Who is behind the ‘He Gets Us’ Jesus Super Bowl ads?

Jesus Christ momentarily grabbed the spotlight from Jalen Hurts and Pat Mahomes during Sunday’s Super Bowl when two multimillion-dollar “He Gets Us” advertisements aired to promote Christianity.

The commercials stood out from the rest of the star-studded ads, due in part to the fact they weren’t linked to a famous product or brand — and sparked immediate questions over who forked over the cash for the costly campaign.

The “He Gets Us” ads, which directed viewers to a website to learn more about Jesus, were funded by Hobby Lobby CEO David Green and a string of other anonymous Christian donors.

But the $20 million Super Bowl ad buy is just a small part of the $1 billion they plan to invest over the next few years to promote their Jesus-loving messaging.

Here’s what we know about the “He Gets Us” campaign:  

Who’s behind the “He Gets Us” campaign?

The campaign, which first launched in March 2022, is being run by the Servant Foundation — a nonprofit based in Overland Park, Kansas.

It’s funded by a variety of donors and wealthy families through The Signatry — a donor-advised fund that’s also tied to Overland Park.

The only major donor who has publicly lent their name to the campaign is Green — the co-founder of Hobby Lobby, which successfully argued before the Supreme Court that it had the right to deny contraceptive coverage to employees on religious grounds.  

Green confirmed in an interview with talk show host Glenn Beck in November last year that his family would be helping to fund the campaign.

The campaign’s spokesman, Jason Vanderground, previously told Ministry Watch — an evangelical watchdog organization — that the donors wanted to remain anonymous because they don’t want to distract from the messaging.

He added the donors were all Christian, but from a range of denominational backgrounds.

The group has also signed up about 20,000 churches across the US to provide volunteers to help respond to questions received via the “He Gets Us” website. Those churches are not involved in funding the campaign, Vanderground said.

What is the “He Gets Us” campaign?

The campaign’s website says they are “not ‘left’ or ‘right’ or a political organization of any kind.” They also say they aren’t affiliated with a particular church or denomination.

“We simply want everyone to understand the authentic Jesus as he’s depicted in the Bible — the Jesus of radical forgiveness, compassion, and love,” the website says.

The two Super Bowl ads that have become a talking point directed viewers to visit the website to learn more about Jesus, find Bible reading plans and connect with people online or in person who can answer their questions.

The first black-and-white Super Bowl ad urged viewers to be more childlike and featured kids of different races embracing each other. The second showed images of violent confrontations alongside the message: “Jesus loved the people we hate.”

How much did “He Gets Us” spend on ads?

The group spent roughly $10 million apiece to reach more than 100 million viewers with their two Super Bowl commercials.

But it is only a fraction of what the group is planning to spend in the next few years, Vanderground said.

“The goal is to invest about a billion dollars over the next three years,” he told Ministry Watch. “And that is just the first phase.”

In the year leading up to the Super Bowl, “He Gets Us” advertisements had already featured on billboards and across YouTube.

They had also aired on TV screens throughout the Grammys and other sporting events, including the NCAA March Madness games.

One of the ads on YouTube, titled “Refugee,” has racked up more than 88 million views.