Abiding Presence Lutheran Church

What Abiding Presence Lutheran Church does

Abiding Presence Lutheran Church (APLC) is a non-profit congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) located at 14700 San Pedro Ave. on the far north side of San Antonio, Texas. Founded in 1980 as an LCA mission church — originally worshipping in an elementary school cafeteria — the church has operated continuously for 45 years and now offers a full weekly worship schedule (Saturday 5:30 pm, Sunday 8:30 am and 11:00 am) with Holy Communion, complemented by YouTube livestreaming and an archive of 120+ online worship services.

The church runs an integrated ministry portfolio spanning all life stages: a NAEYC-accredited Abiding Presence Day School for toddlers through age 5, Sunday School, Children's Ministries, Youth Ministries (6th-12th grade, with confirmation, retreats, summer camp, and mission trips), Adult Ministries, Music Ministries (Sanctuary Choir, handbells, ensembles across age groups), and Stephen Ministry (one-to-one confidential Christian care). A broad mission partnership program supports ten named local and international organizations including Water to Thrive (10 funded water wells in East Africa serving 5,200+ people), Haven for Hope, Habitat for Humanity, Texas Ramp Project, Lutheran World Relief, and others.

Revenue is generated through two primary streams: voluntary tithes and offerings (collected via online Pushpay giving, text-to-give, in-person offerings, kiosks, and planned/endowment giving) and Day School tuition (two or three days per week enrollment). The church employs a small professional staff led by Senior Pastor Steven J. Cox and Associate Pastor Heather Hansen, supplemented by an Executive Director and lay leadership council. As a registered non-profit with no public revenue disclosure, APLC operates as a parish-based congregation with governance tied to ELCA denominational structures and the Lutheran Foundation of the Southwest for endowment management.

Name

Abiding Presence Lutheran Church

Legal name

Abiding Presence Lutheran Church

Website

https://aplc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Abiding Presence Lutheran Church is a 45-year-old ELCA congregation in San Antonio, Texas, offering weekly worship, faith formation across all ages, and a NAEYC-accredited Day School, funded by member donations and tuition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Antonio

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

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: The church operates on voluntary donations from congregation members through multiple giving channels including online giving, text-to-give, and in-person offerings during worship services. The church also accepts memorial and honor gifts, endowment contributions, planned giving, and in-kind donations.
2. Day School Tuition: The Abiding Presence Day School offers early childhood education and care for toddlers through age 5 with options for two or three days a week enrollment. This generates revenue through tuition payments.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Abiding Presence Lutheran Church is a Lutheran (ELCA) congregation in San Antonio, Texas that delivers weekly worship services (in-person and online via YouTube), a full Christian education program for all ages including Sunday School, Children, Youth, and Adult Ministries, Stephen Ministry for one-to-one pastoral care, music ministries, and an on-site early childhood day school (Abiding Presence Day School) for children 18 months through Pre-K. The church also engages in community outreach through mission partnerships with local San Antonio organizations.

