LINC Ministries Int’l

What LINC Ministries Int’l does

LINC Ministries Int'l is a Houston-headquartered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded circa 2004 that operates a ministry accelerator program serving grassroots church planters, Christian entrepreneurs, and nonprofit leaders across 10 major US metros (Bay Area, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Milwaukee, Seattle, SoCal, Twin Cities, Las Vegas, St. Louis). The organization was born out of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) and operates as a Recognized Service Organization (RSO) of that synod, while serving leaders from multiple denominational backgrounds. LINC's core product is the 7-week Mission Accelerator, a cohort-based program priced at $230 per seat ($115 early bird) that applies lean startup methodology to faith-based ventures and results in a completed Mission Blueprint; supplementary offerings include Peer Cohorts, Spiritual Care, Mission Builder ongoing mentorship, Theological Training Guidance, Catalyst Grants, and Fiscal Agency services that provide donor processing and tax-deductible donation handling under LINC's 501(c)(3) umbrella.

The organization's revenue model is primarily donation-driven from individual donors and church partners, supplemented by per-seat accelerator fees, stock/securities gifts, and qualified charitable distributions from IRAs. Programs are delivered through in-person cohorts hosted at partner church and community center venues (e.g., 3 Crosses Church in Bay Area, St. Paul Hub in Twin Cities, Trinity Church in Chicago), supplemented by free downloadable self-learning resources, the LINC Leadership Podcast distributed on YouTube/SoundCloud/Spotify, and a content blog. Operational infrastructure includes a Virtuous donor portal integration and Google Drive-based resource distribution. LINC is ECFA-accredited and claims to have empowered 800+ leaders, launched 100+ ventures, and reached 10,000+ people through its programs.

LINC is led by CEO Ben Griffin with Finance Director Isabel Rios, a Finance Director, a National Director of Strategic Partnerships, and city/regional directors across each metro (Aaron Putnam in Bay Area, Dave Ficken in Chicago, Nebiye Kelile in Dallas, Pastor Abel Araya in Houston, Dan Hudson in Milwaukee/St. Louis, Chris Bellanger in Twin Cities, Ruth Elias in SoCal/Las Vegas). The organization is governed by an 11-member board including clergy from multiple denominations. The publicly stated strategic goal is to empower 3,000 grassroots leaders by 2030, roughly 4x current impact levels.

Name

LINC Ministries Int’l

Legal name

LINC Ministries Int'l, Inc.

Website

https://www.linc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LINC Ministries Int'l is a Houston-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a ministry accelerator that serves grassroots church planters, Christian entrepreneurs, and nonprofit leaders across 10 US metros through a 7-week Mission Accelerator, peer cohorts, fiscal agency, and donor-funded programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Leadership Development

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious Organizations (813110)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based & Mission Service Programs (EDAIAGAI), Faith-Based Humanitarian Aid & Relief Ministries (BPAGAJAF), Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC)

Keywords

• Ministry leadership training
• Church planter accelerator
• Nonprofit venture coaching
• Christian entrepreneurship support
• Urban mission development

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: LINC is funded primarily through the generosity of individual donors and church partners. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
2. Mission Accelerator Program Fees: Mission Accelerator charges $230 per seat (early bird pricing of $115 available). The program is valued at $3,550, with the fee creating greater investment for participants.
3. Stock and Securities Gifts: LINC accepts gifts of stock or securities and qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) from IRAs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

LINC Ministries Int'l operates a 7-week in-person Mission Accelerator that uses lean business model methods to help church planters, Christian entrepreneurs, and nonprofit leaders complete a Mission Blueprint and launch Gospel-driven ventures. This core program is reinforced by an integrated service suite: Peer Cohorts for ongoing collaborative learning, Spiritual Care for prayer and formation, Fiscal Agency for tax-exempt donation processing and financial management under LINC's 501(c)(3), Theological Training Guidance, Mission Builder post-accelerator support, and Catalyst Grants for qualifying leaders.

