La Crosse Area Synod ELCA

What La Crosse Area Synod ELCA does

The La Crosse Area Synod ELCA is a regional governing body of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), composed of 72 member congregations across 8 counties in western Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota, organized into four conferences (North, South, East, West). Founded in 1988 concurrently with the ELCA's formation, the synod provides canonical and administrative oversight for pastoral credentialing, the call process, candidacy facilitation, and ministry resourcing for its congregations. The synod is led by Bishop Rev. Felix J. Malpica with a lean staff of 8-10 people including a Director for Evangelical Mission, executive assistant, virtual bookkeeper, and three Engaging Children Initiative staff.

The synod's programmatic portfolio centers on seven core offerings: Discipleship Matters (theological education), Care Companion Network (lay pastoral care), Engaging Children Initiative (children's ministry), LuMin (campus ministry at UW-La Crosse, Western Technical College, and Viterbo University), LYLE (youth evangelism), Mission Support (unified giving), and the Endowment Fund of Ministry. Digital infrastructure is built on commodity SaaS (Squarespace, Mailchimp, Zoom, Suran, Google Workspace, Vanco) with no proprietary technology platform. The synod maintains companion synod relationships with Iglesia Luterana del Perú (since 2004) and the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren (since 2016), connecting it to the Lutheran World Federation's global communion of 148 churches in 99 countries.

Revenue is generated through Mission Support (congregational offerings shared with synod and churchwide), grants (notably a $30,000 Siebert Lutheran Foundation grant for Care Companion training), endowment income, and targeted fundraising campaigns (e.g., $15,000 campaign for the Lutheran Church of Peru, matched up to $7,500). Specific revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. The synod sits within the ELCA's parent governance structure and operates under its constitutional framework, with no external investors or shareholders.

Name

La Crosse Area Synod ELCA

Legal name

La Crosse Area Synod, ELCA

Website

https://lacrosseareasynod.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

La Crosse Area Synod ELCA is a regional governing body of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, overseeing 72 member congregations across 8 counties in western Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota through pastoral credentialing, ministry programs, and Mission Support funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Organization Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Denominational & Ecclesiastical Governance Bodies (Dioceses, Synods, Conferences) (BPAGAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI), Interfaith & Ecumenical Councils and Dialogue Organizations (BPAGAJAJ)

Keywords

• Congregational ministry support
• Theological education programs
• Pastoral call services
• Global mission accompaniment
• Lay pastoral care

Headquarters

HQ city

La Crosse

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Mission Support: Congregations share a portion of their weekly offerings with the synod and ELCA churchwide organization through Mission Support, an unrestricted giving mechanism that funds synod resourcing, events, congregational support, seminary scholarships, companion synod relationships, campus ministry, and ELCA World Hunger. ELCA members in over 9,300 congregations give approximately $1.75 billion in regular offerings, with a percentage flowing to synods and churchwide.
2. Grants and Foundation Support: The synod has received grants such as a $30,000 grant from the Siebert Lutheran Foundation to underwrite Care Companion Network training costs for network leaders, future training cohorts, and ongoing support (covering 75% of training costs).
3. Donations for Specific Campaigns: The synod raises funds for specific causes such as a $15,000 campaign for the Lutheran Church of Peru (matched dollar for dollar up to $7,500 by Luther Memorial Lutheran Church), and donations to support immigrant pastors and families.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The La Crosse Area Synod is a regional governing body of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) that oversees 72 member congregations across 8 counties in western Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota. It provides pastoral leadership support through call process coordination and candidacy facilitation, theological education through Discipleship Matters, youth and children's ministry programs (LYLE, Engaging Children Initiative), campus ministry (LuMin), lay pastoral care (Care Companion Network), and unified giving administration through Mission Support. The synod also facilitates companion synod relationships with Peru and the Czech Republic, and connects congregations to wider ELCA ministries including World Hunger, Lutheran Disaster Response, and advocacy initiatives.

