Lincoln Christian Church

What Lincoln Christian Church does

Lincoln Christian Church (LCC) is a non-profit, independent Christian congregation headquartered at 204 N. McLean Street in Lincoln, Illinois, operating continuously since its founding in 1853 as one of the city's oldest institutions. It serves hundreds of families in the Lincoln, IL area through a layered, multi-generational ministry portfolio: four adult Sunday worship services (three contemporary in the Fellowship Center at 8:15am, 9:30am, and 10:45am, plus one traditional service in the Sanctuary at 8:15am), a preschool for ages 3-5 with 3-day and 4-day morning classes, children's ministry from birth through 4th grade, student ministry for grades 5-12 (The Gathering for high schoolers, Fuel for junior high), adult discipleship via LifeGroups, Wednesday Studies, men's and women's ministries, and a Cancer Connection support ministry. The organization also runs the Harvest of Talents for World Hunger initiative, begun in 1983, which has cumulatively raised over $2.4 million for hunger relief. Revenue is generated primarily through tithes and offerings (in-person, online via ShelbyNext Giving, text-to-give SMS, and the LCC app) and a secondary preschool tuition stream under a Family Fundraising Account rebate program; tuition rates are not publicly disclosed.

The church's digital and operational stack is built on standard, off-the-shelf SaaS products rather than proprietary technology: SnapPages for the lincolnchristianchurch.org website, ShelbyNext Giving for donations (web, iOS, Android), Church Center for event registration and member directory, YouTube for live and on-demand worship streaming, Seesaw for preschool parent communication, and ChurchTeams for small-group management. The technical team includes a dedicated Live Stream Technical Director overseeing the broadcast pipeline, indicating organizational investment in online worship delivery. No AI/ML, API, or proprietary technology is disclosed; technology functions as operational plumbing rather than a differentiated capability.

Go-to-market is community-led: the church reaches new members through in-person worship, the Starting Point Experience (a monthly newcomer orientation), LifeGroups, volunteer/service pathways, online streaming, social media (YouTube), the Christian Call newsletter, and word-of-mouth referrals from existing member families. The church markets across these channels without paid acquisition infrastructure typical of consumer brands. Governance is ecclesiastical, with a pastoral staff of approximately 15 full-time-equivalent roles across preaching, worship, discipleship, student ministry, children's ministry, preschool, facility management, and administration, all under independent congregational ownership with no parent entity, external investors, or equity ownership of any kind.

Name

Lincoln Christian Church

Legal name

Lincoln Christian Church

Website

https://lincolnchristianchurch.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1853

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lincoln Christian Church is an independent non-profit Christian congregation in Lincoln, Illinois, founded in 1853, serving hundreds of local families through worship, preschool, children's, student, and adult discipleship ministries funded by tithes, offerings, and preschool tuition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and Worship Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (813110), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Preschools (EDACABAF), Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG), Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE)

Keywords

• Religious worship services
• Christian church ministries
• Faith-based preschool
• Youth discipleship programs
• Community church outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Lincoln

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Members and attendees give financial contributions through the church's giving program, which includes online giving portal, mobile apps, and text-to-give options. The church describes giving as a spiritual exercise and part of discipleship.
2. Preschool Tuition: Lincoln Christian Church Preschool charges tuition for children ages 3-5. The program offers 3-day (M,W,F) and 4-day (M,W,Th,F) morning classes from 8:30-11:00am. Tuition rates are available by contacting the church office.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Lincoln Christian Church is a nonprofit Christian congregation offering weekly worship services (contemporary and traditional), age-specific discipleship ministries from preschool through adults, and community outreach programs. It also operates a faith-based preschool for children ages 3-5 and funds a hunger-relief initiative (Harvest of Talents) that has raised over $2.4 million since 1983.

