Southwood Lutheran Church

What Southwood Lutheran Church does

Southwood Lutheran Church is a private non-profit religious organization headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, operating as a Lutheran congregation serving community members through worship, faith formation, pastoral care, and community outreach. The organization is supported by approximately 16 staff members and delivers an active ministry program across multiple life-stage segments, including families, youth, adults, and seniors, alongside broader community services addressing food insecurity, healthcare access, and housing needs. As a faith-based non-profit, Southwood's "customers" are its congregation members and the broader Lincoln community it serves rather than paying clients.

The church operates a comprehensive ministry ecosystem spanning in-person worship services (Sundays at 8:30 and 10 AM), faith growth programs for children, youth, and adults, care ministries including prayer support and grief counseling, and a structured Volunteer Hub organizing service across three categories: at Southwood, in the local community, and internationally. The core technology stack centers on the ShelbyNext church management system for member management, scheduling, and communications, supplemented by Vimeo-based livestreaming for remote attendance, email newsletters via eepurl.com, daily devotionals, and a searchable sermon and devotional archive. International mission partnerships extend into Honduras and Tanzania, including a Tanzania Education Scholarship Program, while local community partnerships include Food Bank of Lincoln, Clinic with a Heart, Matt Talbott, Habitat for Humanity, Cedars, and City Impact.

Southwood operates on a donation-based revenue model with two primary streams: voluntary tithes and offerings from congregation members, including special offerings and capital campaigns, and a structured endowment fund for long-term sustainability and planned giving. All worship services, pastoral care, counseling, funeral services, baptisms, weddings, and community ministry participation are provided free of charge; financial giving is entirely voluntary. The go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on word-of-mouth, volunteer integration pathways, and service opportunities as primary avenues for new member acquisition, with no formal sales or marketing function evident.

Name

Southwood Lutheran Church

Legal name

Southwood Lutheran Church

Website

https://southwoodlutheran.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Southwood Lutheran Church is a private non-profit Lutheran congregation in Lincoln, Nebraska, providing worship, faith formation, pastoral care, and community service programs to its congregation and broader Lincoln community, funded by voluntary donations and an endowment fund.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (813110), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

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 Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE), Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

Keywords

• Religious worship services
• Faith formation programs
• Pastoral care ministries
• Community outreach services
• Mission trip programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Lincoln

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Voluntary financial contributions from congregation members including regular tithes, special offerings, and capital campaigns. Church operates on donation-based model where members give freely to support ministry operations, missions, and community programs.
2. Endowment Fund: Structured giving program through endowment fund for long-term financial sustainability and planned giving.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Southwood Lutheran Church is a non-profit Lutheran congregation that provides weekly worship services (in-person and livestreamed), faith formation programs for all ages, pastoral care and support ministries, and community outreach services. Core offerings include worship services, faith growth programs for children/youth/adults, a Volunteer Hub for service participation, care ministries (prayer, visits, funerals), daily devotionals, and local/international mission programs.

Product overview

Southwood Lutheran Church offers a comprehensive suite of faith-based programs and services centered around its worship, faith growth, serving, and care ministries. The church operates its Volunteer Hub as a central platform for managing volunteer opportunities across three categories: Serve at Southwood (worship support, music, children's programs), Serve in the Community (food distributions, meal services, health clinics, garden), and Serve Around the World (mission trips to Honduras and Tanzania). Digital offerings include daily devotionals with searchable archives by date/category/author, sermon archives via Vimeo, and online giving. The church also provides care ministries, music programs, and various educational resources for children, youth, and adults.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Worship Services Weekly worship services held on Sundays at the Lincoln, Nebraska campus with summer schedule of 8:30 AM and 10:00 AM (Memorial Day through Labor Day). Includes communion services, baptisms, weddings, and funerals. Livestream available via Vimeo for remote participation.
• Faith Growth Programs Discipleship programs for children, youth, and adults including group finder, daily devotionals, Sunday school, children's ministry, youth group, confirmation, family programs, nursery care, and various educational opportunities.
• Volunteer Hub Centralized platform (powered by iVolunteer) for managing volunteer opportunities across three categories: Serve at Southwood (worship support, music, children's programs), Serve in the Community (food distributions, meal services, health clinics, garden), and Serve Around the World (mission trips).
• Care Ministries Support services including prayer requests, visit requests, funeral arrangements, care team training, DivorceCare support groups, grief support, prayer shawl ministry, and ongoing pastoral care.
• Give / Online Giving Online giving platform for voluntary tithes and offerings, including Give Now and Endowment Fund options for long-term financial sustainability and planned giving.
• Community Service Programs Local community outreach programs including mobile food distributions (Southwood parking lot, Palmyra, Northeast High School), meal serving at The Gathering Place and Matt Talbot Kitchen, health clinic volunteering at Clinic with a Heart, Meals on Wheels delivery, Saratoga Elementary Backpack Program, and the Southwood Garden.
• International Mission Trips Short-term annual mission programs to Honduras and Tanzania including service learning trips, relationship building, cultural exchange with local churches and communities, and the Tanzania Education Scholarship Program.

