Nordkirche

What Nordkirche does

Nordkirche (legal name: Evangelische Kirche im Land zwischen Nordsee und Ostsee) is a Protestant regional church and Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts (public law corporation) founded on 27 May 2012 through the merger of three predecessor Lutheran churches: the Nordelbische Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche, the Evangelisch-Lutherische Landeskirche Mecklenburgs, and the Pommersche Evangelische Kirche. It serves approximately 2.1 million members across the German states of Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, with additional pastoral reach into Nordschleswig (South Jutland, Denmark), operating through 1,000 parishes, 2,650 church buildings, and 660 diaconal institutions that include 280 community nursing stations and 31 senior living facilities. Governance rests with a Landessynode parliament, a Kirchenleitung executive body, and Landesbischöfin Kristina Kühnbaum-Schmidt, supported by three regional bishops (Kirsten Fehrs, Tilman Jeremias, Nora Steen) and senior Propst/Pröbstin officials in Pommern.

The primary revenue stream is Kirchensteuer, levied at 9% of members' income tax, capital gains tax, and withholding tax, and collected by German state tax authorities for a 3% administration fee; this is supplemented by voluntary Kollekten collections, Staatsleistungen state compensation for historical church property seizures, donations (including the award-winning 'Was bleibt.' legacy program), and revenue from the diaconal service network. The organization maintains a 21,000-strong paid workforce and a 84,500-strong volunteer base. Its product portfolio spans traditional sacraments and pastoral care, social services (elderly care, refugee support, hospital chaplaincy), and an increasingly digitized service stack including the Nordkirche mobile app, the Alexa-Projekt voice skill, the Digitale Krankenhausseelsorge digital hospital chaplaincy, the Kollektenportal donation platform, and multiple web portals for parishes, synod, and church music. Marketing and member engagement run across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, X, podcasts, newsletters, and physical events including the Nordkirchenschiff and Schäferwagenkirche mobile services.

Name

Nordkirche

Legal name

Evangelische Kirche im Land zwischen Nordsee und Ostsee

Website

https://nordkirche.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Nordkirche is an evangelical Lutheran public-law corporation (public law corporation) serving 2.1 million members across Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern through 1,000 parishes, 2,650 church buildings, and 660 diaconal institutions, financed primarily by constitutionally collected Kirchensteuer at 9% of income tax.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and Diaconal 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)

Keywords

• Religious services
• Pastoral care
• Diaconal services
• Religious education
• Church administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 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): The primary revenue stream is the church tax at 9% of income tax, capital gains tax, and withholding tax. This is collected through the state tax authorities who charge a 3% administration fee. Members pay based on their taxable income - those with no taxable income pay no church tax.
2. Collections (Kollekten): Voluntary donations collected during worship services, supporting specific church projects and charitable causes identified in the collection planner.
3. Fundraising and Donations: Various fundraising initiatives including the 'Was bleibt.' legacy giving program, project-specific fundraising, and general donations from members and supporters.
4. Diaconal Services: Revenue from operating 660 diaconal institutions including 280 nursing stations and 31 residential facilities for the elderly.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Nordkirche (Evangelische Kirche im Land zwischen Nordsee und Ostsee) is a unified Protestant regional church serving 2.1 million members across Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Its core offerings include worship services and sacraments (baptism, confirmation, marriage, funeral), pastoral care and counseling, religious education, diaconal social services (nursing, elderly care, community support), and digital church services. The church is financed primarily through the constitutionally authorized Kirchensteuer (church tax at 9% of income tax) collected by state authorities.

