Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church

What Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church does

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church is a nonprofit religious congregation located at 22 North Second Street in Waterville, Ohio, founded in 1876 and affiliated with the Lutheran tradition. It provides weekly Sunday worship services at 10:00 AM, offered in-person as well as via Facebook Live, YouTube, and a parking lot option, alongside pastoral sacraments including baptism (open to all ages) and weddings. The organization is governed by a Church Council (President Lori Carson, Vice President Sue Larkins, Secretary Greg Durivage, plus council members) and staffed by Lead Pastor Meg Boger, Synodically Authorized Minister Jon Rhoades, a Financial Administrator, Youth Director, Technology Director, and Music Director.

Beyond core worship, Zion operates a portfolio of community programs: Zion Christian Preschool, a wholly-owned subsidiary providing early childhood education for 3-5 year olds with biblical integration; Zion's Lions children's ministry featuring Sunday school with safety-checked childcare; and multiple fellowship groups including Women's and Men's Bible Study, Exercise, Sew, Choir, Prayer Shawl Ministry, and A.A. The church also runs community outreach, pastoral counseling, and prayer support services for congregants.

The organization's revenue model is donation-based, relying on tithes and offerings from members during worship and through online giving, supplemented by preschool tuition from its early childhood education subsidiary. Customer segments are entirely local — congregants and preschool families within the Waterville, OH catchment — with marketing conducted through a website, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. The organization employs between 11 and 50 staff and operates with no disclosed budget, no external investors, and no parent company.

Name

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church

Legal name

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church

Website

https://zionlutheranwaterville.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1876

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church is a nonprofit Lutheran congregation in Waterville, Ohio, providing weekly worship services (in-person and streamed), preschool education, children's ministry, pastoral sacraments, and fellowship programs to local families and community members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD), Faith-Based Childcare Centers (EDACAAAN)

Keywords

• Religious worship services
• Early childhood education
• Pastoral counseling
• Children's faith formation
• Lutheran congregation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Waterville, OH

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

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Voluntary contributions from church members during worship services and through online giving platforms

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church delivers weekly Lutheran worship services (Sundays at 10:00 AM) in-person, via Facebook Live, YouTube, and parking lot formats, alongside religious sacraments such as baptism and weddings. The church operates a Christian preschool (Zion Christian Preschool) for ages 3-5 with biblically integrated curriculum and chapel experiences, and supports children's ministry (Zion's Lions), youth programs, fellowship groups, and pastoral counseling for the Waterville, Ohio community.

Product overview

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church offers a unified set of spiritual and educational services centered around weekly worship. The core offering includes Sunday worship services at 10am available in-person and via streaming platforms. Supporting programs include Zion Christian Preschool for early childhood education, Zion's Lions children's ministry with Sunday school, baptism and wedding ceremonies, and various fellowship groups for community connection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zion Christian Preschool: A preschool program operated by the church offering classes for 3-year-olds and 4/5-year-olds with Bible time, chapel, and Kindergarten preparation.

Products and services

• Sunday Worship Services Weekly worship services held at 10:00 AM on Sundays, offered in-person at the church sanctuary, via Facebook Live, YouTube streaming, and a parking lot (drive-in) format. Open to all in the Waterville, Ohio community and remote participants.
• Zion Christian Preschool Early childhood education program for 3-year-olds (Tuesdays/Thursdays 9:00-11:30 AM) and 4/5-year-olds (Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays in morning and afternoon sessions), including Bible time, chapel experiences, and kindergarten preparation. Operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of the church.
• Zion's Lions Children's Ministry Children's ministry program featuring Sunday school during the 10:00 AM worship service, children's events, and a Christmas production, with child safety protocols including volunteer background checks, child check-in systems, and wellness policies. Designed for children from preschool through elementary age.
• Baptism Services Holy Baptism offered to people of any age, celebrating adoption as Children of God with the sealing of the Holy Spirit. Conducted by pastoral staff at the church.
• Wedding Services Holy marriage ceremonies conducted by Pastor Meg Boger at the church for members and the local community.
• Fellowship Groups Small group ministry opportunities including an Exercise group, Women's and Men's Bible Study, Sew group, Choir, Prayer Shawl Ministry, and A.A., designed to foster community connection, spiritual growth, and mutual support.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Catholic Diocese of Toledo: A regional Catholic church network with parishes, schools and formation programs, worship, and community outreach in the Toledo-area market. It is a useful regional comparator for a Waterville religious organization and its preschool and education footprint, despite different theology and institutional structure.

Broad incumbents

• Life.Church: A large multisite church that provides weekly worship, online streaming, children’s and family ministry, and digital outreach. Its scale and delivery model overlap with Zion’s hybrid worship and family programs, but it is a broader, non-Lutheran organization.
• Hillsong Church: A global church network offering worship, youth and family ministries, small groups, and online content. It is comparable in recurring worship, community formation, and digital distribution, though it is much larger and operates across a different denomination and geography.
• Bright Horizons: A large provider of child care and early education, including preschool-age programs, serving families through centers and employer partnerships. It is comparable to Zion Christian Preschool’s early-childhood education and family-facing role, but it is a secular commercial operator.
• The United Methodist Church: Supports a broad network of local churches offering worship, Sunday school, children and youth ministry, pastoral care, and outreach. It matches Zion’s congregational service mix and community role, but at much greater geographic and organizational scale.
• Elevation Church: A multisite church with online worship distribution, family and children’s ministry, and local outreach. Its hybrid delivery and congregational programming overlap with Zion’s, although it operates at a substantially larger scale and is not denominationally aligned.
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Organizes local congregations with weekly worship, Sunday instruction, youth and family programs, and pastoral and community support. Its local-congregation operating model and formation programs are highly comparable, although it is a much larger faith tradition.
• Primrose Schools: A national preschool and early-childhood education franchise with age-based programs and a school-readiness focus. It is comparable to Zion Christian Preschool’s 3–5-year-old offering, though Zion integrates biblical instruction and operates within a church.

Others

• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: A Lutheran denomination supporting local congregations, worship, religious education, formation, and community ministry. It is a close denominational analogue for Zion’s Lutheran identity, although it is a network and governing body rather than one comparable congregation.
• The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod: A Lutheran denominational body that supports congregations, worship, religious education, and ministry networks. It is an ecosystem and denominational counterpart to Zion rather than a direct local competitor, but it provides a close Lutheran reference point.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights2 records

Customer concentration

• Xinstagram.com/zionlutheranwaterville
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/zionlutheranwaterville
• Facebookfacebook.com/zionwaterville/timeline
• Instagraminstagram.com/zionlutheranwaterville
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zionlutheranwaterville

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church