LCEF Final

Concordia University St. Paul 1

2015 LCEF National Marketing Competition

Prepared By

Dillon LaHaye

Hillary Minnaert

Nancy Mohammed

Thomas Obarski

Brandon Wagner

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Nancy Harrower

April 10th, 2015


ContentsExecutive Summary.............................................................................................................................3

Background.............................................................................................................................................4

Objective..................................................................................................................................................4

Target Market.........................................................................................................................................4

Sample Selection..................................................................................................................................5

Methodologies........................................................................................................................................5

Data Analysis..........................................................................................................................................5

Survey Analysis.................................................................................................................................5

Interview Analysis...........................................................................................................................10

Consumer Decision Process............................................................................................................12

Recommendations..............................................................................................................................13

The Big Idea..........................................................................................................................................13

1. Bus Tour........................................................................................................................................14

2. Print Ads........................................................................................................................................16

3. Website..........................................................................................................................................20

5. “WE ARE LCEF.” Commercial and Radio Ads...................................................................27

Campaign Budget...............................................................................................................................28

Implementation Process...................................................................................................................29

Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................30

References............................................................................................................................................31


Executive Summary

The Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) was founded to serve and assist members and workers belonging to the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS). In 1978, the Lutheran Church Extension Fund was incorporated to provide financial resources, investment, support services and loans and gifts to help minister, witness and provide outreach for the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Within the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, past history and member education indicates a lack of awareness of the Lutheran Church Extension Fund and its many services. In order to understand the extent of this problem, primary and secondary research was conducted for five weeks. Detailed surveys were administered to LCMS students and faculty at Concordia University St Paul. Personal, phone, and electronic interviews were also carried out with Concordia University faculty, as well as a number of LCMS members and leaders in the community.

The largest barrier is the overall lack of awareness of LCEF, its services and mission. Through data analysis, it was discovered that LCMS members were looking for four main qualities when considering financial investments and opportunities:

1. Greater awareness of LCEF services2. Clean and simplistic presentation of information 3. Easy accessibility to services4. Transparency and personalization of service

In order to satisfy the needs of the consumers, as well as ease the concerns that accompany a high involvement purchasing decision, a strong, high-impact campaign has been developed to build awareness of LCEF and its services offered. The forefront of the campaign is the tag line “WE ARE LCEF.” which projects unity and strength while projecting awareness. A number of marketing tactics are recommended to accomplish this:

1. Summer Midwest bus tour to build awareness and give personal service

2. Implement print ads, commercials and radio to build awareness3. Launch a user-friendly website to improve online involvement4. Redesign social media sites to increase interaction with members


Background

The Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) has been in existence for 37 years, financially assisting and supporting the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS). It was created in order to serve the LCMS by providing financial services that allow the LCMS to sustain its ministry and expand its outreach. Of the 2.2 million baptized LCMS members, LCEF currently provides services to more than 50,000 people. LCEF offers investments, loans, ministry resources, stewardship education, and financial services to LCMS members and actively works to help grow and sustain the church. Under a unified cause, LCEF has strength in service.

Objective

The objective of the research team for the 2015 LCEF National Student Marketing Competition was to develop a comprehensive marketing plan that will raise awareness of LCEF in the LCMS community. The goal of the research team was to develop a multi-tiered marketing plan that will inspire and motivate LCMS members to diligently and actively develop a partnership through an investment, loan, gift, or use of a support service nationwide. The campaign and creative marketing recommendations in this plan will include the history, tradition, mission and values set forth by LCEF and LCMS members. The creative and advanced focus implemented will continue to support the mission to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, provide LCEF resources to empower ministries in Kingdom work and improve awareness of the many services that are available to LCMS members of all ages.

Target Market

The population for this study was easily determined by the objective, which was given by LCEF. In order to raise awareness of LCEF in the LCMS, individuals in those congregations must be considered the primary population. Parameters for the population include the following:

Current LCMS member Currently employed by an LCMS institution, such as a church,

school, or university Affiliated with an LCMS institution, such as a church, school, or

university


Sample Selection

Convenience sampling was the primary method of sampling used in this study. Convenience sampling is the act of the researcher selecting those to participate in the study based on a close proximity to the researcher and convenience. This means that surveys were sent to faculty and staff along with students at Concordia University St Paul who are either enrolled in a church work program or listed themselves as LCMS members when initially applying for Concordia University.

Methodologies

In order to further explore and understand the current level of awareness of LCEF among LCMS members, interviews were conducted with LCMS members, LCMS pastors and church workers, and Concordia University St Paul staff and professors. Emails were exchanged and interviews occurred with 11 different individuals over the course of two weeks.

