Zion Lutheran Church and Schools

What Zion Lutheran Church and Schools does

Zion Lutheran Church and Schools is a non-profit religious and educational organization founded in 1905 in Anaheim, California, affiliated with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. It operates three integrated arms from a single Anaheim campus: a worship community offering traditional (8:30am) and contemporary (10:10am) Sunday services plus small groups and seasonal programming; an educational division comprising the Early Childhood Education Center (serving children from age 2) and Zion Lutheran School (preschool through 8th grade) with before/after care and summer programs; and a retail arm, the Zion Thrift Store, that sells donated goods Tuesday–Saturday. Leadership includes Senior Pastor Tim Eaton, Associate Pastor Bob Dargatz, and Operations Manager Cathy Carter, supported by a small administrative team.

The organization generates revenue from four primary streams: voluntary tithes and offerings from congregation members (cash and online giving), recurring tuition and fees from ECEC and K-8 enrollment (with active church members eligible for discounts), thrift store retail sales, and Scrip Gift Card rebates from participating retailers. It also conducts community outreach through a monthly food distribution on the 4th Monday of each month and ministry programs including LWML women's missions and Vacation Bible School. No proprietary technology, AI/ML capabilities, mobile applications, or external partnerships are disclosed; the technology stack consists of standard church management and communication platforms, with the public website built on a third-party clover-based platform.

The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven, relying on small groups, fellowship activities, in-person hospitality, and recurring outreach events to acquire and retain members rather than paid acquisition or formal sales channels. Geographic reach is limited to Orange County, California, with all revenue tied to a single-site operation serving local Lutheran families and the broader Anaheim community.

Name

Zion Lutheran Church and Schools

Legal name

Zion Lutheran Church and Schools

Website

https://zionanaheim.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1905

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Zion Lutheran Church and Schools is a 1905-founded, LCMS-affiliated Anaheim non-profit operating an integrated worship community, ECEC and K-8 Christian school, and thrift store, serving local Lutheran families and the broader Anaheim community through donations, tuition, and retail revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Education and Religious Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Religious Organizations (8131), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools (EDAJABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Early Learning Academies (EDACADAH), Faith-Based Before/After Care Programs (Early Years) (EDACAHAE)

Keywords

• Religious K-8 education
• Worship services
• Early childhood education
• Thrift store
• Community outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Anaheim

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: The church receives voluntary financial contributions from congregation members through weekly worship offerings, online giving, and planned giving programs. These donations fund ministry operations, community outreach, and support the church and school's mission activities.
2. Tuition and School Fees: Revenue from educational programs including the Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) serving children from age 2, and the school program through 8th grade. Active church members are eligible for tuition discounts, creating a cross-subsidy between congregation membership and school enrollment.
3. Thrift Store Operations: The Zion Thrift Store generates revenue through retail sales of donated goods including clothing, furniture, electronics, books, and household items. The store operates Tuesday-Saturday and accepts donations Wednesday-Saturday.
4. Scrip Gift Card Program: The church offers Scrip Gift Cards for purchase through a fundraising program where rebates from retailer partners go toward expanding church and school ministries. This creates a ongoing revenue stream from everyday purchasing by church and school families.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Zion Lutheran Church and Schools is a Lutheran Church Missouri Synod congregation that delivers weekly worship services (traditional and contemporary), faith-based K-8 Lutheran school education, an Early Childhood Education Center, a thrift store, Vacation Bible School, small group ministries, and community outreach programs such as food distribution for families in Anaheim, California.

Product overview

Zion Lutheran Church and Schools is a single-entity organization combining religious worship and Christian education. The church offers two worship services (Traditional at 8:30 AM and Contemporary at 10:10 AM), supplemented by small groups and community ministries. The education division includes the Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) for children from age two and Zion Lutheran School through 8th grade, both nationally accredited and part of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Supporting ministries include the Zion Thrift Store for fundraising, the Oikonomia leadership program with Ministry Mapping Inventory for strategic planning, LWML women's ministry, VBS Vacation Bible School, and Scrip Gift Cards for fundraising. The organization also provides community services including monthly food distribution. These components operate as an integrated ministry focused on 'Sharing Christ, Changing Lives.'

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Traditional Worship Service Weekly traditional Lutheran worship service offered by the congregation to local families and community members in Anaheim.
• Contemporary Worship Service Weekly contemporary worship service offered by the congregation as an alternative format to traditional worship for local families and community members.
• Zion Lutheran School (K-8) Faith-based K-8 Lutheran school operated in affiliation with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, providing Christian-integrated education for elementary and middle school students in Anaheim.
• Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) Early childhood education program on Zion's campus serving children from age 2 through preschool years, operated by the congregation for local families.
• Zion Thrift Store On-site thrift store operated by the congregation to provide affordable goods to the Anaheim community and generate revenue for ministry programs.
• Vacation Bible School (VBS) Seasonal Vacation Bible School program offered by the congregation to children in the broader Anaheim community as a faith-based children's ministry event.
• Small Groups Small group ministry program offered by the congregation to support Bible study, fellowship, and spiritual formation among members.
• Community Food Distribution Community food distribution program operated by the congregation to assist Anaheim residents facing food insecurity.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Concordia University Irvine: An LCMS-affiliated university in Irvine, California offering undergraduate and graduate programs. Comparable as a broader LCMS educational institution in Orange County serving faith-based families, though at the higher-education level rather than K-8.
• Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) Schools: The national LCMS denominational school system encompasses 1,000+ early childhood and K-8 schools across the U.S. As Zion's denominational parent/affiliation, the LCMS network provides the accreditation framework, faculty support, and student pipeline comparable to Zion's operating context.

Direct peers

• Faith Christian Academy: A faith-based K-8 private school in Southern California combining Christian education with family ministry, comparable to Zion's integrated academic and spiritual formation approach.
• Heritage Christian School: A faith-based K-8 private school in Orange County offering Christian education with an integrated family community model directly comparable to Zion's ECEC-through-8th-grade programming.
• Pacific Lutheran School: An LCMS-affiliated K-8 Christian school in Torrance, California. Directly comparable to Zion as a Lutheran Church Missouri Synod parish school combining worship community with tuition-based K-8 Christian education in Southern California.
• St. Paul's Lutheran School: Another LCMS-affiliated Lutheran church and school in the broader Orange County area, operating a comparable integrated K-8 Christian education model with worship, school, and community ministry programs.
• Harvest Christian School: A faith-based K-8 private school in Riverside, California operating a Christian education program with before/after care and summer programs—directly comparable to Zion's school and ECEC service offering.
• First Lutheran School: LCMS-affiliated K-8 school in Torrance, California operating with a similar parish-school model, faith-based curriculum, and integrated congregational and educational programs.

Emerging players

• Concordia Lutheran High School: An LCMS-affiliated secondary school in the broader LCMS network. Comparable as a faith-based tuition-driven school in the LCMS family that could serve as a natural next-step pipeline for Zion's 8th-grade graduates.

Regional players

• Liberty Christian School: A faith-based K-12 school in Southern California offering Christian education with preschool and elementary programs, comparable in target market (faith-seeking families) and tuition-based model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/zionanaheim
• Instagraminstagram.com/zionanaheim
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zion-lutheran-church-and-schools

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Zion Lutheran Church and Schools