The Bible Reading Fellowship

What The Bible Reading Fellowship does

The Bible Reading Fellowship, operating as BRF Ministries since its 2023 rebrand, is a UK-registered Christian charity (charity 233280, company limited by guarantee 301324) founded in 1922 and headquartered in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. The organization delivers four complementary ministry programs: Anna Chaplaincy (spiritual care for older adults in care settings), BRF Resources (a 100-year-old publishing arm producing books, Bible reading notes, and devotionals such as Guidelines and The Upper Room), Messy Church (an intergenerational church model active in 30+ countries), and Parenting for Faith (parent discipleship content including the Five Key Tools framework and a suite of stage-specific video courses). It also runs Holy Habits, an annual residential Forge Gathering event, and two podcasts.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid charity-and-publisher model: tax-deductible donations, regular giving (Friends of BRF), gifts in wills and in memory, one-off and bulk book/resource sales via the BRF Online shop (brfonline.org.uk) and BRF Resources website, course and event fees (Parenting for Faith courses, The Foundry, The Forge Gathering), and church/group licensing subscriptions for Parenting for Faith and BRF Resources materials. Distribution combines direct-to-consumer e-commerce, six named international trade partners (Bible Society New Zealand, MediaCom Australia, Libris Sweden, ProRex Denmark, Oneway Romania, and a Finnish translation partner), and church networks that act as institutional touchpoints.

Underlying technology is conventional publishing and e-commerce infrastructure rather than a proprietary platform; no AI, data, or software product components are described. The organization employs 11–50 staff, is governed by a board of trustees, and is not backed by venture or private equity capital.

Name

The Bible Reading Fellowship

Legal name

Bible Reading Fellowship

Website

https://brf.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1922

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Bible Reading Fellowship (BRF Ministries) is a UK Christian charity founded in 1922 that runs four ministries—Anna Chaplaincy, BRF Resources, Messy Church, and Parenting for Faith—delivering books, courses, chaplaincy, and intergenerational church programs to individuals, families, and congregations across 30+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Christian ministry and religious publishing

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Sermon, Homiletics & Ministry Resource Publishing (Preaching Aids, Pastoral Resources) (MPAJAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Religious Reference & Study Tools Publishing (Commentaries, Concordances, Lexicons) (MPAJAHAL), Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI)

Keywords

• Christian ministry resources
• Bible reading notes
• Christian book publishing
• Parenting faith courses
• Intergenerational church programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Abingdon

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: BRF Ministries operates as a charitable organization relying on donations, regular giving programs (Friends of BRF), and fundraising activities to fund its four ministry areas.
2. Resource and Book Sales: The organization publishes and sells Christian books, Bible reading notes, and educational materials through its online shop (brfonline.org.uk) and BRF Resources website. This includes publications from all four ministry areas.
3. Course and Training Fees: Revenue generated from Parenting for Faith courses, The Forge Gathering event, training programs, and certificate courses for church leaders and parents.
4. Gifts in Wills: Legacy gifts and bequests from supporters form a significant funding stream for the ongoing work of BRF Ministries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Bible Reading Fellowship (BRF Ministries) is a UK Christian charity that publishes and sells Christian books and Bible reading notes (BRF Resources), runs an Anna Chaplaincy network for spiritual care of older people, operates the Messy Church intergenerational church programme in more than 30 countries, and delivers Parenting for Faith courses, podcasts and training that equip parents, carers, grandparents and church leaders to nurture children's faith.

Product overview

BRF Ministries (The Bible Reading Fellowship) is a Christian charity offering four core ministry programs: Anna Chaplaincy (spiritual care for older people), BRF Resources (Bible reading notes, books, and publications for over 100 years), Messy Church (intergenerational worship in 30+ countries), and Parenting for Faith (equipping parents to raise God-connected children and teens). The organization provides digital platforms including BRF Online for courses and the Parenting for Faith Podcast distributed across multiple platforms. Parenting for Faith offers multiple video courses including The Original Parenting for Faith Course, Deeper Rooted Lasting, and specific courses for different stages (babies/toddlers, teenagers, grandparents). The five Key Tools framework (Creating Windows, Framing, Unwinding, Chat and Catch, Surfing the Waves) underpins the parenting resources. Additional offerings include The Forge Gathering annual event, Baptism Preparation Videos, and publications like Guidelines and The Upper Room.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Anna Chaplaincy: Network of Anna Chaplains offering spiritual care in later life, accompanying older people in reflecting on their life and relationship with God.
• BRF Resources
• Messy Church
• Parenting for Faith

