Emmaus Lutheran Church

What Emmaus Lutheran Church does

Emmaus Lutheran Church, operating under its legal name Emmaus Free Lutheran Church, is a private, non-profit Christian congregation affiliated with the Association of Free Lutheran Churches (AFLC) denomination. Founded on December 16, 1951 in Bloomington, Minnesota as a Lutheran Free Church mission congregation with 16 charter families, the church has operated continuously for 75 years and is currently headquartered at 8443 Second Ave S, Bloomington, MN. The organization serves the Twin Cities (Bloomington and St. Paul) community and supports global missionary work across North America, South America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

The church's core product portfolio centers on weekly worship services (held Sundays at 8:30am and 11:00am), a sermon archive distributed via YouTube, and a livestream offering for remote attendance. Underlying technology includes the Church Center platform for donations and member management, a text-to-give service, a physical donation kiosk, a dedicated mobile app, and social media presence on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Programmatic products include Home Groups for small-group Bible study (including Oral Study Home Groups focused on scripture memorization), age-segregated ministries (Children & Youth Ministry with Sunday School, VBS, confirmation, and youth groups; Adult Ministry Bible studies), and two specialized sub-brands: Living Stone Fellowship, a Chinese-language ministry for international students and families at the Hospitality Center For Chinese in St. Paul, and Respond! Short Term Missions, which equips congregants for cross-cultural mission work. Communications include a monthly PDF newsletter ("The Light"), a blog with devotional content, and an events calendar.

The business model is donation-driven: the church practices biblical tithing and receives contributions through online giving (credit card and ACH via Church Center), text-to-give, a mobile app, a physical kiosk, and in-person offerings. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed, consistent with non-profit religious organization norms. The organization employs a small staff of 1-10, augmented by pastoral leadership (including Pastor Nick Dyrud and Pastor Kevin Olson), a Youth Director (Jeremiah Bang), and lay volunteer involvement. Governance rests with the congregation through an elected church council under AFLC denominational spiritual oversight; no external corporate, PE, or VC ownership interests are indicated. Mission engagement is supported through a network of 15+ mission partners including AFLC World Missions, Wycliffe Bible Translators, SEND International, Operation Mobilization, and others.

Name

Emmaus Lutheran Church

Legal name

Emmaus Free Lutheran Church

Website

https://emmauslutheran.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Emmaus Lutheran Church is a non-profit AFLC-affiliated Lutheran congregation founded in 1951 in Bloomington, Minnesota, offering worship services, Bible-based ministries, global mission partnerships, and Chinese-language outreach to local families and international students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD), Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE), Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG), Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI)

Keywords

• Lutheran worship services
• Christian discipleship programs
• Bible study ministries
• Church community fellowship
• Children youth ministry

Headquarters

HQ city

Mc Nabb, Illinois

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Emmaus Free Lutheran Church is a Christian congregation offering weekly Sunday worship services with Bible-based preaching, small-group Bible study (Home Groups), age-targeted discipleship programs for children, youth, and adults, specialized outreach to Chinese international students via Living Stone Fellowship, short-term mission experiences (Respond!), and digital ministry tools such as online giving, livestream, sermon archives, and a monthly newsletter.

Product overview

Emmaus Free Lutheran Church offers a unified portfolio of ministry programs centered on worship, discipleship, and mission. Core offerings include Sunday worship services (in-person and livestreamed) with Bible-based preaching, an extensive sermon archive on YouTube, and small group Bible studies (Home Groups). The church operates age-specific ministries for children, youth, and adults, plus specialized outreach through Living Stone Fellowship for Chinese communities. Mission engagement includes partnerships with global missionaries and a short-term missions program (Respond!). Digital engagement tools encompass online giving via Church Center, The Light monthly newsletter, blog/devotional content, and an events calendar. All programs support the church's mission of helping people say 'yes' to Jesus through word-centered, mission-focused ministry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Living Stone Fellowship: A gospel-centered campus church that reaches Chinese international students, scholars, and their families with the message of Jesus Christ.
• Respond!