Product overview

The La Crosse Area Synod ELCA operates as a regional governing body of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America comprising 72 congregations. The synod's ministry portfolio centers on cultivating life-giving relationships rooted in God's love through programmatic offerings including Discipleship Matters (theological education), the Care Companion Network (lay pastoral care), Engaging Children Initiative (children's ministry), LuMin (campus ministry), LYLE (youth evangelism), and Mission Support (unified giving). Administrative tools include a Compensation & Benefits Calculator and Call Process Resources. The synod leverages digital platforms for resource delivery, online giving via Suran, and video conferencing for worship and meetings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LuMin (Lutheran Campus Ministry): Campus ministry serving University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Western Technical College, and Viterbo University students.
• LYLE (Lutheran Youth Leading Evangelism)
• WELCA (Women of the ELCA)
• Engaging Children Initiative (ECI)
• Care Companion Network
• Discipleship Matters

Products and services

• Discipleship Matters A lifelong learning ministry providing theological education sessions, sermon helps, and Bible study resources for synod members, including spring session classes and Project Starling cohort programs. Partners with Lutheran School of Theology Chicago for Project Starling.
• Care Companion Network A synod-wide network of lay pastoral care providers trained through BeFriender Ministry or Stephen Ministry, offering volunteer pastoral care to congregations and communities. Training underwritten 75% by a $30,000 Siebert Lutheran Foundation grant.
• Engaging Children Initiative (ECI) Ministry initiative equipping leaders to engage children in prayer and worship through arts, movement, playful curiosity, and storytelling, with dedicated staff and partnerships with Luther Park Bible Camp and Sugar Creek Bible Camp.
• LuMin (Lutheran Campus Ministry) Campus ministry serving University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Western Technical College, and Viterbo University students with faith journey opportunities, fellowship, and worship. Pastor Kathryn Thompson serves as campus minister. Facility located at Common Ground Ministry Building.
• LYLE (Lutheran Youth Leading Evangelism) Youth ministry program empowering young people to lead evangelism through gatherings, events, and leadership development.
• Mission Support Program Unified giving program through which congregations share offerings with synods and the churchwide organization to fund collaborative ministries, resourcing, and congregational support. ELCA members in 9,300+ congregations give approximately $1.75 billion in regular offerings.
• Ministry Resources Comprehensive digital resource library providing Bible study materials, sermon helps, worship resources, congregational vitality tools, global church resources, and faith practices guidance for congregations.
• Endowment Fund Ministry Long-term financial investment ministry supporting synod seminarian scholarships, Lutheran Campus Ministry La Crosse, and general synod ministries through planned giving and donations.
• 2026 Compensation & Benefits Calculator Digital calculator tool for congregations to determine minimum compensation and benefit packages for rostered ministers based on approved guidelines.
• Call Process Resources Complete toolkit for congregations calling pastors including timeline, forms, compensation guidelines, interview processes, and transition support documentation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 72 congregations served across 8 counties
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren (ECCB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Companion synod relationship established following 2016 Synod Assembly resolution. ECCB is the biggest Protestant church in the Czech Republic with approximately 115,000 members in 230+ congregations. First ELCA Companion Synod relationship. ECCB ordains women and serves people in poverty, seniors, children, Roma, and immigrants through social services. Member of LWF, WCC, and World Communion of Reformed Churches.
• Iglesia Luterana del Perú (IL-P / Lutheran Church of Peru)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004Companion synod relationship since 2004 with congregations and faith communities in Lima, Trujillo, Huacho, Huancayo, Iquitos, and Cusco. La Crosse Area Synod has launched a $15,000 fundraising campaign (matched up to $7,500) for the Lutheran Church of Peru. Joint Children Festivals and accompaniment visits have strengthened the relationship, celebrating 20 years of partnership.
• Sugar Creek Bible CampcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn outdoor ministry of the ELCA focusing on deepening relationships with Jesus Christ through summer and year-round camping and retreats for people of all ages. Sugar Creek has connection to the synod's companion synod ECCB in Czech Republic through the ELCA International Camp Counselor Program. Synods share resources and youth development opportunities.
• Luther Park Bible CampcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated on a 100-acre site with towering pines on Prairie Lake in Chetek, Wisconsin. Luther Park offers Christ-centered camping experiences year-round for people of all ages, with staff trained to provide positive Christian role models and summer programs for children and youth.
• Interfaith Leaders CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonthly gathering of religious leaders from the greater La Crosse area representing diverse denominations and faith traditions. Three main purposes: developing trusting relationships among faith leaders, enhancing communication on common concerns, and providing spiritual leadership during crises. Meets at English Lutheran Church in La Crosse.
• Wisconsin Council of ChurchesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of Christian churches and faith-based organizations committed to working together across differences. Connects 21 Christian traditions with approximately 2,000 congregations and over one million church members in Wisconsin. Provides resources on immigration, child protection, and ecumenical engagement.
• Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Peninsula (LSS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFor over a century, LSS has offered programming compassionately removing barriers to recovery for those struggling with addiction. Provides successful addiction treatment throughout Wisconsin for more than 40 years and recently identified a gap in affordable Medically Monitored Treatment services.
