First Lutheran Church - Fargo, ND

What First Lutheran Church - Fargo, ND does

First Lutheran Church Fargo (FLC) is an independent, nonprofit Lutheran congregation founded in 1919 and headquartered at 619 Broadway N. in downtown Fargo, North Dakota. It operates a dual-format worship model: a traditional Sanctuary service (hymns, liturgy, pastoral sermons) and a contemporary Celebration Center service (worship band, modern worship), supplemented by a Wednesday Chapel fellowship. Core ministry is organized around three pillars — worship, faith formation (Kids@First ages 3–Grade 4, 56ers Gr. 5–6, Confirmation Gr. 7–8, Young Life Gr. 9–12), and service/mission — with supporting small groups, adult education, life-event pastoral services (baptisms, weddings, funerals), and a First in Care congregational care program staffed by a Visitation Pastor and Parish Nurse.

The church operates no proprietary technology products. Its digital infrastructure consists of third-party integrations: Vimeo for livestream and recorded services, Listen Technologies' Listen Everywhere smartphone app for hearing assistance across the Sanctuary/Celvation Center/Great Hall, KFGO AM790/FM104.7 for radio broadcast, Microsoft Forms for program registration, SignUpGenius for volunteer scheduling, Constant Contact for email/daily devotions, and Bonfire for merchandise. The FLC Foundation operates as a wholly-owned adjacent entity providing endowment and planned-giving vehicles, including a dedicated NextGen Endowment Fund with a $2,000,000 fundraising goal to sustainably fund youth ministry (camps, retreats, mission trips, scholarships).

The revenue model is nonprofit and donation-driven. Primary income comes from voluntary tithes and offerings (in-person, mailed checks, online forms, text-to-give to 701.354.1495), supplemented by FLC Foundation endowment income and grants, NextGen Endowment Fund contributions, designated Summer Concert Series food sales (proceeds to local mission partners), and Global Mission Committee allocations to 15+ international mission partners. Customer segments are exclusively congregational — worshippers seeking spiritual connection, children/youth, adults in small groups, individuals seeking to serve, and community members receiving food/homeless support through partnerships with Emergency Food Pantry, Churches United (Micah's Mission), New Life Center, and Heart n' Soul Community Cafe. No pricing exists for core services; programs are free with optional scholarship support.

Name

First Lutheran Church - Fargo, ND

Legal name

First Lutheran Church

Website

https://flcfargo.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

First Lutheran Church Fargo is an independent nonprofit Lutheran congregation in downtown Fargo, ND (est. 1919) offering dual traditional/contemporary worship, full-age youth Christian education, global mission partnerships, and food insecurity programs, funded through voluntary tithes and an FLC Foundation endowment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services / Congregational Ministry

NAICS

Religious Organizations (813110)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

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
• Congregational ministry
• Youth faith formation
• Community outreach programs
• Pastoral care services

Headquarters

HQ city

Fargo

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Primary revenue stream from congregation members giving through in-person offerings during worship services, mailed checks, online giving forms, and text message donations (text to 701.354.1495).
2. FLC Foundation: Endowment and planned giving vehicle providing sustainable, long-term funding for church ministries. Supports strategic focus, intergenerational support, and sustainability.
3. NextGen Endowment Fund: Dedicated endowment fund with $2,000,000 goal to provide stable long-term funding for youth ministry including camps, retreats, mission trips, special events, and scholarships.
4. Summer Concert Series Food Sales: Food and concession sales at Summer Concert Series events support local mission partners. Proceeds from meal purchases benefit organizations like FMSC FargoPack, Heart n' Soul Community Cafe, Emergency Food Pantry, Churches United, and New Life Center.
5. Grant Funding: FLC Foundation provides grants to support church mission and vision. Global Mission Committee allocates funds to 15+ long-term international mission partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

First Lutheran Church Fargo delivers religious worship services and faith formation programs for all ages, operating both a traditional Sanctuary worship and a contemporary Celebration Center worship alongside online and radio-distributed equivalents. Beyond worship, the church runs age-tiered Christian education (Kids@First, 56ers, Confirmation, Young Life), small group ministry, congregational care through Visitation and Congregational Care Pastors, life event pastoral services (baptisms, weddings, funerals), local food insecurity programs, and global mission partnerships with 15+ international organizations.

