Prairie Lakes Church

What Prairie Lakes Church does

Prairie Lakes Church is an independent, non-profit multi-site church organization headquartered in Cedar Falls, Iowa, operating seven physical campuses across the state (Cedar Falls, Decorah, Fort Dodge, Grinnell, Independence, New Hampton, and Osage) with an additional online campus. The organization employs approximately 53 staff and is led by Lead Pastor Jesse Tink, governed by an Elder Board. Its ministry stack spans the full life cycle: Children's Ministry (birth through 5th grade), Middle School (6th-8th), High School (9th-12th), College, Women's, Men's, Care, and Missions programs, layered onto weekly Sunday worship services delivered both in person and via online streaming and the PLC mobile application.

The underlying technology is composed of off-the-shelf church operations and media tools rather than proprietary systems: Planning Center Online and Rock for church management, Canva and Google Drive for content and collaboration, and Playlister and ProPresenter for worship planning and presentation. The organization runs a structured engagement funnel — Become Known, Faith Line, Baptism, Membership, Groups, and Serving — that progresses visitors from initial contact through committed participation and member-level voting rights.

Revenue is generated primarily through tithes and offerings from the congregation, classified as recurring giving. Secondary, smaller revenue streams include fees for Wedding Services (on-site packages around $1,150 with PLC pastors, $650 with visiting pastors) and Funeral Services (itemized per-staff fees, typically $700-$1,000 in aggregate), plus the "You Pick We Pay" babysitting reimbursement program. Distribution is community-led: word-of-mouth, personal invitations, multisite geographic accessibility, and digital touchpoints (website, app, online streaming). The customer base is a distributed mix of families with children, adult men and women, seekers and newcomers, and discipleship-oriented Christians across Iowa.

Name

Prairie Lakes Church

Legal name

Prairie Lakes Church

Website

https://prairielakeschurch.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Prairie Lakes Church is an independent non-profit, multi-site church operating seven campuses across Iowa, offering Sunday worship, life-stage ministries, and digital engagement, funded primarily by congregational tithes and offerings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services and Church Ministry

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

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

• Church services
• Religious ministry
• Youth ministry
• Wedding services
• Community worship

Headquarters

HQ city

Cedar Falls

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Primary revenue stream from congregation members giving financially to support church operations and mission through regular tithes and offerings during services and online giving.
2. Wedding Services: Fees for wedding ceremonies including $250 marriage mentoring fee, $300 facility deposit/administrative fee, and $600 wedding fee for on-site PLC pastor ceremonies. Additional fees for visiting pastors and off-site weddings.
3. Funeral Services: Fees for funeral services including $200 pastor, $100 technical coordinator, $100 facilities coordinator, $100 care coordinator, and $100 per musician/vocalist. Kitchen coordinator fees vary by attendance.
4. Event Programs: Revenue from church events including the 'You Pick, We Pay' babysitting reimbursement program where members pay babysitters upfront and submit for reimbursement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Prairie Lakes Church is a multi-site non-profit church that delivers weekly Sunday worship services across seven Iowa campuses and an online campus, supported by age-segmented ministry programs for children, students, and adults, spiritual growth pathway programs (Faith Line, Baptism, Membership), and fee-based life-stage services including wedding and funeral coordination.

