Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd

What Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd does

Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd (LCGS) is a 501(c)(3) Lutheran church located at 21100 Victor Street, Torrance, CA 90503, founded on January 23, 1957. The church holds two Sunday worship services — a Traditional service at 8:00 AM following the Lutheran Book of Worship and a Contemporary blended service at 10:00 AM with a live band and children's ministry. Worship services are also live-streamed, primarily the 10:00 AM service, extending reach beyond physical attendance. The church is governed by a Board of Elders under a volunteer-driven, staff-led, elder-protected model and has been affiliated with Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC) since 2010, following earlier affiliations with the American Lutheran Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

LCGS's core "products" are religious services and ministry programs spanning all life stages, including Good Shepherd Preschool (a wholly-owned subsidiary established in 1969 offering early childhood education), LCGS Kids children's ministry, Student Ministries for grades 6–12, Adult Life Groups and small groups, Men's and Women's ministries, Young Adults community, support groups (GriefShare, DivorceCare), Prayer Ministry, Shepherding Ministry, and Mission Outreach. The organization's technology stack consists of a website (lcgs.net), social media presence (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), online giving, live streaming infrastructure, and standard audio/video production equipment — with no proprietary technology or AI capabilities. Revenue is generated through voluntary tithes and offerings from congregation members and tuition from the preschool; no public financial disclosures are made.

The organization supports seven mission partnerships spanning local (Community's Child, Harbor Interfaith Services, Pueblo de Dios Lutheran Church, South Bay Village, Habitat for Humanity LA), Mexico (Rancho la Paloma, since 2012), and Uganda (Smile Africa Ministries, since 2007), including a commissioned full-time missionary. The staff of approximately 131 includes Lead Pastor Ebassa Berhanu (since September 2022), Executive Pastor Greg House, and directors across children's ministry, operations, and student ministry.

Name

Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd

Legal name

Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd

Website

https://lcgs.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd is a Lutheran congregation in Torrance, CA, founded in 1957, offering weekly Sunday worship services, an affiliated preschool, and multi-generational ministry programs to local families and the broader South Bay community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAJAG

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Religious & Faith-Based Organizations

SECONDARYEDACADAH

Faith-Based Early Learning Academies

Education/Early Childhood Education/Early Learning Academies & Montessori/Reggio/Steiner Programs

Keywords

• Lutheran worship services
• Christian community ministry
• Early childhood education
• Faith formation programs
• Mission outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Torrance

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: The primary revenue stream comes from voluntary tithes and offerings collected during Sunday worship services and through online giving, supporting church operations and mission work.
2. Good Shepherd Preschool: A preschool program operated by the church serving the local community with early childhood education, generating revenue through tuition fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd delivers Sunday worship services (Traditional at 8:00 AM and Contemporary at 10:00 AM), age-targeted ministry programs (Children's, Student Ministries for grades 6-12, Young Adults, Adult Life Groups, GriefShare, DivorceCare), and prayer and mission outreach ministries. It also operates Good Shepherd Preschool as an on-campus early childhood education program. Online giving, live streaming, and email communications extend ministry reach beyond in-person attendance.

Product overview

Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd is a church and preschool offering primarily in-person religious services and ministry programs. The core offering includes Sunday worship services (Traditional at 8:00 AM and Contemporary at 10:00 AM with children's ministry), supported by affiliated Good Shepherd Preschool, Student Ministries (Middle School and High School programs), LCGS Kids children's ministry, Adult Life Groups/Small Groups (meeting Sundays through Saturdays in various formats including in-person and Zoom), Prayer Ministry, and Mission Outreach Programs (local, national, and international partnerships). The church operates with a volunteer-driven, staff-led, elder-protected governance model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Good Shepherd Preschool: Preschool established in 1969 as an adjacent operating subsidiary providing early childhood education services. Website at gslearningwithlove.com.