• Global Refuge (formerly Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFor 80 years Global Refuge has offered welcome and hope to more than half a million refugees. Since 1939, has transformed lives to welcome the most vulnerable to the United States, supporting, equipping and empowering new Americans while advocating for protective policy.
• Lutheran Office of Public Policy - Wisconsin (LOPPW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn advocacy ministry of the ELCA and part of the Service and Justice unit. Represents coordinated ELCA witness on statewide legislative issues related to five priority areas. Helps educate and network ELCA members across Wisconsin and works with faith-based and secular advocacy groups.
• Reconciling Works (Lutherans for Full Participation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 1974, ReconcilingWorks has advocated for full welcome, inclusion, and equity of LGBTQIA+ Lutherans in all aspects of church life. Operates the Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Program. The synod adopted a 2025 resolution to enter a time of discernment to consider becoming an RIC Synod.
• ELCA World HungercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking with and through ELCA congregations in the US, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, and overseas, ELCA World Hunger responds to root causes of hunger and poverty through health clinics, micro-loans, water wells, animal husbandry, community meals, and advocacy. The synod has a World Hunger Subcommittee.
• ELCA Lutheran Disaster ResponseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerShares God's hope, healing and renewal with people whose lives have been disrupted by disasters in the US and around the world. Provides resources for congregations to get involved, spread awareness, and raise money for people affected by disasters.
• Lutheran World ReliefcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by US Lutherans at the end of World War II, grounded in Lutheran theology. Tackles global poverty by helping people adapt to challenges threatening livelihoods. Works with people based on need regardless of race, religion or nationality without evangelizing. Provides emergency aid and helps families restore lives.
• Lutheran World FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal communion of 148 churches in the Lutheran tradition representing over 77 million Christians in 99 countries. The synod participates in this global communion through ELCA membership, enabling international mission accompaniment and theological reflection.
• ELCA Youth GatheringminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTriennial ELCA Youth Gathering (next: June 28 - July 2, 2027 in Minneapolis, MN) brings together thousands of youth and their leaders for worship, learning, service, and community. The synod promotes and coordinates participation from its member congregations.
• LuMin (Lutheran Campus Ministry - La Crosse)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinistry of the ELCA inviting students from UW-La Crosse, Western Technical College, and Viterbo University on a journey of faith. Supported by the synod's congregations, the ELCA, and individual donors. Pastor Kathryn Thompson serves as campus minister. Facility located at Common Ground Ministry Building.
• Discipleship Matters ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational ministry program offering courses in theological perspectives, preaching, and ministry skills. Partners with Lutheran School of Theology Chicago for Project Starling. Hosts spring session series at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in La Crosse.
• Synod Endowment FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEndowment Fund Board supports long-term synod mission through financial investment. Provides education, promotion, fundraising, and stewardship of endowments for perpetual growth. Funds synod seminarian scholarships, Lutheran Campus Ministry La Crosse, and general synod ministries.
• Engaging Children Initiative (ECI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitiative empowers ministry leaders to engage children in prayer and worship through arts, movement, curiosity, and storytelling. Staffed by Pastor Anna Sorenson and Kendra Wieser. Partners with Luther Park Bible Camp and Sugar Creek Bible Camp. Empowers congregations of all sizes for children's ministry.
• BeFriender MinistrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational ecumenical non-profit providing leadership training and ongoing support for a listening ministry of care in churches, hospitals, and senior living communities. Partnered with synod to provide pastoral care training for the Care Companion Network.
• Lutheran School of Theology ChicagominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLSTC provides Project Starling, an online learning program for those pursuing synodical authorized ministry or wanting to grow ministry skills. A synod cohort of 5-6 members participates, facilitated by Pastor Meg Hoversten.
• Pray Without Ceasing MovementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA prayer movement spanning across and beyond the ELCA, with a mission of uplifting and uniting communities in prayer during times of change. Provides liturgies, resources, and coordination for prayer ministries at the congregational level.
• Southeastern Synod of the ELCAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDomestic partner synod relationship for shared ministry collaboration within the ELCA.
• Bethel Home and ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated in Viroqua, provides skilled nursing, dementia care, assisted living, day care, supportive and personal home care and more.
• Eagle Crest CommunitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormerly Bethany Lutheran Homes, Inc, located in La Crosse County, providing skilled nursing, dementia care, assisted living, day care, supportive and personal home care and more.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA): Parent denomination comprising 65 synods, 3.14M members, and $1.75B in regular offerings; provides governance framework, candidacy, and churchwide programs that the synod executes at the regional level.
• Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS): The other major Lutheran denomination in the US, organized into districts with similar governance structure; functions as a parallel regional ecclesiastical governing body framework for Lutherans in the same geographies.