Product overview

LINC Ministries Int'l operates as a platform-based ministry accelerator offering a portfolio of interconnected programs and services designed to empower grassroots church planters, Christian entrepreneurs, and nonprofit leaders. The core offering is the Mission Accelerator, a 7-week intensive program that equips leaders with a Mission Blueprint using lean business methodology. This is supplemented by Peer Cohorts for ongoing collaborative support, Spiritual Care for foundational development, and Fiscal Agency services for financial management. Additional resources include Self-Learning tools (downloadable PDFs and worksheets), the LINC Leadership Podcast, Theological Training Guidance, and Catalyst Grants for qualifying leaders. The products work together as a comprehensive ecosystem supporting leaders from initial concept through venture launch and ongoing operation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mission Accelerator A 7-week in-person accelerator program designed to help church planters, Christian entrepreneurs, and nonprofit leaders move their God-given dreams forward using lean business model methods popular with high-growth startups. Participants complete a Mission Blueprint, receive practical curriculum, dynamic in-person instruction, guest speakers, a celebratory event, and may qualify for ongoing mentorship and Catalyst Grants.
• Peer Cohorts Ongoing cohort-based learning experience in which LINC alumni leaders work together to implement their venture plans, facilitated by experienced mentors. Cohorts are typically venture-specific and provide accountability, expertise, and friendship along the leader's journey after the Mission Accelerator.
• Spiritual Care Foundational spiritual support service providing prayer, care, and spiritual development to walk alongside leaders through their journey of building a ministry venture.
• Fiscal Agency Comprehensive fiscal sponsorship and financial services for ministries and nonprofit ventures, including donor management, financial management, legal compliance, payment processing, tax-deductible donation processing under the venture's name, invoice management, and donor database services — provided under LINC Ministries Int'l's 501(c)(3) status.
• Mission Builder Ongoing post-Accelerator support phase providing continued mentorship and guidance for leaders as they build and grow their ventures after graduating from the Mission Accelerator.
• Theological Training Guidance Mentorship and support for leaders on a theological training track, including identifying the right training path, providing network connections, and offering ongoing mentorship through the Mission Accelerator and Mission Builder programs.
• Catalyst Grants Financial grants strategically awarded to help move qualifying leaders' local missions forward. Leaders who have completed the Mission Accelerator Program and participated in a Peer Cohort automatically qualify for potential grants awarded through local city leadership.

Quantifiable outcome

• 800+ leaders empowered
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Building Strong NonprofitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization providing thoughtful, high-quality tools for personal and spiritual growth. Their free resources are featured on LINC's resources page alongside LINC's own tools.
• 3 Crosses Church (Bay Area)minorOthersLocal church hosting Bay Area Mission Accelerator cohort sessions on Saturdays, 9:00am-12:15pm, starting January 31, 2026.
• St. Paul Hub (Twin Cities)minorOthersVenue partner for Twin Cities Mission Accelerator - Thursdays, 6:00-9:00pm, starting January 15, 2026.
• Trinity Church - The Center Building (Chicago)minorOthersVenue partner for Chicago Mission Accelerator - Sundays, 1:00-4:30pm, starting February 1, 2026.
• Acacia Collective (Dallas)minorOthersVenue partner for Dallas Mission Accelerator - Mondays, 7:00-10:00pm, starting February 23, 2026.
• Trinity Downtown (Houston)minorOthersVenue partner for Houston Mission Accelerator - Mondays, 9:00am-12:00pm, starting February 7, 2026.
• Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS)minorOthersLINC was born out of LCMS and is what is called an RSO (Recognized Service Organization) of the synod. Many team members are LCMS pastors. LINC is an independent nonprofit that develops leaders from multiple backgrounds.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Praxis: Praxis is a faith-based accelerator that helps church planters, nonprofit leaders, and gospel-driven entrepreneurs develop and launch their ventures. It is the closest direct peer to LINC's Mission Accelerator, using a similar cohort-based model and lean startup methodology adapted for ministry.
• NewThing Network: NewThing is a church planting network that catalyzes reproducing churches and missional communities through coaching, training, and peer cohorts. Its leadership development model and missional focus on urban contexts closely mirror LINC's grassroots-leader empowerment approach.
• ARC (Association of Related Churches): ARC is one of the largest church planting networks in North America, providing resources, coaching, and peer cohorts to church planters. It serves a similar audience of grassroots church planters and missional leaders with comparable training and mentorship offerings.
• Stadia Church Planting: Stadia partners with church planters to launch multiplying churches through assessment, training, coaching, and funding. Its mission and target audience of new church planters overlap directly with LINC's church planter segment.
• Exponential: Exponential is a church planting movement network that hosts conferences, training, and resources for church planters and missional leaders. It serves the same cohort of leaders LINC supports through peer cohorts and accelerators.

Broad incumbents

• Send Network (NAMB): Send Network is the North American Mission Board's church planting sending network, providing training, assessment, and support for church planters. As a denominational program with broader scope, it offers overlapping services to LINC's church planter segment.

Emerging players

• Alpha USA: Alpha USA runs the Alpha Course, a widely used introduction to Christianity that emphasizes community-led evangelism and runs cohorts in local churches and community centers. Its distributed, cohort-driven model intersects LINC's grassroots leader development.
• Mission Increase Foundation: Mission Increase Foundation provides nonprofit capacity-building, coaching, and training to Christian organizations and leaders. Its focus on organizational sustainability and board development overlaps with LINC's nonprofit-leader support services.
• National Christian Foundation: National Christian Foundation is a major Christian grantmaking organization that helps donors deploy charitable giving effectively to faith-based and nonprofit organizations. Its grantmaking and donor-advised fund workflow aligns with LINC's Catalyst Grants and donor management services.
• re|verity (Gloo/Salt): re|verity and Gloo are faith-based platforms that provide coaching, content, and resources to church and ministry leaders. Their technology-enabled leader development programs intersect LINC's Mission Accelerator and self-learning resources.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@lincleadershippodcast
• Xx.com/LINC_Ministries
• Facebookfacebook.com/linchouston
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/linc-houston-inc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 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 LINC Ministries Int’l