Product overview

First Lutheran Church Fargo offers a multi-platform worship experience centered around traditional Sanctuary services, contemporary Celebration Center worship, and Chapel gatherings. The church operates as a unified ministry combining in-person worship with digital accessibility through livestream and radio broadcasts. Core programs include youth Christian education (Kids@First, 56ers, Confirmation, Young Life), food insecurity initiatives (First in Mission Friday Lunches, Mission Soup Sundays), global mission partnerships, and small group ministries. Auxiliary services include the FLC Foundation endowment, NextGen Endowment Fund for youth ministry, online giving, and hearing assistance technology. The church utilizes third-party platforms for registration, volunteer management, video hosting, and email communications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FLC Foundation: The First Lutheran Church Foundation functions to sustain the mission and vision of FLC through strategic focus, intergenerational support, and sustainability.
• NextGen Endowment Fund

Products and services

• Sanctuary Worship Service Traditional worship service held Sundays at 9:30 a.m. in the historic Sanctuary featuring hymns, traditional liturgy, and pastoral sermons. Open to individuals and families across the Fargo-Moorhead community.
• Celebration Center Worship Service Contemporary worship service led by a worship band with singers, guitar players, pianists, and drummers, held Sundays and Wednesdays in the Celebration Center.
• Chapel Wednesday Fellowship Shorter traditional worship service held Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m. in the Chapel with hymns and fellowship time, offered for older adults and weekday attendees.
• Livestream Worship Online livestream of Sanctuary (9:30 a.m.) and Celebration Center (10:30 a.m.) Sunday worship services via Vimeo, with past recordings available on demand.
• Radio Worship Broadcast Radio broadcast of the Sanctuary Sunday 9:30 a.m. worship service on KFGO AM790 and FM104.7, extending the service's reach to the broader FM radio listening area.
• Kids@First Christian education program for children ages 3 to Grade 4 featuring interactive Bible teaching, creative activities, and high-energy worship music held on Sundays and Wednesdays.
• 56ers Christian education program for 5th and 6th graders exploring Bible stories through videos, games, and activities, held Wednesdays at 6 p.m.
• Confirmation Confirmation program for 7th and 8th graders exploring worship, connection, and faith through lessons, games, activities, and service projects, held Wednesdays at 7 p.m.
• Young Life High school youth group for grades 9-12 focused on faith, fellowship, and fun, partnered with Young Life and meeting Wednesdays at 8 p.m.
• First in Mission Friday Lunches Food insecurity response program packing 200+ bag lunches for homeless shelter sites on the second and fourth Fridays of each month.
• Mission Soup Sundays Monthly community meal event in which small groups prepare homemade soups, with proceeds benefiting church mission partners.
• Summer Concert Series Free community concert series held on summer Wednesday evenings featuring local musical talent, with food sales proceeds directed to local mission partners.
• Global Mission Program International mission program maintaining relationships with 15+ long-term partners worldwide, including short-term mission experiences such as the Slovakia Teaching Mission scheduled for October 2026.
• Small Groups Cross-generational small group ministry including Bible studies, women's studies, men's studies, quilters, and outdoor adventure opportunities for relationship building and faith development.
• FLC Foundation Endowment and planned giving vehicle providing strategic focus, intergenerational support, and sustainable funding for the church's mission and vision through grants to ministries.
• NextGen Endowment Fund Youth ministry endowment fund with a $2,000,000 fundraising goal to provide stable long-term funding for camps, retreats, mission trips, special events, and scholarships.
• Online Giving Digital giving platform supporting one-time or recurring gifts via online form or text message (text to 701.354.1495), enabling tithes, offerings, and mission support.
• First in Care Congregational care ministry providing visitation, grief support, mental and emotional wellness resources through compassionate presence and prayer for church members and their families.
• Life Events Pastoral services for baptisms, weddings, and funerals officiated at the church facility by FLC pastors, open to members and the broader community.