Product overview

Abiding Presence Lutheran Church offers a unified portfolio of faith-based programs and services centered on worship, education, and community service. The core offerings include in-person and online worship services (Saturday evening, Sunday mornings), supported by YouTube livestreaming. Educational programs span from the NAEYC-accredited Day School (toddlers-age 5) through Sunday School, Children's Ministries, Youth Ministries, and Adult Ministries. Music Ministries provides ensemble opportunities across all ages. Stephen Ministry offers confidential one-to-one Christian care. The church's mission focus includes partnerships with organizations like Water to Thrive, Texas Ramp Project, Habitat for Humanity, and Lutheran World Relief. Giving options include online, text, kiosk, and traditional in-person/mail methods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• In-Person Worship Services Weekly in-person Lutheran worship services open to members and visitors in the San Antonio area, including preaching, Holy Communion, and liturgical music.
• Online Worship (YouTube Livestream) Livestreamed worship services made available online via YouTube for members who cannot attend in person and for broader remote viewers.
• Abiding Presence Day School On-site early childhood education program serving children ages 18 months through Pre-K with a Christian-based curriculum, located at the church campus in San Antonio.
• Sunday School Weekly Christian education classes for children held in conjunction with worship services.
• Children's Ministries Faith formation programming for elementary-age children of the congregation, including instruction, activities, and fellowship.
• Youth Ministries Programming for middle school and high school youth of the congregation, including faith formation, fellowship, and service activities, led by the Minister of Youth.
• Adult Ministries / Adult Faith Formation Bible study and faith formation classes for adult members of the congregation.
• Music Ministries Choirs, ensembles, and instrumental music supporting congregational worship, led by the Music Associate and volunteers.
• Stephen Ministry One-to-one pastoral care ministry providing trained lay caregivers to members experiencing life difficulties such as grief, illness, or crisis.
• Community Outreach and Mission Partnerships Local mission and service partnerships with San Antonio-area organizations through which the congregation engages in community outreach and volunteer service.
• Online Giving Digital tithing and donation platform enabling members and supporters to make financial contributions to the congregation online.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Water to ThrivemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025International mission partnership providing clean water wells in rural Africa. APLC has funded 10 wells through this partnership since 2010, collectively serving over 5,200 people across East Africa. Wells include boreholes, hand-dug wells, and spring developments in Ethiopia.
• Haven for HopecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonthly Mission Partner providing support to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. APLC volunteers bake cookies, gather hygiene kits, and organize sock drives. Monthly visits occur on the third Sunday of each month.
• Texas Ramp ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer teams build wheelchair ramps for individuals physically unable to leave their homes. APLC regularly organizes ramp builds, completing a 49-foot ramp in 4 hours with 24 volunteers during God’s Work Our Hands weekend.
• Habitat for HumanitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPLC partners with the San Antonio Lutheran Cluster of Churches to help build homes. Annual participation in construction builds in the Von Ormy area.
• Lutheran World ReliefcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYear-round quilting ministry and collection of school kits and health kits. Assembled 126 school kits and 106 health kits during God’s Work Our Hands weekend.
• Children's Bereavement Center of South TexascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPLC volunteers cook and serve family-style meals for grieving families during evening support sessions, relieving the after school/work time crunch and facilitating participation.
• Transplants for ChildrencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting families dealing with childhood transplants through Thanksgiving food drives and Christmas gifts, providing meaningful relief during challenging medical times.
• AniMealsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPet-focused program of Meals on Wheels. APLC volunteers assemble pet food bags for community members in need.
• Sleep in Heavenly PeaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational nonprofit ensuring no child sleeps on the floor. Selected as Mission Partner of the Month.
• Towne Twin VillageminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMission providing housing for seniors who have experienced homelessness.
• COPS/MetrominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organizing alliance. APLC hosted conversations with COPS/Metro representatives to discuss family challenges and potential partnerships.
• The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPLC is a congregation of the ELCA, connecting the local church to the larger Lutheran denomination with shared theological foundations and mission.
• Lutheran Foundation of the SouthwestminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides investment management services and oversees annual distribution for the APLC Mission Endowment Fund.
• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDay School accreditation body ensuring standards of excellence in curriculum, staff-child interactions, parent participation, physical environment, staff qualifications, and health and safety.
• The Faith Growth Digital Ministry NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital ministry network of which APLC is a member, providing online ministry support and resources.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): Accreditation body for APLC's Day School program. While not an operating peer, NAEYC's accreditation standards directly shape APLC's early childhood education quality positioning relative to other NAEYC-accredited faith-based and secular programs in San Antonio.
• Lutheran World Relief: Lutheran humanitarian organization partnering with APLC on quilting and kit assembly. Comparable faith-based non-profit with international mission focus, Lutheran identity, and congregational engagement channels.
• Catholic Charities USA: Network of faith-based social service agencies with comparable mission partnership and parish-driven volunteer model. Operates as an adjacent faith-based non-profit in similar community service spaces as APLC's local outreach partnerships.
• Lutheran Services in America: Network of 300+ Lutheran health and human services non-profits. Comparable in faith-based non-profit operating model and Lutheran identity, though the network focuses more on social services than congregational ministry.

Broad incumbents

• World Vision: Large Christian humanitarian organization with comparable donor-driven funding model and faith-rooted mission. Like APLC, it mobilizes congregations for sponsorship, mission engagement, and volunteer opportunities.
• Habitat for Humanity International: Faith-based non-profit with which APLC partners for annual home builds in Von Ormy. Comparable in faith-rooted mission, volunteer-driven operating model, and house-of-worship-based fundraising and engagement structure.
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA): Parent denomination operating approximately 8,900 Lutheran congregations across the U.S. APLC is an ELCA member congregation, making ELCA the most directly comparable broad peer in faith tradition, liturgical practice, and congregational governance model.
• Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS): The other major U.S. Lutheran denomination with comparable worship, parochial education, music, and benevolence models. While theologically more conservative than ELCA, LCMS congregations operate similar schools, music programs, and mission partnership structures.
• Salvation Army: Faith-based non-profit operating worship, social services, and community programs with a comparable holistic ministry model. Operates local corps with dedicated staff and volunteer networks similar to APLC's structure combining Sunday worship, pastoral care, and community outreach.

Direct peers

• Water to Thrive: Small faith-rooted non-profit partnering with APLC since 2010 to fund water wells in East Africa. Closest peer by scale and faith-based funding model, demonstrating how small faith-rooted non-profits structure international mission programs with congregational supporters.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xfacebook.com/APLCSA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/AbidingPresence
• Facebookfacebook.com/APLCSA
• Instagraminstagram.com/abiding_presence

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Abiding Presence Lutheran Church