Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Name

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Legal name

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Website

https://elca.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Denomination / Faith-Based Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (813110)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Denominational & Ecclesiastical Governance Bodies (Dioceses, Synods, Conferences) (BPAGAJAB), Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA), Denominational & Community Periodicals (Church Magazines, Diocesan/Temple Newsletters) (MPAJAHAI)

Keywords

• Religious denomination
• Faith community
• Worship services
• Global mission
• Disaster relief

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago, IL

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Individual and congregational donations, tithes, and offerings form the primary revenue stream supporting church operations, global missions, and charitable programs.
2. Mission Investment Fund: A financial ministry offering loans for church building projects, land purchases and refinancing to ELCA congregations and ministries. Also provides investment products for individuals and organizations, with competitive rates and terms.
3. ELCA Good Gifts: Catalog-based charitable giving program where donors purchase symbolic gifts (animals, agricultural supplies, clean water projects) that support ELCA relief and development initiatives worldwide.
4. Leadership Circle Recurring Giving: Monthly recurring donor program supporting ELCA World Hunger, Lutheran Disaster Response, ELCA Global Mission and Where Needed Most. Members receive newsletters and updates from ministry directors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a Christian denomination serving nearly 2.7 million members through 8,400+ worshiping congregations across the United States and Caribbean. It delivers worship services, faith formation, pastoral care, global mission programs, disaster response, hunger relief, youth ministry, and social advocacy, supported by affiliated financial ministries (Mission Investment Fund, ELCA Federal Credit Union) and publishing operations (Augsburg Fortress, Living Lutheran).

Product overview

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America operates primarily as a religious denomination with a web-based digital presence rather than a unified technology product. The core ELCA.org website serves as the central hub, supported by specialized digital platforms including the Mission Investment Fund (MIF) financial services platform with its MIF Online and MIF Mobile banking applications, the ELCA Good Gifts catalog-based giving platform, the ELCA Resource Library for downloadable materials, and the Leadership Circle donor engagement program. Additional offerings include the Daily Bible Reading service, the Living Lutheran publication, the Journi discernment app, the ELCA Youth Gathering event program, and the Congregation Directory service. These products collectively support the church's mission of ministry, giving, education, and community connection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mission Investment Fund (MIF): Financial ministry providing loans for church building projects and investment opportunities for individuals and congregations.
• ELCA Federal Credit Union
• Portico Benefit Services
• ELCA Foundation
• ELCA Good Gifts
• Lutheran Disaster Response
• ELCA World Hunger
• Living Lutheran
• Women of the ELCA
• Journi

Products and services

• ELCA Worship and Congregational Network A network of 8,400+ congregations across 50 U.S. states and the Caribbean providing worship services, pastoral care, faith formation, and community programs for members and seekers.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 85% of gifts support program work, with less than 15% for fundraising and administration

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Augsburg FortresscoreOthersOfficial publishing house and distributor of ELCA resources, worship materials, and theological publications. Provides the Revised Common Lectionary and other worship planning resources.
• Portico Benefit ServicescoreOthersBenefits organization providing health, retirement, and other benefits to ELCA rostered ministers and churchwide employees.
• ELCA FoundationcoreOthersSupports ELCA congregations and ministries through planned giving, endowment management, and stewardship resources.
• Mission Investment FundcoreOthersFinancial ministry of the ELCA providing loans for church building projects and investment products for individuals and ELCA-related organizations.
• ELCA Federal Credit UnionminorOthersCredit union offering financial services to ELCA members and congregations including savings, loans, and credit cards.
• Women of the ELCAcoreOthersOfficial women's organization of the ELCA providing leadership opportunities, advocacy, and community for women in the church.
• ELCA SeminariescoreOthersNetwork of ELCA seminaries providing theological education and preparation for rostered ministry.
• Young Adults in Global MissioncoreOthersInternational service program for young adults featuring companion relationships with Lutheran churches worldwide, celebrating 25 years of ministry.
• Lutheran Disaster ResponsecoreOthersResponds to disasters domestically and internationally through trusted, long-standing partners in affected regions, currently responding to earthquakes in Venezuela.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• American Baptist Churches USA: Mainline Protestant denomination with regional association governance, donation-funded model, and comparable emphasis on social justice and global mission. Directly comparable as another historically ecumenical-leaning Baptist body.
• The Episcopal Church: Mainline Protestant denomination with diocesan governance, progressive social policies, and similar scale (~1.7 million members). Operates comparable seminaries, publishing arms, and affiliated financial/investment ministries.
• United Methodist Church: One of the largest US mainline denominations with similar donation-funded model, social justice programs, and global mission apparatus. Recently experienced significant schism, making it a directly comparable peer in scale and structural challenge.
• Presbyterian Church (USA): Mainline Protestant denomination with synod/presbytery governance, comparable membership scale (~1 million), and similar donation-funded model with affiliated foundations and benefits arms. Directly comparable in structure, theology, and challenges.
• Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod: A smaller but theologically conservative Lutheran denomination with comparable synod-style governance and affiliated seminary. Comparable as another Lutheran denomination serving a similar liturgical tradition but with a different doctrinal posture.
• Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod: The largest confessional Lutheran body in the US. Directly comparable as a fellow Lutheran denomination, though more conservative theologically. Shares Lutheran heritage, seminary networks, and comparable affiliated ministries.
• United Church of Christ: Another progressive mainline Protestant denomination in the US with similar congregational structure, social justice orientation, and comparable membership scale (under 1 million). Directly comparable as a fellow mainline denomination competing for similar members and donors.

Others

• Habitat for Humanity International: A large faith-affiliated nonprofit that, like ELCA's Mission Investment Fund, provides financing for building/home projects and accepts donations and recurring gifts. Comparable as a faith-rooted nonprofit with a lending/financial ministry arm.

Broad incumbents

• Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Major US denomination operating a centralized welfare/relief program, missionary apparatus, tithing-funded model, and affiliated financial/benefits arms (e.g., Deseret Industries). Comparable scale of giving infrastructure and auxiliary ministries.
• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: The largest religious organization in the US by membership and asset base. Comparable as another hierarchical religious denomination operating donation-funded parishes, schools, charities, and global relief programs at national scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@elca
• Facebookfacebook.com/Lutherans
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/evangelical-lutheran-church-in-america
• Instagraminstagram.com/elca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries7 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 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America