OPEN HEART MINISTRIES

What OPEN HEART MINISTRIES does

Open Hearts Ministry is a Michigan-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1993 by Sandy Burdick, that trains Christian leaders to facilitate small groups using its proprietary, trauma-informed "Journey" curricula. Its core products are the Journey Begins and Journey Continues track guidebooks, each available in 9-session and 12-session participant and leader editions, with Spanish translations and eight additional language adaptations; sample PDFs, leader add-ons, and gift cards are sold through a website storefront. The organization monetizes primarily through curriculum unit sales ($30-$40 per guide), tuition for 5-day all-inclusive Journey intensives ($1,500-$1,600 per attendee, with payment plans and scholarships), and tax-deductible donations supporting operations and a participant scholarship fund. Its go-to-market combines twice-yearly intensives at Maranatha Bible Conference Center in Michigan, a Spring Journey in New Braunfels, Texas, and a "sending ministry" model in which trained leaders replicate Journey Groups in churches across 49-50 US states and 60+ countries. Auxiliary distribution includes The Journey Connection podcast hosted on Buzzsprout, an email newsletter, and event-driven registration. The organization is governed by a small board plus a Ministry Director and operates with a single contracted Office Administrator, with no proprietary technology platform underlying the curriculum or facilitation model.

Name

OPEN HEART MINISTRIES

Legal name

Open Hearts Ministry

Website

https://openheartsministry.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Open Hearts Ministry is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that trains Christian leaders to facilitate trauma-informed small groups using its proprietary Journey curriculum, serving churches and individuals across the US and 60+ countries through intensives, printed guides, and a trained-leader network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Christian Ministry Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based & Mission Service Programs (EDAIAGAI), Religious Retreats & Spiritual Wellness Travel Agencies (THAKAHAM)

Keywords

• Trauma-informed ministry
• Christian small group training
• Curriculum publishing
• Faith-based counseling retreats
• Nonprofit ministry services

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Curriculum/Product Sales: Sale of Journey Guide books in 9-session and 12-session versions for participants and leaders. Also includes Spanish-language guides. Products priced at $30-$40 per guide. Gift cards available from $25-$500.
2. Journey Intensive Event Fees: Registration fees for the 5-day Journey intensives held at Maranatha Conference Center. Base price of $1,600 with early bird pricing at $1,500. Includes meals, lodging, and training materials. Payment plans available (5 monthly installments). Additional fees for single rooms ($150) and extra meals/lodging.
3. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible donations to a 501(c)(3) organization. Donors can give one-time, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual donations. Funds support general operations (office admin, printing, Journey intensives) and a scholarship fund for participants with financial need.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Open Hearts Ministry trains Christian leaders to facilitate small groups using its trauma-informed Journey curriculum. It sells printed Journey Begins and Journey Continues participant and leader guides (9- and 12-session versions, plus Spanish editions) and operates 5-day, all-inclusive Journey intensives at Maranatha Bible Conference Center in Michigan and in New Braunfels, Texas. The ministry supports a global network of trained Journey leaders who run local groups in churches and communities for individuals healing from abuse, betrayal, and emotional pain.

