Faith Lutheran Church (ELCA)

What Faith Lutheran Church (ELCA) does

Faith Lutheran Church is an ELCA-affiliated Lutheran congregation founded in 1888 and headquartered at 886 North Shore Drive, Forest Lake, MN. The church operates as a 501(c)-style religious nonprofit under the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, led by Senior Pastor John Klawiter (since 2016) alongside Deacon Nina Joygaard and a 19-person staff. Its service portfolio centers on weekly Sunday worship at 9:00 AM combining traditional and contemporary elements, with a full age-banded formation pipeline — Faith Lutheran's Discovery Center Preschool and Childcare (ages 6 weeks to 5 years, operated in partnership with Lake Area Discovery Center and holding NAEYC accreditation and a Four Star Parent Aware rating), Kids Ministry, Youth Ministry, Adult Bible studies (including Old Guys and Women of Wisdom groups), and Faith Music Academy. Pastoral care is delivered through a Prayer Lab, life-events services (baptisms, weddings, funerals), and counseling referrals.

Revenue is generated entirely through voluntary donations across multiple streams: weekly tithes and offerings, planned/legacy giving via an endowment fund (stocks, charitable trusts, annuities, IRA/401(k) beneficiary designations, real estate gifts), and designated community-support gifts. Digital infrastructure includes an Ekklesia 360-powered website, Constant Contact email newsletter, YouTube livestream, and Vanco-powered online giving platform. Community outreach is operationally significant: Faith Lutheran distributes direct financial assistance (over $20,000 in three months toward rent, food, and expenses), partners with Community Helping Hands on a monthly community meal, and ran a 180+ donation Love Your Neighbor event for immigrant families. The church has no app, no AI/ML capabilities, and no geographic footprint beyond the Forest Lake campus.

Name

Faith Lutheran Church (ELCA)

Legal name

Faith Lutheran Church Forest Lake

Website

https://faithfl.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Faith Lutheran Church (ELCA) is a 19-staff Lutheran congregation in Forest Lake, MN, founded in 1888, offering weekly worship, age-banded faith formation, an NAEYC-accredited preschool via Lake Area Discovery Center, and community outreach programs funded by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Organization Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), 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 Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG), Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

Keywords

• Religious worship services
• Faith formation programs
• Early childhood education
• Community outreach programs
• Pastoral care services

Headquarters

HQ city

Forest Lake

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Weekly and special donations from congregation members during worship services
2. Planned/Legacy Giving: Endowment funds, charitable trusts, annuities, IRA/401(k) beneficiary designations, real estate gifts
3. Community Support Donations: Designated financial gifts for community outreach, rent assistance, food, and other expenses for community members in need

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Faith Lutheran Church is an ELCA congregation in Forest Lake, MN offering weekly worship services (in-person and YouTube livestream), multi-generational faith formation (kids, youth, adults, music academy), pastoral care and life-event services (baptisms, weddings, funerals), community outreach (free monthly meals, financial/rental assistance, food support), and a NAEYC-accredited preschool/childcare (ages 6 weeks to 5 years) operated in partnership with Lake Area Discovery Center. Operations are funded through voluntary donations, tithes, planned/legacy giving, and preschool tuition.

Product overview

Faith Lutheran Church (ELCA) offers a comprehensive portfolio of church ministries and services organized around worship, formation, care, and outreach. The core worship program features weekly Sunday services combining traditional and contemporary elements, available both in-person and via YouTube livestream. Spiritual formation spans all ages through Kids Ministry, Youth Ministry, Adult Ministry (including Bible studies), and the Faith Music Academy. Care ministries include Prayer Lab, pastoral counseling, and Life Events services. Community outreach programs include FaithCares card-writing, free community meals served monthly, and direct financial assistance for those in need. The church also operates Faith Lutheran's Discovery Center Pre-School and Childcare in partnership with Lake Area Discovery Center, offering NAEYC-accredited early childhood education. Digital offerings include sermon podcasts and audio recordings, the Faith Ministry Stories blog, and an events calendar. Generosity programs encompass online giving via Vanco, endowment and legacy giving options, and annual stewardship campaigns.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Weekly Worship Services
• Worship Livestream
• Faith Music Academy
• Kids Ministry
• Youth Ministry
• Adult Ministry
• Prayer Lab and Prayer Ministry
• FaithCares Card-Writing Club
• Community Meals
• Community Support and Outreach
• Life Events Services
• Faith Lutheran's Discovery Center Pre-School and Childcare
• Online Giving
• Endowment and Legacy Giving
• Sermons Archive
• Faith Ministry Stories Blog

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith Lutheran Church is a congregation of the ELCA, part of a major Protestant denomination with over 3 million members. The affiliation provides theological alignment, denominational resources, and connection to the wider Lutheran church body.
• Lake Area Discovery Center (LADC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith Lutheran's Discovery Center Preschool and Childcare operates in partnership with Lake Area Discovery Center, providing early childhood education services (infants, toddlers, preschool) in a Christian environment.
• Community Helping HandssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner helping promote the community meal and providing food donations. Store manager Chrissie Lee collaborates with Faith Lutheran on the monthly community meal initiative.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Edina Community Lutheran Church: ELCA congregation in the Twin Cities metro with a similar multi-generational ministry model spanning worship, education, music, and community engagement.
• Mount Olivet Lutheran Church: ELCA congregation in Minneapolis, MN with comparable worship, music, and community outreach programming. Most analogous in denomination, regional context, and ministry breadth.
• Bethlehem Lutheran Church: ELCA congregation in the Twin Cities metro area offering worship, formation, and community ministries in a similar Lutheran context to Faith Lutheran Church.
• Trinity Lutheran Church (Stillwater, MN): ELCA congregation in nearby Stillwater, MN with similar suburban community context, comparable size, and overlapping ministries including worship, youth, and outreach.
• Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church: ELCA congregation in the Twin Cities area offering worship, formation, and community ministries comparable to Faith Lutheran Church's ministry portfolio.

Others

• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA): Parent denomination of Faith Lutheran Church, with over 3 million members. Provides theological alignment, resources, and the wider Lutheran framework to which the church belongs.
• Lake Area Discovery Center: Direct operating partner for Faith Lutheran's Discovery Center Pre-School and Childcare. Operates multiple faith-based early childhood education sites in the Twin Cities, providing comparable preschool programming.

Broad incumbents

• Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota: Larger ELCA-affiliated social services organization providing community support, food assistance, and outreach across Minnesota. Comparable faith-based service mission but at much greater scale.
• Habitat for Humanity: Faith-affiliated nonprofit providing housing and community support. Comparable in faith-rooted community service orientation, though operating at a national scale.
• The Salvation Army: National faith-based organization providing community meals, rent assistance, and social services. Comparable in faith-based community outreach mission, though much larger in scale and structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/faith-lutheran-church-elca-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Faith Lutheran Church (ELCA)