Product overview

Lincoln Christian Church (LCC) is a traditional church organization offering a unified ministry portfolio centered on worship services, spiritual formation, and community outreach. The core offerings include in-person and online Sunday worship services (three contemporary Fellowship Center services and one traditional Sanctuary service), digital giving via ShelbyNext and text-to-give, and monthly communication through The Christian Call newsletter and sermon archives. The church's ministry structure comprises age-specific programs: LCC Preschool (ages 3-5 with 3-day and 4-day options), Children's Ministry (birth through 4th grade with Kids Worship, Sunday School, and Kid's Club), Student Ministry (5th-12th grade with youth groups, Sunday School, and student choirs HeartSong and Good News), and Adult Discipleship (LifeGroups, Starting Point Experience, Wednesday Studies, and gendered ministries). Additional offerings include baptism services, the Cancer Connection support ministry, and the Harvest of Talents for World Hunger initiative (raised $2.4M since 1983). All programs are coordinated through Church Center for registrations and the website built on SnapPages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• In-Person Sunday Worship Services Weekly worship services held at 8:15am, 9:30am, and 10:45am in the Fellowship Center with contemporary music, plus an 8:15am Sanctuary service with traditional hymns. All services feature identical messaging.
• Online Worship Streaming Live and on-demand worship services streamed via YouTube and a hosted platform; 8:15am and 9:30am hosted services and full services on YouTube after 10:30am Sundays.
• Online Giving / Tithing Digital tithing and donations via ShelbyNext Giving portal, mobile apps, and text-to-give (text 'Gift' to 217.212.2280). Supports immediate gifts, account tracking, and giving history.
• Baptism Services Immersion baptism services with a heated baptistery, changing rooms, and complimentary shirts marking personal spiritual commitment.
• The Christian Call Newsletter Monthly newsletter published as e-newsletter and print edition, sharing pastor messages, ministry updates, and upcoming events with the congregation.
• Message Series & Sermons Weekly sermon series available as video recordings covering topics such as 'Joy Ride', 'Welcome Home', 'Dinner with Jesus', 'Marriage Math', 'Money', 'The Coming King', 'Pacing the Gate', 'Let the Lion Out', and 'Raising the Sails'; past series are archived.
• LCC Preschool Faith-based preschool program for children ages 3-5 offering 3-day (Mon, Wed, Fri) and 4-day (Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri) morning classes from 8:30-11:00am. Focuses on spiritual, social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development. Tuition rates available by contacting the church office.
• Student Ministry Youth programs for 5th-12th graders including The Gathering (high school youth group, Sun 6-8pm), Fuel (jr. high, Wed 6:30-8pm), Sunday School (9:30-10:30am), student choirs (HeartSong for 5th-8th, Good News for 9th-12th), and service opportunities.
• Children's Ministry Kids programs for birth through 4th grade including Kids Worship (Sun 8:15am and 10:45am), Sunday School (9:30am), Wednesday Kid's Club (6:30-7:45pm), and Kids Choirs (Sun 6-7pm, ages 3 through 4th grade).
• Adult Discipleship Programs Adult ministry including LifeGroups (small groups of 10-14 meeting in homes), Starting Point Experience (monthly orientation), Wednesday Studies, Men's Ministry (Men on Fire), Women's Ministry (Ladies Bible Study), and Adult Sunday School classes.
• Worship & Music Programs Music and worship offerings including Sanctuary Choir (Wed 6:30-7:45pm), vocal worship teams, instrumental ensembles, handbells, and special event choirs across children, student, and adult groups.
• Cancer Connection Ministry Volunteer ministry providing support cards, texts, and handmade gifts to individuals undergoing cancer treatment, regardless of age or beliefs.
• Harvest of Talents for World Hunger Annual ministry initiative begun in 1983 by Pat Snyder that has raised over $2.4 million for global hunger relief, combining fundraising with talent-based activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Harvest of Talents for World Hunger has raised over $2.4 million for hunger relief since 1983

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Saddleback Church: A large Southern California megachurch with a comprehensive age-segmented ministry stack (preschool through adults), global missions platform, and digital giving infrastructure. Operates at vastly greater scale but shares the same fundamental operating model — multi-generational programming, missions-driven identity, and digital stewardship.
• North Point Community Church: A large evangelical congregation in the Atlanta area known for contemporary worship, strong small-group programming, and digital sermon distribution. Comparable in ministry architecture (kids, students, adults, online) and in the use of digital channels to extend reach beyond physical attendance.
• Harvest Bible Chapel: A multi-site evangelical church in the Chicago suburbs that, like LCC, emphasizes expository preaching, contemporary worship, and small-group discipleship. Operates at a substantially larger scale but serves as a useful broad reference for Midwest Christian church operating models, digital giving, and multi-generational ministry structuring.

Direct peers

• The Goddard School: A private preschool franchise system emphasizing developmental learning for infants through pre-K. Directly comparable to LCC Preschool for tuition benchmarking, family-conversion funnel design, and competitive positioning within the Lincoln, Illinois regional childcare market.
• Primrose Schools: A national franchise network of private early childhood education centers serving ages 6 weeks to 5 years. Directly comparable to LCC Preschool as a competitive benchmark for tuition pricing, enrollment operations, and parent-engagement practices in the faith-adjacent early childhood segment.
• Eastview Christian Church: A Restoration Movement / Christian Church congregation located in Normal, Illinois, geographically close to Lincoln and serving a similar central-Illinois community with comparable contemporary and traditional service options. Operates a similar ministry portfolio including children's, student, and adult programs, making it the most directly comparable peer for benchmarking attendance, staffing, and program breadth.
• Parkview Christian Church: A mid-sized Christian church in Illinois offering contemporary worship services, age-segmented ministries (children, students, adults), and small-group programming. Its operational scale and ministry structure closely mirror Lincoln Christian Church's, making it a relevant benchmark for giving, attendance, and digital engagement comparisons.

Others

• Lincoln Christian University: Founded by Lincoln Christian Church in 1944 as Lincoln Bible Institute, this institution is the direct educational spin-off of LCC. Although now a separate entity, it shares brand lineage, alumni network, and governance history, and provides a relevant reference point for the church's institutional scale and mission heritage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCBA3XTCDDeELUAHSIPGYzpg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lincoln-christian-church

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Lincoln Christian Church