Product overview

Prairie Lakes Church is a multi-site church organization operating seven campuses across Iowa (Cedar Falls, Decorah, Fort Dodge, Grinnell, Independence, New Hampton, and Osage) with an online presence. The organization offers a unified worship experience through Sunday services (in-person and online via the PLC App and streaming), supported by age-specific ministry programs including Children's Ministry (birth-5th grade), Middle School Ministry (6th-8th grade), High School Ministry (9th-12th grade), and College Ministry. The church provides pathway programs for spiritual growth including the Faith Line decision, Baptism, and Membership. Additional services include Wedding Coordination, Funeral Services, an Internship Program, and the You Pick We Pay babysitting reimbursement initiative. The PLC App and online streaming platform serve as the digital touchpoints for remote engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sunday Worship Services
• Online Services Live online worship experience streamed at 9AM on Sundays for remote attendance, with on-demand access to the message library. Targeted at individuals who cannot attend in person or who are exploring the church remotely.
• PLC Mobile App Mobile application for iOS and Android that provides access to messages, events, and church resources for members and attendees.
• Baptism Program Public declaration of faith through baptism by immersion, including orientation sessions and celebration services. Targeted at individuals who have made a personal faith decision.
• Membership Program Formal commitment to the church's mission including membership classes and Elder Board approval process. Members gain voting rights on church budget, property, Elder nominations, and Lead Pastor hiring.
• Faith Line Program Resource for individuals considering putting their faith in God, including a downloadable book and conversation support. Targeted at seekers at the point of faith decision.
• Wedding Services Wedding ceremony coordination including marriage mentoring, facility usage, and pastoral officiation at campus locations. Tiered packages: on-site with PLC pastor ($1,150 total), on-site with visiting pastor ($650 plus optional mentoring), and off-site with PLC pastor ($300 plus travel). Targeted at couples seeking a church-based wedding ceremony.
• Funeral Services Funeral coordination including facility usage, technical support, music, and pastoral care. Fee schedule includes $200 pastor, $100 technical coordinator, $100 facilities coordinator, $100 care coordinator, $100 per musician/vocalist, and variable kitchen coordinator fees. Targeted at member and community families during bereavement.
• You Pick We Pay Babysitting expense reimbursement program allowing church members to pay babysitters upfront and submit up to five reimbursement requests for childcare during church events. Targeted at families needing childcare support to attend church activities.
• Internship Program Summer and school-year internships offering ministry and professional development opportunities across multiple campuses. Targeted at college students and young adults exploring ministry careers.
• Become Known (New Member Welcome) Welcome card and connection process for newcomers to be introduced to church staff and receive personalized connection recommendations. Targeted at first-time visitors and new attendees.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gateway Church: A multi-site church in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with multiple campuses across Texas. Comparable to Prairie Lakes in running multiple physical campuses, offering children's and student ministry programs, and operating with a centralized pastoral vision distributed across locations.
• Life.Church: One of the largest multi-site churches in the US with physical and online campuses, known for the YouVersion Bible app. Directly comparable to Prairie Lakes in multisite operations, digital infrastructure (online streaming and app), and a focus on accessible, seeker-friendly ministry.
• North Point Community Church: A large multi-site church based in Atlanta, GA led by Andy Stanley that pioneered the multisite model. Highly comparable to Prairie Lakes in operating a distributed campus network with unified teaching, centralized leadership, and a focus on reaching unchurched people.
• Southeast Christian Church: A multi-site church in Louisville, KY with multiple regional campuses. Comparable to Prairie Lakes in regional multisite expansion strategy, age-tiered ministry programming, and operating a unified brand across geographically dispersed locations.
• Elevation Church: A multi-site church founded by Steven Furtick with multiple campuses across the US. Comparable to Prairie Lakes in operating a multisite model, targeting younger and unchurched demographics, and producing original worship content distributed across all locations.
• Willow Creek Community Church: A pioneering multi-site church in the Chicago suburbs. Comparable to Prairie Lakes in multisite operations, small-group-based discipleship model, leadership development programs, and a focus on seeker-oriented services and programming.
• Saddleback Church: A multi-site church founded by Rick Warren with campuses across Southern California. Comparable to Prairie Lakes in operating a regional multisite model, offering life-stage ministry programming, and developing leadership through internship and membership pathways.
• Church of the Highlands: A large multi-site church based in Alabama with campuses across the state. Comparable to Prairie Lakes in operating multiple physical campuses within a single US state, employing a unified teaching and worship model across locations, and targeting regional rather than national expansion.
• Summit Church: A multi-site church in Durham, NC led by J.D. Greear with multiple regional campuses. Comparable to Prairie Lakes in the regional multi-site model, sending culture (missions emphasis), and structured membership and leadership pipeline.

Emerging players

• CrossPoint Church: A growing multi-site church. Comparable to Prairie Lakes as a peer in the broader multisite church segment, with similar operating characteristics around distributed campuses and contemporary worship, though at a different stage of growth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/prairie-lakes-church

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 Prairie Lakes Church