St Andrews Lutheran Church

What St Andrews Lutheran Church does

St Andrews Lutheran Church is a Christian congregation located in Ames, Iowa, founded in 1951 and affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The church serves its members and the wider Ames community through weekly worship services, a liturgical music program, faith formation, and dedicated children and youth ministry. It holds a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) designation through ReconcilingWorks, publicly signaling full welcome of LGBTQ+ members, and operates an online worship channel via YouTube that extends participation beyond the physical facility to homebound members and the broader Iowa State University-area community.

The congregation's ministry portfolio extends well beyond its campus, including sustained partnership with Pine Ridge Ministry alongside the Oglala Lakota Nation and an international Tanzania Ministry maintaining relationships with ELCA sister congregations abroad. St Andrews also supports and partners with local Ames-area nonprofits, reflecting an outward-facing community engagement posture.

As a 501(c)(3) religious nonprofit, St Andrews has no commercial revenue model. Its operating budget is sustained through voluntary offerings, pledged giving, special appeals, and fundraising activity from individual households, members, and broader supporters. The church employs approximately 14 paid staff — including pastoral, administrative, and program roles — supplemented by lay musicians and a large volunteer base that underwrites music, education, and outreach programming. As of 2026, the congregation is marking its 75th Anniversary, an event typically tied to concentrated stewardship and commemorative activity.

Name

St Andrews Lutheran Church

Legal name

St Andrews Lutheran Church

Website

https://standrewsames.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

St Andrews Lutheran Church is an ELCA-affiliated congregation in Ames, Iowa, founded in 1951, offering weekly worship, music, children and youth programs, and local and international mission outreach to its members and the surrounding community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and Faith-Based Community Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (813110), Religious Organizations (81311)

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 Humanitarian Aid & Relief Ministries (BPAGAJAF), Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE), Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI)

Keywords

• Religious worship services
• Pastoral care ministry
• Faith formation programs
• Community outreach missions
• Nonprofit congregation

Headquarters

HQ city

Ames

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: The primary revenue stream comes from voluntary tithes and offerings collected during weekly worship services, both in-person (through offering plates) and online giving options. Members and visitors contribute financially to support church operations, local ministries, and mission work.
2. Online Donations: The church accepts online donations through a dedicated e-service payments platform, allowing supporters to give electronically via the church website.
3. Special Offerings: Periodic special offering collections for designated causes such as the Lutheran Campus Ministry at ISU during the 75th Anniversary celebration.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

St Andrew's Lutheran Church is a nonprofit ELCA congregation that conducts weekly Sunday worship services (in-person and online at 10:30 AM), provides pastoral care and sacraments, and offers faith formation programs for all ages. It operates ministry programs including music ministries, youth and confirmation programs, and service/learning events, alongside local ministries (Saving Suds, Blessings Box, Food At First support) and national/international mission partnerships with the Oglala Sioux Tribe at Pine Ridge and sister parishes in Tanzania.

