University Lutheran Church and Lutheran Campus Ministry

What University Lutheran Church and Lutheran Campus Ministry does

University Lutheran Church and Lutheran Campus Ministry (ULC & LCM) is a nonprofit religious organization headquartered at 340 E. 15th Street, Tempe, Arizona, operating under a dual-mission structure that combines a traditional ELCA congregation with an active campus ministry adjacent to Arizona State University. Founded in 1953 and staffed by approximately 6 paid personnel (Pastor, Music Director, Secretary, Campus Ministry Associate, Young Adult Coordinator), the organization delivers Sunday morning worship at 10:00 AM with Communion, a Wednesday evening contemporary worship service and Bible study during ASU semesters, weekly free student meals (Sunday lunch and Wednesday dinner), a food pantry, the Dinner Church liturgical experience, Open Forums on contemporary issues, a monthly book club, and Young Adult fellowship events.

The underlying technology platform is commodity SaaS: Breeze ChMS provides member management, directory access, giving history, text-to-give (480-878-7977), and mobile apps for iOS and Android, while livestreaming extends worship reach beyond the physical sanctuary. The organization is affiliated with the ELCA Grand Canyon Synod, is one of 176 ministries in the LuMin Campus Ministry Network, and publicly identifies with ReconcilingWorks as a Lutherans-for-Full-Participation congregation.

Revenue is generated entirely through voluntary member donations (tithes and offerings) augmented by small external grants — most notably $3,000 from Hidden Treasures Thrift Store in December 2025 and $2,000 in December 2024 — and community fundraising such as a $1,100 Christmas Family contribution to Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest. The go-to-market model is relationship-driven word-of-mouth among ASU students and the broader Tempe community, with no transactional product sales. Customer segments are organized around three personas: ASU college students (primary), Young Adults aged 22–39, and the general congregation.

Name

University Lutheran Church and Lutheran Campus Ministry

Legal name

University Lutheran Church

Website

https://ulctempe.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

University Lutheran Church and Lutheran Campus Ministry is a Tempe, Arizona-based nonprofit ELCA congregation and ASU campus ministry offering worship, Bible study, free student meals, and community programs for college students, young adults, and local congregants. Revenue is entirely voluntary donations and small grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services and Campus Ministry

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based & Mission Service Programs (EDAIAGAI)

Keywords

• Religious worship services
• Campus ministry programs
• Student meal assistance
• Community outreach
• Bible study education

Headquarters

HQ city

Tempe

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

University Lutheran Church and Lutheran Campus Ministry (ULC & LCM) is a Lutheran congregation and campus ministry serving Arizona State University students and the surrounding Tempe, Arizona community. The organization delivers weekly worship services (Sunday 10:00 AM traditional with communion, Wednesday 6:30 PM contemporary), free student meals (Sunday lunch and Wednesday dinner) during ASU Fall and Spring semesters, a food pantry, weekly Bible study, Dinner Church events, open educational forums, and a young adult ministry program. Operations are funded through member donations, tithes, and grants.