Products and services

• Anna Chaplaincy A network of Anna Chaplains offering spiritual care in later life across a wide range of contexts, accompanying older people in reflecting on their faith and relationship with God.
• BRF Resources Spiritual resourcing through books, Bible reading notes, events and blogs, providing comfort, enrichment and inspiration for faith development, with a publishing heritage of over 100 years.
• Messy Church An intergenerational church initiative operating in over 30 countries where people of all ages gather monthly to eat, play and worship together, welcoming those who have never been to church before.
• Parenting for Faith A programme equipping parents, carers and communities with courses, resources, events and training to help children and teenagers meet and know God through practical tools and skills.
• Holy Habits Missional discipleship resources focusing on developing faith as a way of life, offered as part of BRF Ministries' ministry portfolio.
• BRF Online Online platform for accessing Parenting for Faith courses, the podcast and other digital resources, including the Deeper Rooted Lasting course.
• Parenting for Faith Podcast A weekly podcast released on Tuesdays during term time (20–30 minutes per episode) featuring interviews and conversations about Christian parenting topics, distributed across multiple podcast platforms.
• BRF Ministries Podcast General BRF Ministries podcast covering news and inspiration from across all ministry areas (Anna Chaplaincy, BRF Resources, Messy Church and Parenting for Faith).
• The Forge Gathering Parenting for Faith's annual residential gathering for church leaders, children's, youth and families' workers to learn about equipping parents for faith.
• Guidelines Daily Bible reading notes and devotional publication from BRF Resources.
• The Upper Room Daily Bible reading resource with a writing competition, distributed by BRF Ministries.
• The Original Parenting for Faith Course Video-based course helping parents discover they are positioned to show their children the reality of a life with God.
• Deeper Rooted Lasting Parenting for Faith course helping families, churches and leaders nurture faith that grows deep roots and lasts through every season of life, delivered via BRF Online.
• The Five Key Tools Course Video course focused on the five key parenting tools for faith formation.
• Babies and Toddlers Bitesize Course Short video course for parents of babies and toddlers.
• Parenting Teens for a Life of Faith Course specifically designed for parents of teenagers.
• Parenting as a Church Leader Course (PACL) Training course for church leaders on parenting for faith.
• Grandparenting for Faith Course Course for grandparents wanting to support their grandchildren's faith development.
• Baptism and Dedication Preparation Videos Three short videos for parents and families preparing for baptism or dedication ceremonies.
• Five Key Tools Five practical faith-formation tools for parents — Creating Windows, Framing, Unwinding, Chat and Catch, and Surfing the Waves — designed to help children develop a relationship with God.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30 countries served through Messy Church
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Bible Society New ZealandminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBible Society New Zealand serves as a trade distribution partner for BRF Publications in New Zealand, handling orders and distribution for English-language Christian resources.
• MediaCom (Australia)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMediaCom serves as the trade distribution partner for BRF Publications in Australia, managing orders and distribution for Christian resources in that market.
• Hengen uudistus kirkossamme ry (Finland)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFinnish translation partner that has published the Finnish edition of Parenting for Faith materials (Kasvata uskoa), distributed through their website at hengenuudistus.fi.
• Oneway RomaniaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRomanian distribution partner for Parenting for Faith books in Romanian language, offering complete package sales and individual titles.
• ProRex (Denmark)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDanish distribution partner for Parenting for Faith books in Danish language including titles like Tro i børnehøjde and Selvværd i børnehøjde.
• Libris (Sweden)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSwedish book distributor for Parenting for Faith materials including the title Det krävs en kyrka för att fostra en förälder.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Care for the Family: UK Christian charity delivering family- and parenting-focused resources, courses, and events. Closely comparable to BRF's Parenting for Faith ministry in mission and audience.
• Church Mission Society (CMS): UK-based Christian charity with mission, training, and publishing programs. Comparable to BRF as a faith-based charity combining publishing, ministry training, and international engagement.
• CPAS (Church Pastoral Aid Society): UK Christian charity focused on pastoral ministry, leadership development, and church resourcing. Comparable to BRF's resources, training, and ministry support offerings.
• Alpha (HTB): Runs an internationally deployed Christian evangelism and discipleship course program. Comparable to BRF's Parenting for Faith and Messy Church in structure of distributed faith-formation courses.
• Bible Society: UK-based Christian charity focused on Bible distribution, translation, and engagement. Comparable as a faith-based organization with publishing, distribution partnerships, and ministry programs.
• Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK): One of the oldest UK Christian publishers and charities, producing theological books, Bible reading notes, and ministry resources. Directly overlaps with BRF's publishing and devotional content focus.
• The Mothers' Union: Anglican charity supporting family life and parenting through Christian resources and community programs. Comparable to BRF's family and parenting-with-faith focus.

Broad incumbents

• Hodder & Stoughton (Hodder Faith): Major UK trade publisher with a substantial Christian (Hodder Faith) imprint. A larger incumbent that overlaps with BRF Resources on Christian book publishing and Bible reading notes.
• Lion Hudson (now SPCK Group): UK Christian publisher producing books, Bibles, and ministry resources as part of a larger publishing group. Broader incumbent competitor to BRF's publishing and devotional portfolio.
• YWAM (Youth With A Mission): Global interdenominational Christian mission with publishing, training, and discipleship programs. Comparable international ministry footprint and publishing activity to BRF Ministries.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/brfcharity
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/brfcharity
• Facebookfacebook.com/brfcharity
• Instagraminstagram.com/brfcharity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brfcharity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 The Bible Reading Fellowship