Quantifiable outcome

• Monthly food distributions at multiple locations including Southwood parking lot, Palmyra, and Northeast High School
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• Food Bank of LincolncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary food security partner conducting monthly mobile food distributions at Southwood parking lot, in-school programs at Saratoga Elementary (Backpack Program), and food markets at Lincoln Northeast High School. Southwood volunteers assist with distribution operations.
• The Gathering PlacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity soup kitchen where Southwood volunteers prepare and serve evening meals on the 2nd Monday and 3rd Thursday of each month.
• Matt Talbot Kitchen and OutreachcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity meal program where Southwood volunteers serve evening meals on the 4th Tuesday and 5th Friday of each month. Located at 2121 N. 27th Street, Lincoln.
• Eventide Meals on WheelscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMeal delivery program for adults in need. Southwood volunteers deliver hot lunches on regularly scheduled basis and contribute monthly food box deliveries.
• Clinic with a HeartcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFree health clinic serving uninsured and underinsured community members. Southwood volunteers support clinic operations on 3rd Tuesday and 3rd Thursday monthly, with roles for both healthcare providers and non-clinical volunteers.
• Saratoga Elementary SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal school partnership for Backpack Program providing weekend food to students in need, plus Free Little Pantry food donations.
• International Mission Partners (Honduras and Tanzania)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term church and community partnerships in Honduras and Tanzania for annual short-term mission trips including relationship building, service activities, and cultural exchange with local churches and communities.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sheridan Lutheran Church: A large ELCA congregation also located in Lincoln, Nebraska, serving the same metropolitan market with comparable worship, faith formation, and community outreach programming — the most directly comparable local peer for member-acquisition and engagement benchmarking.
• First-Plymouth Congregational Church: A mainline Protestant congregation in Lincoln, Nebraska, operating in the same city with a comparable community-engagement profile. As a fellow mainline church in the Lincoln market, it competes for the same pool of mainline-adjacent households and volunteers.

Others

• The Gathering Place: A Lincoln-area community soup kitchen where Southwood volunteers regularly serve meals. Adjacent in mission space and operationally intertwined with Southwood's community service programming.
• Clinic with a Heart: A Lincoln free health clinic for uninsured and underinsured residents, supported by Southwood volunteers. Operates in the adjacent community healthcare space and is core to Southwood's healthcare access mission.
• Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach: A Lincoln community meal program partnered with Southwood for recurring volunteer service. Operates in the adjacent community nutrition space and shares volunteer-dependent delivery model.
• Food Bank of Lincoln: Southwood's primary food security partner operating mobile distributions, backpack programs, and food markets. Not a competitor but operates in the same community service space and shares co-distribution dependency with the church.

Broad incumbents

• North Point Community Church: A large Atlanta-area multi-campus church with strong digital content and community engagement emphasis. Useful as a benchmark for digital ministry scale, sermon content distribution, and volunteer-driven community programming.
• Church of the Resurrection: One of the largest United Methodist congregations in the U.S., based in Leawood, Kansas. Comparable as a large mainline church with multi-site presence, extensive community programs, and digital engagement infrastructure — a useful benchmark for scalable ministry models.
• Watermark Community Church: A large Dallas-based community church known for extensive mercy and community outreach programs (food, healthcare, recovery). Comparable for the breadth of community service partnerships relative to congregational size.
• Menlo Church: A large multi-site Protestant congregation in Menlo Park, California with strong community service programming and digital content production. Relevant as a benchmark for livestreaming, devotional content cadence, and volunteer hub infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southwood-lutheran-church

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Southwood Lutheran Church