Parakaleo

What Parakaleo does

Parakaleo is a Christian nonprofit organization headquartered at 2248 Broadway #1138, New York, NY 10024, that develops and delivers gospel-rooted programs for women involved in church planting. It was founded in 2005 (originating as a ministry to church planters' wives within the Presbyterian Church in America) and now operates under a multi-denominational board of directors with ECFA accreditation. The organization reports 1-10 employees and serves a global footprint that includes the United States, Latin America, Japan, Chile, Europe, and West Africa.

The core product portfolio consists of two program lines. Alongside Groups are year-long small-group communities of 4-6 women meeting bi-weekly across 10 facilitated 1.5-hour sessions, priced at $300 per participant with a 50% no-questions-asked financial-assistance discount. Learning Experiences are four-week dynamic virtual courses addressing specific themes in church planting ministry, with modules such as 'Gaining Perspective.' Both lines are built on a proprietary Gospel Resilience Framework developed over 20 years of ministry practice. The technology layer is minimal: a Squarespace-hosted website (parakaleo.us) for enrollment, an Instagram presence (parakaleoministries), and a Qgiv-powered donation portal.

Parakaleo generates revenue through a mix of program fees and donations. Its go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer online enrollment with a channel-led Partnerships Program that integrates Parakaleo offerings into church planting networks and denominational committees (including Great Commission Collective, Mission to the World, Renew Polk, Florida Church Planting Network, Western Church Planting Network, Mid-South Church Planting Network, Ohio Presbytery PCA, and Tennessee Valley Presbytery PCA) under a Learn-Lead-Launch model. The primary customer segments are church planters' wives, women serving in vocational or launch-team roles within church plants, and the church planting organizations themselves acting as distribution partners.

Name

Parakaleo

Legal name

Parakaleo Ministry

Website

https://parakaleo.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Parakaleo is a Christian nonprofit that delivers gospel-rooted programs, including year-long Alongside Groups and four-week Learning Experiences, for women involved in church planting globally. It funds operations through participant fees and donations and distributes via church planting network partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Education and Ministry Support Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

Volunteerism, Service-Learning & Community Service (EDALAHAG)

Keywords

• Church planting support
• Women ministry programs
• Nonprofit learning experiences
• Gospel-based curriculum
• Small group communities

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Program Fees: Revenue generated from enrollment fees for Alongside Groups ($300 per participant) and learning experiences. A 50% discounted rate is available for those who need financial assistance.
2. Donations and Charitable Giving: Parakaleo relies on donor support to fund operations and program accessibility. The organization accepts donations through their website and mentions donor testimonials supporting their ministry work. As a Christian nonprofit, donations are a significant revenue stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Parakaleo is a Christian nonprofit that delivers gospel-based learning experiences and year-long Alongside Groups for women involved in church planting, together with a Partnership Program that integrates these offerings into church planting networks. Programs include four-week themed Learning Experiences and 10-session small-group communities led by trained facilitators, designed to provide gospel-rooted resilience, peer coaching, and supportive community.

Product overview

Parakaleo offers a single, unified program portfolio focused on gospel-rooted resilience for women in church planting. The core offerings consist of Alongside Groups (year-long small group communities of 4-6 women meeting bi-weekly) and Learning Experiences (four-week dynamic courses addressing specific themes). Both programs are interactive, relational, and supportive, designed to help women navigate church planting challenges through a gospel lens. The organization also operates a Partnership Program to integrate these offerings into church planting networks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Alongside Groups Year-long facilitated peer support communities (4-6 women, 10 bi-weekly 1.5-hour sessions) that provide gospel-rooted feedback and coaching for women in church planting; offered at $300 per participant with a 50% financial-assistance discount.
• Learning Experiences Four-week dynamic, interactive courses addressing specific themes in church planting ministry (e.g., Gaining Perspective), delivered virtually for women in church planting.
• Partnerships Program Collaborative ministry partnership with church planting networks and denominational organizations that integrates Parakaleo programs into partner networks, including leader development under a Learn-Lead-Launch model.

Quantifiable outcome

• Participants report feeling spiritually renewed, more resilient in the gospel, and less alone in their circumstances
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Great Commission CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch planting network partner. Parakaleo provides learning experiences and supportive groups that engage core challenges through a gospel lens, helping develop a plan to integrate Parakaleo into the network to serve women in their unique context.
• Renew Polk Church Planting NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParakaleo has been a real blessing for Renew Polk, creating spaces of safety, friendship, fun, and training that church plants and partner churches need. Contributing to the overall vision of gospel fluency in church planting efforts.
• MNA (Mission to the World)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner church planting organization. Parakaleo partners with organizations that acknowledge the importance of investing in women for their well-being and for the flourishing of the plants they serve.
• Florida Church Planting NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal network partner offering Alongside Groups in person in St. Cloud and Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida areas.
• Western Church Planting NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional network partner in Colorado offering Alongside Groups for women in church planting.
• Mid-South Church Planting NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork partner led by Marianna Shaw, offering Alongside Groups in the Mid-South region.
• The Ohio Presbytery (PCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner offering in-person Alongside Groups in Northeast Ohio through coordinator Lisa Wallover.
• Tennessee Valley Presbytery (PCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional denomination partner offering Alongside Groups in the Chattanooga, Tennessee area through coordinator Mary Lu Strawbridge.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IF:Gathering: IF:Gathering is a Christian nonprofit that equips and resources women for ministry and leadership in the church. Like Parakaleo, it focuses on gospel-centered women's ministry programming, content, and community events, making it a directly comparable peer in mission and audience.
• Living Proof Ministries: Living Proof Ministries is a Bible-teaching ministry for women that produces conferences, resources, and small-group studies. It is a directly comparable women's discipleship peer serving a similar evangelical audience.
• Revive Our Hearts: Revive Our Hearts is a gospel-focused women's ministry that produces teaching content, discipleship resources, and small-group programming. It overlaps with Parakaleo in targeting Christian women for spiritual formation and ministry support.
• Proverbs 31 Ministries: Proverbs 31 Ministries is a non-denominational Christian nonprofit offering Bible study content, devotionals, and leadership resources for women. Its mission and audience closely mirror Parakaleo's focus on equipping women for gospel-centered ministry and life.
• Women's Missionary Union: WMU is a longstanding missions-focused women's organization providing discipleship resources, missions education, and support for women in ministry contexts. It is comparable to Parakaleo in mobilizing women to support church and missions work globally.

Broad incumbents

• Church Multiplication Network: Church Multiplication Network is an Assemblies of God initiative that trains and supports church planters. It is comparable because it sits in the same church planting ecosystem and serves as a potential partnership channel for Parakaleo's programs.
• Acts 29: Acts 29 is a global church planting network that trains, supports, and connects church planters. As an established incumbent in the same church planting ecosystem, it is comparable because Parakaleo's Alongside Groups and partner networks often sit inside or alongside Acts 29-style networks.
• The Gospel Coalition: The Gospel Coalition is a broad evangelical organization producing theological content, conferences, and church resources. It is comparable as a wider portfolio ministry with overlapping evangelical audience and church planting connections that complement Parakaleo's niche.
• Great Commission Collective: Great Commission Collective is a church planting network that develops and deploys church planters. It is directly relevant as an existing Parakaleo partner and a comparable incumbent in the church planting training space.
• Stadia: Stadia is a church planting organization that partners with leaders and networks worldwide to start new churches. It is comparable because it operates in the same church planting ecosystem where Parakaleo's programs are distributed.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/parakaleoministries
• Facebookfacebook.com/Parakaleo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/parakaleo

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Parakaleo