Product overview

St Andrews Lutheran Church offers a unified set of worship and ministry services centered around weekly Sunday worship at 10:30 AM. The church operates multiple interconnected ministry programs including Service and Learning (intergenerational Sunday education), Music Ministries (choir and instrumental ensemble), Children and Youth Programs (confirmation, mission trips, summer camp), and mission programs (Pine Ridge Ministry serving the Oglala Sioux Tribe and Tanzania Ministry partnering with congregations in Hedaru and Agape). Local outreach includes Saving Suds laundry assistance, Blessings Box, and Food At First support. The church provides both in-person and online worship experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sunday Worship Services Weekly Sunday worship services held in-person and online at 10:30 AM, featuring Holy Communion, music, and sermon, with accessibility accommodations available for all members of the public.
• Service and Learning Intergenerational Sunday morning program at 9 AM combining Adult Forum and Sunday School with opportunities to learn about faith and serve the community, for all ages.
• Music Ministries Music program including Adult Choir (Wednesdays 7pm September-May), instrumental ensemble, and special music performances, supported by a sanctuary built for excellent acoustics.
• Children and Youth Programs Programming for ages 0-18 including confirmation for 6th-8th graders, mission trips, summer camp, and family events.
• Pine Ridge Ministry Partnership with the Oglala Sioux Tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation, collecting donations and conducting annual mission trips focused on housing, workforce development, education, healthcare, and economic development.
• Tanzania Ministry Partnership with sister congregations in Hedaru and Agape, Tanzania, including annual visits, letter exchanges, photo sharing, and humanitarian support through the Tanzania Partners nonprofit.
• Local Ministries Local community services including Saving Suds (laundry assistance at Squeaky Clean Laundromat), Blessings Box, Edwards School snack partnership, and Food At First support.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt. Andrew's is a congregation of the ELCA, the largest Lutheran group in North America. The ELCA provides theological guidance, denominational resources, and connects St. Andrew's with the broader Lutheran church body. ELCA has full communion agreements with several Protestant denominations.
• ReconcilingWorkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt. Andrew's is a Recognized Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Congregation through ReconcilingWorks, which supports LGBTQ+ inclusion in the Lutheran church. This partnership provides visibility and networking with other progressive congregations.
• Oglala Sioux Tribe (Pine Ridge Reservation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership through the Pine Ridge Ministry Team. St. Andrew's collects and delivers donations, takes annual mission trips, and works with reservation organizations on housing, workforce development, education, healthcare, and economic development projects.
• Hedaru and Agape Lutheran Parishes (Tanzania)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt. Andrew's is a partner congregation to sister parishes in Hedaru and Agape, Tanzania. Annual visits, letter exchanges, photo sharing, and mutual support strengthen both churches. An independent nonprofit, Tanzania Partners, was founded by St. Andrew's members to address larger humanitarian issues.
• Edwards School (820 Miller Ave., Ames, IA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt. Andrew's partners with Edwards School to provide snacks that supplement classroom needs, supporting local education.
• Food At FirstminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood At First is a local nonprofit with a daily free meal program and perishable food distribution (Food at First Free Market). St. Andrew's helps host needs on the first Thursday of each month at 5:20 PM.
• Lutheran Campus Ministry at ISUminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecial offering during the 75th Anniversary was designated to support Lutheran Campus Ministry at Iowa State University, serving Lutheran students at the university.
• Squeaky Clean LaundromatminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocation of the Saving Suds ministry program, providing quarters and laundry soap to families who cannot afford laundromat services. St. Andrew's volunteers the third Thursday of each month, 4-7 PM.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• First United Methodist Church of Ames: Mainline downtown Ames congregation with similar progressive social stance and active local outreach. Same city, comparable size and demographics, overlapping community partnerships.
• St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church & Student Center (Ames): Catholic parish and ISU student center in Ames offering weekly worship, faith formation, and outreach. Different denomination but directly comparable in mission, scale, and Iowa State University-adjacent member base.
• Collegiate Presbyterian Church (Ames, Iowa): Mainline, progressive congregation in the same Ames trade area. Not Lutheran but competes for the same pool of progressive, mission-oriented members in the Ames/Iowa State University community.

Direct peers

• Bethesda Lutheran Church (Ames, Iowa): Bethesda is the ELCA congregation from which St. Andrew's was founded as a mission in 1951. Same denomination, same city, same general theological tradition — directly comparable local Lutheran peer with overlapping member base.
• Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (Des Moines, Iowa): ELCA congregation in central Iowa with similar progressive Lutheran identity, music ministry emphasis, and community outreach programs. Closely comparable operating model and theology.
• Bethany Lutheran Church (Ames, Iowa): ELCA-affiliated Lutheran congregation in Ames serving the Iowa State University community. Directly comparable denomination, geography, and constituency to St. Andrew's.
• St. John's Lutheran Church (Des Moines, Iowa): Downtown Des Moines ELCA Lutheran congregation explicitly mentioned in St. Andrew's data as home to an organ scholar. Same denomination, similarly progressive orientation, comparable music-ministry emphasis — a strong operational and theological peer.
• Faith Lutheran Church (Ames, Iowa): Another ELCA Lutheran congregation operating in Ames, competing for the same Lutheran households and offering traditional worship alongside faith-formation programming. Direct denomination-level peer.

Others

• ReconcilingWorks (national RIC program): National Lutheran organization that certifies Reconciling in Christ congregations. Not a peer church but the coordinating body of St. Andrew's RIC designation and a hub of other comparable progressive ELCA congregations for referral.

Broad incumbents

• Lutheran Church of Hope (West Des Moines, Iowa): Largest ELCA-affiliated congregation in Iowa, operating multiple campuses with contemporary and traditional services. Same denomination with overlapping theological positioning (progressive, outreach-oriented) but significantly larger scale and multi-site model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@st.andrewslutheranchurcham8256
• Facebookfacebook.com/TanzaniaMinistryTeam
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st-andrews-lutheran-church

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about St Andrews Lutheran Church