Products and services

• Sunday Worship Services Weekly Lutheran worship services: Traditional service at 8:00 AM following the Lutheran Book of Worship liturgy, and Contemporary blended service at 10:00 AM with live band, family-friendly with children's ministry available, also live-streamed online. Open to the community.
• Good Shepherd Preschool Faith-based preschool program operated on the LCGS campus at 21100 Victor Street, Torrance, CA, providing early childhood education with spiritual development for young children and their families in the local community.
• Student Ministries

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rancho la PalomacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Located in Tecate, Mexico, serves as a link between the local community, charitable organizations, and volunteers to improve quality of life by building homes for impoverished families. LCGS has partnered since 2012 and has built 13 homes. Annual spring mission trips involve volunteers spending four days constructing homes.
• Smile Africa MinistriescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Based in Tororo, Uganda, founded in 1996, this ministry provides education, nutrition, medical care, and spiritual teaching to vulnerable children, empowers women through support groups, and offers vocational training. LCGS has supported SAM since 2007, contributing to construction of a water tower and administration office. LCGS member Michael de la Rocha serves as missionary.
• Community's ChildcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner in Torrance, CA. As of June 1, 2025, operates Homeless Prevention and Assistance Programs through Hope Community Center, including infant pantry and food distribution serving the South Bay. LCGS supports this ministry providing practical help and hope to those facing housing and food insecurity.
• Harbor Interfaith ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBased in San Pedro, CA, this organization has worked for over 30 years to empower the homeless and working poor to achieve self-sufficiency through shelter, transitional housing, food, job placement, advocacy, childcare, education, and life-skills training. LCGS supports their mission and community participation efforts.
• Pueblo de Dios Lutheran ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated in Compton, CA, this church has been providing groceries and meals to those in need, becoming an integral part of the community. LCGS has partnered with Pastor Samuel Nieva for over 10 years supporting his work to better the lives of community members.
• South Bay VillageminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTorrance, CA organization dedicated to keeping seniors in their homes through volunteer support including transportation, errands, minor home repairs, and financial assistance. LCGS provides both financial and volunteer support.
• Habitat for Humanity (Los Angeles County)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization dedicated to making homeownership possible for low-income families. LCGS congregation members have been working with this organization for over 20 years, assisting in construction of numerous homes. Since 1990, the LA County chapter has built, rehabilitated, or repaired over 1,000 houses.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• LCMC (Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ): LCMC is the Lutheran denomination LCGS has affiliated with since 2010. As the umbrella network for hundreds of Lutheran congregations across the U.S., LCMC provides governance framework, shared resources, and peer community directly relevant to LCGS's denominational identity and operational model.
• Concordia University Irvine: Concordia Irvine is an LCMS-affiliated Lutheran university in Irvine, CA, approximately 35 miles from LCGS. It serves the same Southern California Lutheran community ecosystem and provides a parallel Lutheran educational/ministry-training pathway comparable to LCGS's preschool and youth ministry programs.
• ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America): ELCA was LCGS's denominational affiliation from 1988 to 2010 and remains the largest Lutheran body in the U.S. Its congregations, seminary system (including the Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary), and social service arms (Lutheran Services in America) represent the broader Lutheran ecosystem LCGS has navigated.
• California Lutheran University: California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, CA is an ELCA-affiliated higher education institution approximately 50 miles from LCGS. It represents the Lutheran education footprint in the same region and engages overlapping Lutheran families in Southern California.

Broad incumbents

• LCMS (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod): LCMS is the other major U.S. Lutheran denomination, more theologically conservative and larger in congregational count than LCMC. While LCGS is LCMC-affiliated, LCMS represents the broader Lutheran landscape and overlapping member demographics in Southern California and across the U.S.
• Saddleback Church:

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQqo-fSo4XAZJjirPiZ_O-w
• Facebookfacebook.com/LCGSTorrance
• Instagraminstagram.com/lcgs_official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lutheran-church-of-the-good-shepherd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd