Lutheran Mission Society

What Lutheran Mission Society does

Lutheran Mission Society of Maryland, operating as Compassion Place Ministries, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and a Recognized Service Organization (RSO) of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. EIN 52-0735885. The organization delivers basic-needs services to vulnerable individuals and families in Maryland through a network of Compassion Place Centers in Baltimore, Fells Point, Southern Maryland, Annapolis, and Anne Arundel County. Core programs include food distribution, volunteer-driven health kit assembly, the seasonal Miracle of Christmas program, and a vehicle donation program accepting cars, trucks, RVs, and boats. Services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries.

The organization's revenue model is entirely donation-driven, with no product or service sales. Cash donations are processed through Network for Good, in-kind giving flows through an Amazon Wish List, and supplemental fundraising is generated via annual events such as the Crab Feast and a New England Cruise travel fundraiser. Marketing and engagement rely on email newsletters, community events, a downloadable prayer calendar, and direct volunteer outreach coordinated via email and phone. Rev. Lucas Witt serves as Executive Director, and the organization holds a GuideStar Transparency Seal (Profile ID 7747409).

The underlying technology footprint is minimal and off-the-shelf: a Squarespace-hosted website, Network for Good donation processing, Google Forms for volunteer intake, and YouTube for video content. There is no proprietary software, mobile app, API, or AI/ML component. The organization operates with approximately 25 employees and a single headquarters at 601 Hammonds Lane, Baltimore, MD 21225. No audited financials, funding rounds, M&A activity, or corporate structural moves are disclosed in the available data.

Name

Lutheran Mission Society

Legal name

Lutheran Mission Society of Maryland

Website

https://lutheranmissionsociety.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lutheran Mission Society of Maryland is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating Compassion Place Centers across Maryland that provide food distribution, health kits, and community support services to vulnerable individuals and families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (81311), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

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

Keywords

• Faith-based nonprofit services
• Food distribution programs
• Community health assistance
• Charitable humanitarian aid
• Donor-supported ministries

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting the organization's mission of providing food, health kits, and community services to those in need. Donations processed through Network for Good platform.
2. Vehicle Donations: Accepts car, truck, RV, and boat donations as part of fundraising efforts.
3. Event Fundraising: Annual events such as Crab Feast and Miracle of Christmas program drive donations and community engagement.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lutheran Mission Society (operating as Compassion Place Ministries) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs multiple Compassion Place Centers in Maryland to provide food distribution, health kit assembly and distribution, and seasonal community support services to individuals and families facing hardship. Programs include year-round food aid, hygiene and health kit provision, the Miracle of Christmas seasonal outreach, and complementary fundraising arms such as vehicle donations and community events.

Product overview

Compassion Place Ministries operates as a community-focused social services organization under the Lutheran Mission Society of Maryland. The organization offers a unified portfolio of community assistance programs centered around food distribution, health resources, and emergency support services. Core offerings include Compassion Place Centers that provide food distribution and health kit assembly, supplemented by seasonal programs like Miracle of Christmas and fundraising events including the annual Crab Feast and New England Cruise. The organization integrates third-party platforms including Network for Good for donations, Amazon Wish List for holiday giving, YouTube for video content, and Google Forms for volunteer coordination.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LMS Compassion Place: The branded compassion center operations of Lutheran Mission Society of Maryland serving communities in Maryland.

Products and services

• Compassion Place Centers Physical community service centers operated by Lutheran Mission Society in Maryland that serve as the operational hubs for distributing food, hygiene and health kits, and other community support to individuals and families in need. Open to walk-in recipients and referrals from the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod network.
• Food Distribution Program Program providing no-cost food assistance to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity in Maryland, delivered through the organization's network of Compassion Place Centers.
• Health Kits Program Program that assembles and distributes hygiene and health kits containing basic personal-care and health supplies to vulnerable individuals and families served by the organization's Compassion Place Centers.
• Miracle of Christmas Seasonal Christmas outreach program providing holiday-time food, gifts, and support to individuals and families experiencing hardship in Maryland during the winter holiday season.
• Vehicle Donation Program Program that accepts donated vehicles from supporters, processes titles, and converts the proceeds into funding for Lutheran Mission Society's food, health kit, and seasonal outreach programs.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Network for GoodcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNetwork for Good provides the online donation processing platform for Compassion Place Ministries. Donations are processed through their platform with tax-deductible giving capabilities (EIN 52-0735885). This is a core operational partnership enabling the organization's fundraising activities.
• Lutheran Church—Missouri SynodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompassion Place Ministries (Lutheran Mission Society of Maryland) is a Recognized Service Organization (RSO) of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. This formal religious affiliation provides denominational oversight and alignment with the LCMS mission.
• AmazonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAmazon hosts the Compassion Place Ministries wish list registry, allowing donors to purchase specific items for families in need through Amazon's platform.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Charities USA: National faith-based social services network operating food pantries, emergency assistance, and community outreach; comparable mission and direct-service model, with substantially greater scale and funding.
• World Vision U.S. Large Christian humanitarian organization combining disaster relief, food assistance, and community development; shares Lutheran Mission Society's faith-based donor base and compassion-driven mission.
• Feeding America: National hunger-relief organization and food bank network; provides the dominant infrastructure for food rescue and distribution that Lutheran Mission Society's food program operates alongside.
• Meals on Wheels America: National network delivering meals and welfare checks to seniors and vulnerable populations; adjacent food-security and community-support mission with overlapping donor pool.
• Lutheran Services in America: National network of Lutheran social service organizations; the umbrella body that LCMS-affiliated RSOs like Lutheran Mission Society connect to, providing shared advocacy, scale, and benchmarking.
• The Salvation Army: Large faith-based nonprofit providing food assistance, shelter, and community services nationally; competes with Lutheran Mission Society for the same faith-aligned donor base and serves overlapping vulnerable populations.
• Habitat for Humanity International: Faith-rooted nonprofit addressing housing and community stability; comparable faith-based donor appeal and volunteer-driven service model targeting low-income families.

Regional players

• City Harvest (New York): Regional food rescue and distribution nonprofit; analogous direct-service food-distribution model at a single-region scale, useful benchmark for capacity and donor-conversion benchmarks.
• Maryland Food Bank: Regional food bank serving Maryland with food distribution programs; directly comparable food-distribution mission within the same operating geography, with much larger institutional capacity.

Direct peers

• Food for the Hungry: Christian nonprofit focused on food security, health, and community development; closely comparable faith-rooted mission, donor base, and community-driven service delivery model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=Ktu9bZFzTj0
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lutheran-mission-society

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Mission Society