Products and services

• Worship Services Weekly Sunday worship services held at 8:30am and 11:00am featuring live worship music, Bible-based sermons from pastors, and opportunities for community connection, serving congregation members and visitors at the Bloomington, Minnesota campus.
• Home Groups

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AFLC World MissionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary mission partner through Association of Free Lutheran Churches, supporting missionaries worldwide including Andrew Olson, Jonni Sliver, and Respond! Short Term Missions ministry.
• Wycliffe Bible TranslatorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting Bible translation work through missionaries Stephen & Lara Nash serving in Papua New Guinea and Jon & Jill Mork serving through aviation.
• City Life CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTwin Cities ministry partner providing community services and support in the local area.
• MN Adult & Teen ChallengeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal ministry addressing substance abuse and addiction recovery, supported through prayers and finances.
• Living Stone Chinese Lutheran FellowshipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGospel-centered campus ministry reaching Chinese international students and families, meeting at Hospitality Center For Chinese in St. Paul.
• Operation MobilizationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal missions organization working in Israel, supported through prayer and financial partnership.
• Orality InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting missionaries Kevin Olson and Nate Jore in orality-based Bible teaching and disciple-making.
• Kidz at HeartminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinistry partner with staff member Maureen Berger serving in children's ministry.
• Chosen PeopleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinistry reaching Jewish people in Minneapolis area, supported through prayers and finances.
• Foundation for His Ministry (FFHM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting missionaries Andrew Olson and Sara Petersen in ministry work.
• SEND InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMission agency supporting missionary Sara Maifeld serving in Japan.
• VVMIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting missionary Colin Edwards serving in Philippines.
• Hope Centers for Children of AfricaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfrican ministry partner focused on children's welfare and development.
• Christ's Footprint in AfricaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfrican mission ministry partner supported through prayers and finances.
• Gideons InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinistry placing Bibles in hotels, hospitals, and other locations, supported through prayers and finances.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• World Vision: Major faith-based humanitarian organization; comparable donation-funded operating model, global mission partnership network, and child/community focus areas. Often supported by evangelical congregations in the same donor demographic as Emmaus's membership.
• Wycliffe Bible Translators: Existing Emmaus mission partner; faith-based nonprofit focused on Bible translation worldwide. Illustrates the broader evangelical missions ecosystem Emmaus participates in and channels congregational giving toward, with comparable donor-engagement and prayer-support model.
• Operation Mobilization: Existing mission partner; faith-based global missions organization Emmaus supports in Israel. Operates a comparable short-term and long-term mission mobilization model and accepts congregational financial and prayer support from partner churches like Emmaus.
• Gideons International: Existing Emmaus ministry partner; faith-based nonprofit distributing Bibles globally with a parallel donation-funded, volunteer-driven operating model. Represents a comparable faith-based organization structure within Emmaus's network of supported missions.
• Compassion International: Large faith-based child sponsorship nonprofit; comparable voluntary-donation funding model, global mission footprint, and congregational donor-engagement approach. Represents the broader evangelical donor-support ecosystem that Emmaus's members participate in.

Broad incumbents

• Eagle Brook Church: Major Minnesota-based multi-campus megachurch offering contemporary worship, extensive children's/youth programming, and digital ministry at a substantially larger scale than Emmaus. Serves the same Twin Cities regional market with broader, non-denominational appeal that competes for the same donor and attendee pool.
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA): Largest Lutheran denomination in the United States. Although Emmaus is AFLC rather than ELCA, both operate within the same broader Lutheran theological tradition with comparable congregational programming models, synodal governance structures, and mission outreach approaches.
• Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS): Second-largest US Lutheran denomination with similar theological conservatism to Emmaus's AFLC affiliation. Comparable congregational structure, seminary-based clergy formation, and mission programming models. Represents adjacent institutional context for Emmaus's ministry positioning.

Direct peers

• Wooddale Church: Large evangelical church in Eden Prairie, MN (Twin Cities metro) offering comparable ministry programming including global missions, congregational life, and digital outreach. Operates as a similarly-positioned regional congregation with a parallel service model to Emmaus in the same metropolitan market.
• North Heights Lutheran Church: Lutheran church in Roseville, MN (Twin Cities) offering similar worship services, Bible study, and community ministry programs. Directly comparable as a Lutheran congregation in the same geographic market with a parallel denominational tradition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLnKpVW_NtGxYNdYsblBtyWmbmY2CVubPS
• Facebookfacebook.com/EmmausAFLC
• Instagraminstagram.com/emmausaflc
• TikToktiktok.com/@emmausaflc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/emmaus-lutheran-church

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Emmaus Lutheran Church