Product overview

University Lutheran Church and Lutheran Campus Ministry is a religious organization serving Arizona State University students in Tempe, Arizona. Its service offerings center on spiritual community and worship, including Sunday worship (in-person and livestreamed), Wednesday contemporary worship, and Bible study programs. The organization operates a Lutheran Campus Ministry (LCM) program that provides free weekly student meals during ASU semesters, a food pantry, and social gatherings. Technology-enabled services include a Breeze ChMS mobile app for iOS/Android enabling member profile management and giving history, text-to-give donation capabilities, and an online giving portal. Additional programming includes Open Forums on faith and contemporary topics, a monthly Page Turners Book Club, and Young Adult group activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sunday Worship Service Weekly Sunday morning worship service held at 10:00 AM with Holy Communion, available in-person and via livestream, serving ASU students, the local congregation, and online viewers.
• Contemporary Worship Service
• Student Meals Program Free weekly meals and food pantry for ASU college students, providing Sunday lunch and Wednesday dinner during the school year to address food insecurity affecting more than one-third of ASU students monthly.
• Student Bible Study Weekly Bible study for ASU students held Wednesdays at 5:00 PM in the Campus Center and via Zoom.
• Dinner Church Semester worship service that recreates Jesus' last meal with disciples, involving shared dinner preparation and the Lord's Supper, for students and community members.
• Open Forums Weekly Sunday morning presentations and discussions on faith, current social issues, and Biblical studies, held at 9:15 AM in the Campus Center Library and via Zoom.
• Page Turners Book Club Monthly book club meeting on the first Thursday at noon in the Campus Center Library, alternating between fiction and non-fiction selections.
• Young Adult Ministry Ministry for young adults aged 22-39 offering fellowship events, summer connections gatherings, service projects, and community-building activities.
• Online Giving Portal Web-based donation platform allowing members and supporters to contribute via credit card or checking/savings account to University Lutheran Church.
• Text Giving Text-to-give service allowing members to donate by texting a dollar amount to 480-878-7977, with funds directed to general fund or specific causes.
• Breeze ChMS Mobile App Mobile application for Android and iOS that allows members to manage their profiles, view giving history, and access the church directory on their phones.
• Sunday Worship Livestream Live streaming of the Sunday 10:00 AM worship service, available for viewing until the following Sunday for those unable to attend in person.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 hygiene kits packed and distributed to AZ Hugs for the homeless
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• AZ HugsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026AZ Hugs is dedicated to showing love and togetherness to those experiencing homelessness throughout the valley. LCM distributed 1,000 hygiene kits to AZ Hugs in July 2026.
• Lutheran Social Services of the SouthwestminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025LCM students sponsored a large family through Lutheran Social Services Christmas Family program, raising over $1,100 to shop for presents and provide grocery gift cards.
• Pitchfork Pantry (ASU Student Food Bank)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025ASU's student-run food bank is a long-term partner. ULC collects shelf-stable foods, hygiene products, and financial contributions to support the Pantry which serves several hundred students weekly.
• Feed My Starving ChildrenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYoung adult group participates in meal packing events to support global hunger relief through this organization.
• Creation Justice MinistriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNationwide ecumenical group focused on policy advocacy that protects, restores, and shares God's creation. ULC member Autumn Byars participated in Witness For Creation press conferences in Arizona.
• Arizona Faith NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterfaith organization partnering with ULC for creation justice events and advocacy efforts in Arizona.
• Arizona Interfaith Power and LightminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based environmental advocacy organization collaborating with ULC on creation justice initiatives.
• Corazón ArizonaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal organization focused on immigrant and refugee support, co-hosting Witness For Creation events with ULC participation.
• Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Arizona (LAMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinistry of the Grand Canyon Synod that ULC members engage with for advocacy work including hunger relief and creation justice.
• ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerULC is affiliated with ELCA through the Grand Canyon Synod. Pastor José Valenzuela was ordained in the Grand Canyon Synod in 2009.
• LuMin (ELCA Campus Ministry Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerULC is one of 176 ministries affiliated with LuMin, the ELCA Campus Ministry Network, providing network support and resources for campus ministry.
• ReconcilingWorkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLutherans for Full Participation. ULC displays ReconcilingWorks branding indicating commitment to inclusivity. ReconcilingWorks launched mutual aid fund for LGBTQ Lutherans that ULC supports.
• Wesley Student Foundation at ASUminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartners with Pitchfork Pantry for financial contributions to support ASU student hunger relief efforts.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Other LuMin (ELCA Campus Ministry) Sites: The 175 other campus ministries in the LuMin network (ULC's own parent network) — the most directly comparable peer set given shared ELCA affiliation, denominational resources, and ministry model, though each operates at a different university.

Regional players

• ReconcilingWorks: Lutheran LGBTQ+ advocacy organization referenced in the data as a partner; comparable in shared mission orientation toward inclusion within ELCA, but operates nationally as an advocacy body rather than a local campus ministry.
• Arizona Faith Network: Statewide interfaith organization cited as a ULC partner — a comparable faith-based organization operating in the same Arizona geography and engaging on similar advocacy and community issues.

Direct peers

• InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at ASU: Evangelical campus ministry active on the ASU campus with Bible studies, small groups, and student outreach — a directly comparable faith-based peer competing for the same Christian student population.
• Hillel at ASU: Jewish campus organization serving ASU students with cultural, religious, and community programming — a directly comparable faith-based student ministry operating on the same ASU campus.
• Catholic Newman Center at ASU: Catholic parish and campus ministry serving ASU students with worship, fellowship, and student support programs — a mainline-faith campus ministry on the same ASU campus with overlapping mission and audience.
• Episcopal Canterbury Foundation at ASU: Episcopal campus ministry serving ASU students in Tempe with weekly worship, Bible study, and fellowship — directly comparable Lutheran/mainline Protestant campus-ministry model in the same ASU geography.
• Cru at ASU (Campus Crusade for Christ): Interdenominational evangelical campus ministry with an active ASU chapter running Bible studies, outreach, and student events — a comparable Christian student-ministry peer competing for the same ASU audience.
• Wesley Student Foundation at ASU: Methodist-affiliated campus ministry serving ASU students, already identified in the data as a partner. Direct comparable given shared campus-ministry model, geographic co-location at ASU, and similar student-support programming.

Others

• Pitchfork Pantry (ASU Student Food Bank): ASU's student-run food bank and a core ULC partner addressing the same student hunger need ULC's meal program targets — comparable in shared mission and student-food-insecurity audience, though structured as a university-run service rather than a ministry.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-lutheran-church-and-lutheran-campus-ministry

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 University Lutheran Church and Lutheran Campus Ministry