Quantifiable outcome

• 457 youth engaged in weekly programming (2024-25)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Emergency Food PantrycoreOthersLocal mission partner. FLC supports food security efforts through volunteer service, including food preparation for Summer Concert Series support, and prayer/partnership.
• Churches United (Micah's Mission)coreOthersLocal mission partner. FLC provides warm goulash meals for Micah's Mission shelter residents through volunteer meal preparation in the FLC kitchen.
• New Life CentercoreOthersLocal mission partner serving people transitioning from homelessness. FLC supports through volunteer opportunities and mission partner designation for Summer Concert Series benefit concerts.
• Heart n' Soul Community CafecoreOthersLocal mission partner committed to addressing food insecurities and building community. Supported through FLC volunteer opportunities and Summer Concert Series benefit concert designated proceeds.
• Feed My Starving Children (FMSC)coreOthersGlobal mission partner. FLC supports through volunteer participation at FargoPack event and summer fundraisers. Part of food insecurity response ministry.
• Center for Christian Education in Martin (Slovakia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational mission partner. FLC sends teaching mission experience teams to Slovakia (October 2026) to support English learning for students Pre-K through High School.
• 15 Long-Term Global Mission PartnerscoreOthersFLC maintains ongoing relationships with 15 long-term international mission partners worldwide, providing prayer, financial support, and mission experience opportunities for congregation members.
• Young LifecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational youth ministry organization. FLC partners with Young Life for high school student programming (grades 9-12), creating space for students to show up, be real, and grow deeper in faith, friendships, and purpose.
• Global Mission CommitteecoreOthersInternal committee that connects FLC to global mission, meeting monthly to discuss funding requests, host guests/mission workers, pray, and allocate resources to international partners.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Woodland Hills Church (St. Paul, MN): Large evangelical church in the Upper Midwest with contemporary and traditional services, extensive youth and family programming, and global mission partnerships. Comparable in ministry breadth and regional cultural context.
• Christ Community Church (Omaha, NE): Mid-sized evangelical church in a comparable upper-Midwest market offering multi-style worship, age-segmented children's programming, and local food-pantry mission work. Comparable in market positioning and programming structure.

Others

• Feed My Starving Children: National nonprofit addressing child malnutrition through volunteer-packed meal distributions. Mission partner of First Lutheran and infrastructure for the church's food-insecurity response programming.
• Young Life: National youth ministry organization partnered with First Lutheran for high school programming. Adjacent ecosystem partner providing curriculum, volunteer pipelines, and program infrastructure for the Gr. 9-12 ministry segment.
• Churches United (Fargo, ND): Local interfaith nonprofit serving homeless and low-income individuals through Micah's Mission shelter, food programs, and case management. Direct recipient of First Lutheran's volunteer meal preparation and mission partnership support.

Broad incumbents

• North Point Community Church (Alpharetta, GA): Large multi-campus evangelical church with a strong emphasis on small groups, contemporary and traditional service options, and digital distribution. Comparable in scale of programming and emphasis on relational community.
• Church of the Resurrection (Leawood, KS): One of the largest United Methodist congregations in the U.S., with multi-site worship (traditional and contemporary), extensive youth programming, and global mission partnerships. Comparable in operating scale and dual-format worship model.

Direct peers

• Hope Lutheran Church (Fargo, ND): Lutheran congregation in the Fargo area offering worship and youth programming, competing for the same Lutheran demographic and donor pool in the local market.
• Bethlehem Lutheran Church (Fargo, ND): Another ELCA Lutheran congregation in Fargo, ND operating in the same metro market with similar worship, youth, and community programming. Direct competitor for congregation members in the Fargo-Moorhead area.
• Trinity Lutheran Church (Fargo, ND): ELCA Lutheran church in the Fargo-Moorhead market offering traditional worship, Sunday school, and community outreach. Directly comparable in denomination, geographic market, and member base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/flcfargo
• Facebookfacebook.com/flcfargo
• Instagraminstagram.com/flc.youth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/first-lutheran-church---fargo-nd

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 First Lutheran Church - Fargo, ND