Direct peers

• South-Central Synod of Wisconsin ELCA: Wisconsin ELCA synod with comparable governance, programs, and regional footprint; one of 65 ELCA synods operating under the same constitutional and financial framework as the La Crosse Area Synod.
• Iglesia Luterana del Perú (IL-P): Companion synod partner since 2004; a national Lutheran church body in Peru with congregations across Lima, Trujillo, Cusco, and other cities — a direct international structural peer.
• Southeastern Minnesota Synod ELCA: Adjacent ELCA synod serving a similar rural Minnesota geography; the closest geographically and structurally comparable peer given the company's own reference to this domestic partner synod relationship.
• Greater Milwaukee Synod ELCA: Another Wisconsin-based ELCA synod with similar governance structure, programs, and Mission Support funding model, serving an urban/suburban footprint in the same state.
• Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren (ECCB): Companion synod partner since 2016; structurally identical as a national Protestant church body with approximately 115,000 members across 230+ congregations — provides a direct cross-border structural peer comparison.

Others

• Lutheran Office of Public Policy - Wisconsin (LOPPW): ELCA advocacy ministry operating at the state level; a sibling organization within the ELCA structure providing coordinated legislative witness on statewide issues — comparable in scale and ELCA alignment.
• Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan (LSS): Core ELCA-affiliated social services partner operating across Wisconsin; comparable in mission-driven nonprofit scale and ELCA organizational alignment but in social services rather than ecclesiastical governance.

Regional players

• Wisconsin Council of Churches: Statewide ecumenical body connecting 21 Christian traditions and approximately 2,000 congregations in Wisconsin; operates as a parallel regional governing/advocacy layer similar to but broader than the synod.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lacrosseareasynod
• Xx.com/lacrossesynod
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lacrosseareasynod

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about La Crosse Area Synod ELCA