber (SWS). SWS provides the physical location (Gassencafé Sunestube) and operational infrastructure, while the church provides pastoral staff. The project received 200,000 CHF from the landeskirchlicher Innovationskredit. SWS is a social ministry focused on serving marginalized people in Zurich.
• Katholische Kirche Kanton ZürichcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Equal co-financing partner with the Reformed Church in the Gassenkirche project. Both churches contribute equally to the operational costs, representing a rare interdenominational collaboration in social ministry.
• HEKS (Hilfswerk der Evangelischen Kirchen Schweiz)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024HEKS is featured in collection recommendations (Kollektenempfehlungen) and news stories about migration and refugee support. HEKS Christmas collection and refugee collection are promoted through the church's collection calendar.
• Microsoft Corp.coreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft provides core technology infrastructure: Microsoft Azure (Zone Schweiz Nord/Zürich) for website hosting, Microsoft Dynamics CRM for member/customer management, Microsoft Active Directory/SAML for Extranet authentication, SharePoint for document management, and Microsoft 365 services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche St. Gallen: Another large cantonal Reformed church with comparable parish-network, education, and chaplaincy offerings. Materially comparable in scale, funding model, and operational breadth.
• Reformierte Kirchen Bern-Jura-Solothurn: Another large Swiss cantonal Reformed church body serving multiple cantons. Directly comparable in public-law status, parish-based structure, education programs, and chaplaincy services — the largest peer at comparable scale outside Zürich.
• Römisch-Katholische Körperschaft des Kantons Zürich: The Catholic counterpart public-law corporation operating in the same Canton of Zürich. Directly comparable in mandate, structure, church-tax revenue model, parish network, and chaplaincy scope — and currently co-financing the Gassenkirche project as an equal partner.
• Evangelische Kirche Aargau: Neighboring cantonal Reformed church with the same public-law status and Kirchensteuer model. Operates under comparable cantonal law and faces the same secularization trends; useful as a regional comparable for benchmarking.

Emerging players

• HEKS (Hilfswerk der Evangelischen Kirchen Schweiz): The aid agency of the Swiss Protestant churches; an established faith-based nonprofit operating social services (refugee work, development cooperation) with similar donor and partnership relationships. Functions both as a peer and a current partner/collection recipient.
• Christkatholische Kirche der Schweiz: A smaller Swiss Christian denomination with public-law recognition in some cantons. Comparable in faith-organization operating model but materially smaller in scale, member base, and operational footprint.
• Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Schweiz: Another recognized Swiss Protestant denomination with a smaller cantonal footprint but a comparable governance and member-services model. Useful as a smaller-denomination comparable within the broader Swiss Protestant space.

Broad incumbents

• Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche Schweiz (EKS): The national umbrella body of Swiss Reformed churches. Comparable governance structure and theological tradition; broader remit but smaller operational footprint than the Zürich Landeskirche, which is one of its largest member churches.

Regional players

• Caritas Zürich: The regional Catholic social-services organization operating in Canton Zürich. Comparable in faith-based social-welfare mandate, counseling, and refugee support — but denominationally different and operating as an NGO rather than a public-law corporation.

Others

• Stiftung Sozialwerk Pfarrer Sieber: A Zürich-based social ministry serving marginalized and homeless populations. Directly comparable in target population and outreach model, and the current operational partner hosting the Gassenkirche at the Gassencafé Sunestube.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/zhrefch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/evang.-ref.-landeskirche-des-kantons-z%C3%BCrich
• Instagraminstagram.com/zhrefch

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Evang.-ref. Landeskirche des Kantons Zürich