Getting Started

Get an API Key

Follow these steps to get programmatic access to the Global.Church API.

Step 1: Create an Account

Go to platform.global.church and sign in with Google or email. If you don't have an account, one will be created automatically during sign-in.

Step 2: Request Developer Access

Navigate to the Developer section in the platform. You'll need the developer role to create API keys. If you don't have it yet, request it from the Developer page — an admin will review and approve your request.

Step 3: Generate an API Key

Once you have the developer role:

1. Go to Developer in the platform navigation.
2. Click API Keys.
3. Click Create New Key.
4. Give your key a descriptive name (e.g., "My App - Development").
5. Copy and securely store the key — it won't be shown again.

Step 4: Make Your First Request

Try a simple REST request to search for organizations:

Code
 
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "https://api.global.church/v0/orgs/search?country=US&limit=5"

You should get back a JSON response with up to 5 organizations in the United States.

Step 5: Try SPARQL

The API also supports SPARQL queries against the knowledge graph. Here's a simple count of all triples:

Code
 
curl -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/sparql-query" \
  -d "SELECT (COUNT(*) AS ?count) WHERE { ?s ?p ?o }" \
  "https://api.global.church/v0/sparql"

And a more useful query — find the 5 largest unreached people groups:

Code
 
curl -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/sparql-query" \
  -d "PREFIX gc: <https://ontology.global.church/core#>
PREFIX jp: <https://ontology.global.church/joshuaproject#>
SELECT ?name ?population WHERE {
  ?pg a gc:PeopleGroup ;
      gc:name ?name ;
      jp:population ?population .
  ?result a gc:AssessmentResult ;
      gc:resultForPeopleGroup ?pg ;
      jp:leastReached true .
} ORDER BY DESC(?population) LIMIT 5" \
  "https://api.global.church/v0/sparql"

Rate Limits

Standard rate limits apply to all API keys. If you need higher limits for production use, contact us.

Next Steps

• SPARQL Quickstart — Learn to write more powerful queries against the knowledge graph.
• API Reference — Full documentation of all REST endpoints under /v0/.
• Named Graph Conventions — Understand how data is organized in the knowledge graph.
• HIS Registries — Learn about the standard code systems for peoples, languages, religions, and geography.