Standing Stone Ministries, Inc.

What Standing Stone Ministries, Inc. does

Standing Stone Ministries, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) Christian nonprofit founded in 2002 by Jim and Debbie Hogan in Chromo, Colorado, and now headquartered in San Clemente, California, with a regional office in Nashville, Tennessee. Its mission is to provide trusted, confidential pastoral guidance to pastors, ministry leaders, parachurch leaders, missionaries, and their spouses — a population the founders identified after three generations of their own family experienced pastors leaving ministry due to burnout or moral failure. The ministry operates a network of 200+ volunteer/raised-support shepherds (projected to reach 280 by year-end 2024) distributed across all 50 US states and 30+ countries, who deliver one-on-one shepherding relationships and facilitate week-long couples' retreats hosted in donated vacation homes. There is no proprietary technology platform; digital touchpoints consist of a website and blog, two online courses delivered via Thinkific (God Meetings and Becoming a Standing Stone Shepherd), and donation processing through GiveVirtuous and RaiseDonors.

All shepherding and retreat services are provided at no cost to recipients. The ministry is funded through a dispersed donation model: individual donors, churches, and other organizations give to the general fund, to specific shepherds, or to shepherd training (each shepherd candidate's training costs approximately $1,400). Each shepherd personally raises their own salary support from a team of relationships built over a career in ministry, and contributes 10% of that support back to Standing Stone for program and operating costs. The organization accepts donor-advised funds, stock, and retirement-fund gifts, and benefits from in-kind donations of vacation properties used for retreats. It is accredited by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) and holds Candid/GuideStar Platinum Transparency 2025 status. Distribution is community-led, relying on word-of-mouth referrals, blog content, social media presence across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Vimeo, and an annual National Conference for shepherd recruitment and relationship building.

Name

Standing Stone Ministries, Inc.

Legal name

Standing Stone Ministries, Inc.

Website

https://standingstoneministry.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Standing Stone Ministries is a 501(c)(3) Christian nonprofit that provides free, confidential one-on-one pastoral guidance and couples' retreats to pastors, ministry leaders, and their spouses through a 200+ shepherd network spanning all 50 US states and 30+ countries, funded entirely by donor contributions and shepherd-raised support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pastoral Care & Ministry Leader Support

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311), Religious Organizations (813110), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

Keywords

• Pastoral care services
• Ministry leader support
• Pastor burnout prevention
• Couples ministry retreats
• Nonprofit ministry services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Clemente

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donor Contributions: Standing Stone is a faith-financed ministry that relies on the generosity of donors including individuals, churches, and other organizations. Financial support enables training new shepherds and strengthening ministry leaders. The ministry accepts various donation forms including donor advised funds (DAF), stock, and retirement funds.
2. Shepherd Support Raising: Shepherds raise their own financial support from family, friends, former church members, and relationships developed over a lifetime of ministry. Each shepherd builds a team that financially supports their work, allowing them to concentrate on ministry. The amounts raised cover the shepherd's salary and include a 10% monthly contribution to Standing Stone for program and operating costs.
3. Shepherd Training Donations: Donations specifically subsidize the cost of shepherd training, including three-day initial training, transportation, lodging, and food expenses averaging around $1,400 per person.
4. Vacation Home Loans: Vacation homeowners graciously loan their properties for Standing Stone Retreats, providing serene locations for ministry couples without the ministry bearing property costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Standing Stone Ministries provides free, confidential one-on-one pastoral shepherding relationships between experienced ministry leaders and pastors, ministry leaders, and their spouses to prevent burnout, navigate crises, and promote healthy ministry. The ministry also operates week-long personalized retreats for ministry couples at donated vacation homes, and offers online courses on ministry leadership and becoming a shepherd.

Product overview

Standing Stone Ministry operates as a single, service-oriented nonprofit ministry rather than a software platform. Its core offerings center on pastoral guidance (trusted one-on-one shepherd relationships) and couples retreats. These are complemented by two online courses delivered via Thinkific (God Meetings and Becoming a Standing Stone Shepherd), a donation/giving platform (RaiseDonors + GiveVirtuous), and periodic fundraising campaigns. There are no SaaS modules, API products, or technology add-ons. The ministry's primary 'products' are the human shepherding relationships and retreat experiences, augmented by educational content and donation-processing tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shepherding / Pastoral Guidance One-on-one trusted, confidential relationships between Standing Stone shepherds (experienced ministry leaders) and pastors, ministry leaders, and their spouses, providing Biblical guidance, coaching, and support at no cost. Services include regular meetings, weekly prayer, and crisis navigation.
• Standing Stone Retreats Week-long (6 nights/7 days) private, personalized retreats for ministry couples hosted at donated vacation properties by trained retreat shepherd couples. Includes rest, activities, food, spiritual conversations, and ongoing follow-up support.
• God Meetings (Online Course) A 15-lesson online course from top Christian leaders on navigating conflict in boardrooms and with staff. Available free via code GODMEETINGS at checkout on the Thinkific platform.
• Becoming a Standing Stone Shepherd (Online Course) A 7-lesson online course serving as the required prerequisite for all Shepherd candidate applications, delivered via the Thinkific platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,300 ministry leaders receive monthly care from Standing Stone shepherds
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Candid (GuideStar)coreOthers · 1 January 2025Achieved Platinum Transparency 2025 status, indicating highest level of nonprofit transparency and accountability.
• ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability)coreOthersStanding Stone Ministry is accredited by ECFA, demonstrating commitment to financial accountability and ethical standards as a Christian nonprofit organization.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PastorServe: Faith-based nonprofit providing confidential pastoral counseling and crisis support to pastors and ministry leaders and their spouses - the closest functional peer to Standing Stone's shepherd model, serving an identical persona with similar services.
• Shepherd's Gate / Center for Pastoral Renewal: Specialized in pastoral soul care and renewal retreats for ministry leaders, mirroring Standing Stone's combination of confidential relationships and retreat-based restoration.
• Replenish Ministries: Pastor/spouse care ministry led by Deborah Barr focused on encouragement and renewal for ministry families - directly comparable in mission, target persona (pastor couples), and delivery model (one-on-one support, no cost).

Broad incumbents

• New Life Ministries: Larger, broadcast- and counseling-oriented faith organization founded by Steve Arterburn (endorser of Standing Stone); overlaps with pastor-care but also addresses general Christian mental health and congregational needs.
• Focus on the Family: Large, established Christian family ministry offering pastoral support resources and counseling referrals; an incumbent in the same evangelical faith-based support ecosystem as Standing Stone.
• HomeWord: Jim Burns' ministry equipping parents, marriages, and church leaders - comparable evangelical audience and pastoral/family support mission, though broader than Standing Stone's shepherd model.

Emerging players

• Cloud Mountain Retreat Center: Specialized retreat center serving pastors and ministry leaders with extended renewal stays - functional overlap with Standing Stone Retreats but lacking the distributed shepherd network.

Regional players

• The Master's Program: Discipleship and mentoring program founded by Bob Shank (Standing Stone endorser) targeting ministry leaders and emerging leaders, complementing rather than directly competing with Standing Stone.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCaZwbIX8p2boIRIOvD-sx8A
• Facebookfacebook.com/StandingStoneMinistry
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/standing-stone-ministry
• Instagraminstagram.com/standing_stone_ministry

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Standing Stone Ministries, Inc.