Product overview

Nordkirche offers a diverse portfolio of spiritual, social, and digital services spanning traditional church operations (worship services, sacraments, pastoral care), counseling services (telephone helplines, chat-based youth counseling, hospital pastoral care), digital platforms (mobile app, parish portals, service portals, synod portal, church music portal), and special programs (summer church, mobile shepherd wagon church, one-day choir, fundraising services, and the Alexa voice skill for daily devotionals). The organization maintains an online donation portal (Kollektenportal) and various community engagement initiatives including the "Was bleibt." legacy program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Worship Services and Sacraments
• Telefonseelsorge (Telephone Pastoral Care)

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves 2.1 million church members across 1,000 parishes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• TelefonseelsorgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Telefonseelsorge for crisis hotline services. The Nordkirche participates in the nationwide free phone counseling service available 24/7, providing emotional support and crisis intervention.
• Kirche-gegen-sexualisierte-gewalt.decoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing independent contact point for victims of sexualized violence in the Nordkirche, with counseling available on Mondays 9-11am and Wednesdays 3-5pm.
• Schreiben statt SchweigensecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnonymous chat service for youth and young adults experiencing emotional distress, available Monday-Thursday 6-8pm.
• DiakoniecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Diakonie, the Protestant church's welfare organization, providing social services through 660 diaconal institutions including nursing stations and elderly care facilities.
• Kollekten.desecondaryTechnology or IntegrationOnline collection management platform enabling churches to process and manage donations and collections for various church projects.
• German State Tax AuthoritiescoreOthersState authorities collect church taxes on behalf of the Nordkirche, charging a 3% administration fee. This partnership enables the constitutionally authorized tax collection.
• Diakonie HamburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Diakonie Hamburg for the 'Was bleibt.' legacy giving initiative, winner of the 2018 German Fundraising Prize.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Evangelische Kirche im Rheinland: Another EKD-member Landeskirche with comparable governance, parish structure, and tax-financed operations. Comparable in mission, scale, and reliance on Diakonie for social services.
• Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern: Bavarian Evangelical Lutheran regional church with same institutional, fiscal, and theological structure. Comparable in worship, education, and Diakonie service mix, with a regional focus.
• Evangelisch-lutherische Landeskirche Hannovers: Largest Evangelical Lutheran regional church in Germany by membership. Directly comparable as a Landeskirche operating under identical Kirchensteuer and Diakonie structures, with similar parish-based service delivery and digital outreach programs.
• Evangelische Kirche in Hessen und Nassau: Large central German Protestant regional church operating under the same EKD framework, Kirchensteuer model, and Diakonie partnership. Comparable scale and operating model to Nordkirche.
• Evangelische Kirche Berlin-Brandenburg-schlesische Oberlausitz: Regional church serving eastern German territories including Brandenburg. Direct Landeskirche peer with shared eastern German demographic challenges, identical revenue model, and similar parish consolidation pressures.
• Evangelische Kirche von Westfalen: West German Protestant regional church with the same constitutional, fiscal, and ecclesiastical model as Nordkirche. Directly comparable in member services, social-diakonal portfolio, and digital strategy.

Others

• Caritas Deutschland: Catholic welfare federation parallel to Diakonie. Comparable as the faith-based social-services operator delivering elder care, hospital chaplaincy, and refugee support in adjacent regional markets.
• Diakonie Deutschland: National federation of Protestant welfare services, closely tied to Nordkirche through its 660 diaconal institutions. Comparable as the operational extension of the church's social-services portfolio and a key funding/coordination counterpart.

Regional players

• Erzbistum Hamburg (Catholic Archdiocese): Roman Catholic counterpart covering much of the same Norddeutschland geography. Operates an identical Kirchensteuer model and parallel Caritas social-services network, making it a structural twin and primary interfaith peer.

Broad incumbents

• Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland (EKD): Umbrella organization of all 20 German Protestant Landeskirchen including Nordkirche. Comparable as the broader institutional framework setting policy, representing the churches externally, and coordinating cross-regional initiatives.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-b7btVeIrjzd75JNAIN8DA
• Facebookfacebook.com/nordkirche
• Instagraminstagram.com/nordkirche
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nordkirche

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Nordkirche