Product overview

Open Hearts Ministry offers a unified curriculum-based ministry centered on The Journey program, which consists of two tracks: Journey Begins and Journey Continues. Each track is available in both 12-session and 9-session formats, with separate Participant and Leader guides. The organization provides in-person 5-day intensive trainings at Maranatha Conference Center in Michigan, along with add-on services including single rooms, additional lodging, meals, and pre-event homework materials. Spanish language versions of the guides are also available. The products work together as a comprehensive small group ministry toolkit, combining printed curriculum guides with in-person facilitation training to equip participants to lead their own Journey Groups in their churches and communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Journey at Maranatha (5-Day Intensive) An all-inclusive 5-day training program at Maranatha Conference Center offering worship, lodging, meals, teachings with Open Hearts lead trainers, and intensive group counseling for anyone seeking soul-care and small-group leadership growth. Includes a celebration evening, runs Sunday noon through Friday checkout, with base price $1,600 and early bird $1,500; payment plans and scholarships available.
• Journey Begins 12-Session Participant Guide A 12-session printed guidebook that walks participants through past significant life events, current coping strategies, and beliefs about faith, sexuality, and future hopes; the starting point for all Journey participants. Priced at $40 per guide.
• Journey Begins 12-Session Leader Guide A 12-session printed leader guide with additional teaching tips, small group questions, and information specific to running each lesson with a group, for leaders facilitating Journey Begins Groups. Priced at $40 per guide.
• Journey Continues 12-Session Participant Guide A 12-session printed guidebook for returning participants that expands into topics such as Brokenness, Addiction, and Redemption, focusing on honesty, repentance, and loving boldly. Priced at $40 per guide.
• Journey Continues 12-Session Leader Guide A 12-session printed leader guide for the Continues track with teaching tips and group facilitation guidance for leaders of returning-participant Journey Groups. Priced at $40 per guide.
• Journey Begins 9-Session Participant Guide A condensed 9-session participant guidebook designed for churches offering quarterly groups, covering the same core material as the 12-session version in a shorter format. Priced at $30 per guide.
• Journey Begins 9-Session Leader Guide A 9-session printed leader guide with teaching tips and small group facilitation materials for leaders of quarterly Journey Begins Groups. Priced at $30 per guide.
• Journey Continues 9-Session Participant Guide A 9-session participant guide for returning participants covering topics like Brokenness, Addiction, and Redemption in a quarterly format. Priced at $30 per guide.
• Journey Continues 9-Session Leader Guide A 9-session printed leader guide for the Continues track with group facilitation guidance for leaders of quarterly Journey Continues Groups. Priced at $30 per guide.
• La Jornada Comienza Guía Del Líder (Spanish Journey Begins 9-Session Leader) Spanish-language version of the 9-session Journey Begins Leader Guide, enabling Spanish-speaking churches and groups to run the program in their native language. Priced at $30 per guide.
• La Jornada Continúa Guía Del Líder (Spanish Journey Continues 9-Session Leader) Spanish-language version of the 9-session Journey Continues Leader Guide, enabling Spanish-speaking leaders to facilitate returning-participant Journey Groups. Priced at $30 per guide.
• Journey Connection Podcast An audio podcast providing connection, community, and care for Journey participants and those pursuing personal story work, hosted on Buzzsprout and accessible via the OHM website.
• OHM Gift Card Gift cards available in denominations of $25, $50, $75, $100, $250, and $500, redeemable for OHM curriculum manuals on the openheartsministry.org storefront.

Quantifiable outcome

• Curriculum translated into 9 languages and extended to all 50 US states and 60+ countries
• +1 more outcomes

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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Maranatha Bible Conference CentercoreOthersMaranatha Bible Conference Center (located at 4759 Lake Harbor Rd, Norton Shores, MI) is the primary venue for The Journey intensives, hosting twice-yearly events. The venue provides all-inclusive accommodations including lodging, meals, and meeting facilities. The organization provides a shuttle between the airport and the venue for participants.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ransomed Heart Ministries: John Eldredge's ministry focused on masculine and feminine spiritual formation through events, small groups, and published curricula. Comparable to OHM in faith-based small-group formation, intensive event model, and curriculum-driven engagement.
• Trauma Healing Institute (American Bible Society): Operates a global, faith-based trauma healing program with translated curricula and trained facilitators reaching 90+ countries. Closely comparable to OHM in trauma-focused content, small-group model, and international scaling via a trained-leader network.
• Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries: Equips faith communities to engage mental health and trauma through curricula, workshops, and leader training. Highly comparable to OHM in integrating mental health awareness with Christian small-group ministry and leadership training.
• Transforming Center: Provides spiritual formation training, retreats, and cohorts for pastors and ministry leaders. Comparable to OHM in faith-leader training format, intensive retreat model, and emphasis on inner life and healing as a foundation for ministry.
• Soul Shepherding Institute: Trains pastors and leaders in spiritual formation and soul care through cohorts, retreats, and curricula. Closely aligned with OHM's combination of leader training, retreat intensives, and small-group spiritual formation content.
• Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF): CCEF trains pastors and lay leaders in biblical counseling and provides structured curricula for church-based small groups. It is directly comparable to OHM in audience (Christian leaders), delivery (training-intensive + curriculum), and topic overlap (trauma, suffering, spiritual formation).
• The Allender Center: Founded by Dan Allender, author of The Wounded Heart, whose workbook directly seeded OHM's original Journey curriculum in 1993. Highly comparable in trauma-informed ministry focus, training-intensive format, and target audience of leaders and abuse survivors.
• Stephen Ministries: Trains and equips lay caregivers in churches worldwide to provide one-on-one Christian caring ministry. Comparable to OHM in leader-sending model, structured training, and church-based deployment of trained facilitators.

Broad incumbents

• The Gospel Coalition: Broad evangelical network offering conferences, training resources, and curated content for pastors and ministry leaders. Adjacent to OHM as a larger ecosystem player with overlap in equipping church leaders, though much broader in scope and content breadth.

Emerging players

• Christian Community Health Fellowship (CCHF): Mobilizes healthcare professionals and churches to serve underserved communities with a focus on holistic care. Partially comparable to OHM in faith-based training, small-group care models, and community-level deployment, though focused on physical health rather than trauma/spiritual formation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/OpenHeartsMinistry
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/open-hearts-ministry

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 OPEN HEART MINISTRIES