disciplemakers

What disciplemakers does

DiscipleMakers, Inc. is a Pennsylvania-incorporated 501(c)(3) Christian campus ministry founded in 1981 and headquartered at 365 Science Park Road in State College, PA. The organization trains college students in Bible study, gospel-driven discipleship, and evangelism, operating through full-time campus staff teams placed across roughly fourteen Pennsylvania colleges and universities including Penn State, Shippensburg, Gettysburg, Kutztown, Albright, Alvernia, Lebanon Valley, Muhlenberg, Lehigh Valley, Susquehanna Valley, Berks, Central Pennsylvania, Lancaster, and East Stroudsburg. Its product portfolio spans core campus ministry staffing, headquarters administrative roles, a Candidate Staff fundraising track, and three internship formats (DMX summer, Long-Term, HQ Winter), supplemented by support-raising training, a staff benefits package (Capital Blue Cross health insurance, Vanguard 401(k)), and teaching resources including podcasts and Bible study aids.

The ministry's business model is donation-based rather than transactional: every missionary must personally raise financial support from individual donors, churches, and partner organizations before deploying to a campus, and the organization charges a 5% administrative fee on contributions while targeting 95 cents of every dollar to direct missionary or project support. DiscipleMakers accepts donations via e-check, credit/debit card, bank bill-pay, stock, and mail through a Vanco-powered PCI-compliant giving platform, and is accredited by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). In 2025 the organization achieved the highest score of any participant in Best Christian Workplaces' 'Parachurch and Missions' category, reinforcing its positioning around workplace culture and donor stewardship.

Name

disciplemakers

Legal name

DiscipleMakers, Inc.

Website

https://dm.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Short description

DiscipleMakers is a 501(c)(3) Christian campus ministry, founded in 1981 and headquartered in State College, PA, that trains college students across roughly fourteen Pennsylvania universities in Bible study, discipleship, and evangelism through a donation-funded, support-raised missionary staffing model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Campus Ministry

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bible Colleges (Undergraduate Ministry & Biblical Studies) (EDAHAKAB), Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI), Ministerial Training Institutes (Clergy Formation) (EDAHAKAE)

Keywords

• Campus ministry
• Bible study training
• Discipleship programs
• Christian evangelism
• College student ministry

Headquarters

HQ city

State College

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: All staff raise financial support from individual donors and churches. Staff must reach their support goals before beginning ministry. Donors include individuals, churches, and organizations who partner financially with missionaries.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

DiscipleMakers is a Christian campus ministry that trains college students in Bible study, gospel-driven discipleship, evangelism, and leadership development. Trained staff missionaries are placed at Pennsylvania colleges where they lead Bible studies, disciple students one-on-one and in groups, share the gospel, and develop student leaders. The ministry also runs summer and year-long internship programs and supplies teaching resources such as podcasts, books, and Bible study aids.

Product overview

DiscipleMakers is a Christian campus ministry that offers a portfolio of ministry programs focused on reaching college students. The core offerings include Campus Staff Ministry (full-time positions on college campuses leading Bible studies, evangelism, and discipleship), Headquarters Staff positions (administrative roles supporting campus ministry), and the Candidate Staff program (initial fundraising phase). The organization runs multiple internship programs: the DMX summer internship (7 weeks in State College), Long-Term internships (year-long), and HQ Winter internships (1-2 weeks). Supporting services include support-raising training and a comprehensive staff benefits package (health insurance through Capital Blue Cross, 401(k) through Vanguard). The ministry also provides teaching resources including podcasts, books, and Bible study aids.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DMX (DiscipleMakers Experience Internship): Summer internship program for college students to experience full-time ministry on campus or at headquarters

Products and services

• Campus Staff Ministry Full-time campus ministry program in which trained staff missionaries are placed at Pennsylvania colleges to lead Bible studies, share the gospel, disciple students one-on-one and in groups, and build disciple-making communities among college students.
• DMX (DiscipleMakers Experience) Summer Internship 7-week summer internship program in State College, PA where college students serve full-time either on campus or at headquarters, living with other interns and building community while gaining hands-on ministry experience.
• Long-Term Internship Year-long internship running from fall through spring that can be completed before or after graduation, with placements on campus or in headquarters departments.
• HQ Winter Internship 1-2 week winter break internship at headquarters in State College, PA where students live with local staff, serve in HQ functions, and attend staff conferences.
• Teaching Resources Educational resources including teaching materials, podcasts, books, and Bible study aids made available to staff and students for spiritual formation and discipleship training.
• Women's Conference Annual women's ministry conference hosted by DiscipleMakers for women from across its Pennsylvania campus footprint, providing teaching, fellowship, and spiritual formation.
• Focus Conference Referenced "Focus 2026" ministry conference promoted via DiscipleMakers' social media and website for participants across its campus footprint.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Capital Blue CrossminorOthersHealth insurance provider for all DiscipleMakers staff. Provides health insurance plan including prescription coverage. Monthly premiums are paid pre-tax out of each staff member's ministry account.
• VanguardminorOthersProvides 401(k) retirement plan for staff who have attained full support. Staff may contribute up to 25% of gross salary.
• Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA)minorOthersDiscipleMakers is a member of ECFA, an accreditation agency dedicated to helping Christian ministries earn public trust through adherence to Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• InterVarsity Christian Fellowship: InterVarsity is a national evangelical campus ministry operating chapters at U.S. colleges and universities, sharing DiscipleMakers' focus on Bible study, discipleship, and student leadership development among undergraduates.
• The Navigators: The Navigators is a longstanding international Christian ministry with a strong collegiate discipleship focus, comparable in its Bible study, one-on-one mentoring, and reliance on staff who raise personal support.
• Reformed University Fellowship (RUF): RUF is the Presbyterian Church in America's campus ministry placing ordained ministers and interns at colleges nationwide, comparable in mission, structure, and donor-funded staffing to DiscipleMakers.
• Young Life College: Young Life operates both high school and college ministry programs using relational outreach and volunteer/staff models, sharing DiscipleMakers' donor-funded staffing approach and evangelical focus on young adults.
• Chi Alpha (Assemblies of God): Chi Alpha is the Assemblies of God campus ministry operating at U.S. colleges, offering disciple-making, Bible study, and missions programming closely parallel to DiscipleMakers' offerings.
• Cru: Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) is the largest U.S. Christian campus ministry with a national staff presence on hundreds of universities, directly comparable to DiscipleMakers in mission, donor-funded staff model, and student discipleship programming.
• Baptist Collegiate Ministries (BCMin): BCMin is a network of state Baptist campus ministries placing staff and volunteers at public universities to do evangelism, discipleship, and leadership development, directly overlapping DiscipleMakers' campus-based model.

Emerging players

• Salt Network: Salt Network is a newer evangelical campus ministry planting staff-led movements at U.S. universities, comparable in focus on college students and donor-funded staffing to DiscipleMakers.
• Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA): FCA focuses on athletes and coaches but operates campus-based Huddle groups with donor-funded staff, partially overlapping with DiscipleMakers' campus ministry model and donor base.

Others

• Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA): ECFA is the accrediting body of which DiscipleMakers is a member; it sets the stewardship standards that peer ministries must also meet and serves as an ecosystem reference point for donor-funded faith-based organizations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/disciplemakers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/disciplemakers

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 disciplemakers