In addition to interviews, surveys were sent to faculty, staff, and students at Concordia University St. Paul. Group members also sent surveys to personal contacts such as family and friends who are LCMS members or church workers.

Data Analysis

Survey Analysis

A survey was created in order to glean a stronger understanding of the current level of awareness of LCEF within the selected LCMS sample population. The survey was sent to faculty and staff members at Concordia University St Paul, as well as to students who are currently enrolled in a church work program or are identified as LCMS members on the Concordia University St Paul application. Overall, 258 responses were collected from the total group of 543 recipients. The following graphs reflect the data and information analyzed.


1. Have you heard of the Lutheran Church Extension Fund?This question was designed to discover how many people in the sample size have heard of LCEF. There were 178 people who responded to this question with 70.79% having heard of LCEF while 29.21% of respondents have not heard of LCEF.

2. Where did you hear about the Lutheran Church Extension Fund?This question asked participants to select all that applied to where they heard about LCEF. It was revealed that of the respondents that have heard of LCEF, 78.18% heard about LCEF through a congregation. School/University served as the second highest source of information at 43.64%, followed by Friends/Family at 41.82%. This suggests that congregation members are the most responsible for the spread of LCEF awareness.


3. At which financial institution do you currently bank?Survey data shows that only 8% of the participants bank with LCEF. Of those surveyed, 44% use banks, 20% bank with credit unions, and 18% prefer Thrivent. This shows that even among LCMS members, the involvement in LCEF is low and suggests that the biggest competition for LCEF are banks.

4. How do you access financial information?Data shows that most people surveyed preferred to access financial information online; 56.5% used search engines, 49.7% used news websites, and 43.5% preferred using smartphone and tablet Apps. Among conventional methods; which are newspapers, magazines and television, newspapers were the most popular.


5. What forms of media do you use on a daily basis?Most of the participants used online media daily. Only 12% of the respondents used printed media daily. This shows the importance of having a strong presence online in order to provide information and services to customers.

In the open-ended responses, many common themes were discovered. These themes were summarized and quotes were extracted.

6. How can the Lutheran Church Extension Fund improve to meet your needs?

Provide more information so we are aware of how it can help us More savings option Clear content about the financial services they offer Promote savings for young people to go to college, scholarships Share information on campus Speakers explain its services to congregation and other groups Offer workshops Become more accessible locally

Some direct quotes from this question include:

“Work with HR at Concordia to educate us on their offerings.”


“Continue to offer new products, such as student credit union and student loans options. Continue to run the organization with low overhead in order to be able to offer competitive interest rates on investment products.”

“As a student, scholarships would be good. I know one is offered, but it confused me so much I didn’t bother applying.”

7. What are your views on the Lutheran Church Extension Fund?

Great Mission- using invested dollars for capital projects in LCMS congregations, schools, colleges, and universities

Great way to mix savings and ministry Great resource for the Lutheran church and its members. It offers a

vast number of resources that can help people plan for the future An excellent fund Good value for good cause Very positive Support it


“LCEF can be clear, reliably, that they are a church organization. That means 1) We don’t have FDIC and similar protection; 2) We are making a difference for what the church can do in the world and the interest rates are good.”

“They are an admirable and useful Christ-centered service for those seeking financial help in furthering God’s kingdom.”

8. How can the Lutheran Church extension fund improve its awareness in the community?

Advertising on Concordia campus Congregation flyers Active representatives in each LCMS congregation seems the best way

to supplement direct mail, social media, and online presences. Support local mission projects Word of mouth Provide more information about what they do in particular Connecting to the younger generation Partner with Thrivent to build stronger portfolios for investors Provide more information on what it does with the funds



“Any projects they fund/ support could include prominent name placement (e.g., when a church is built using LCEF funds, the construction company billboard could include a citation for LCEF, also describing what it is.)”

“Have a brief video about LCEF that could be played after church service or during a adult/children bible study or Sunday school hour.”

Interview Analysis

Eleven interviews were conducted with LCMS Pastors, Concordia University professors and LCMS members. The main objectives of the research was to gain a stronger understanding of LCMS awareness in general and in LCMS churches, how to increase LCEF awareness to church members and communities in which they are located, and how this impacts LCMS individuals and communities.

The following information is a summary of the interviews that were conducted.

1. Have you heard of the LCEF (Lutheran Church Extension Fund)? How have you heard of it?

The first question asked if the interviewee has heard of LCEF and how they heard of LCEF. Of those interviewed, 9 out of 11 have heard of LCEF from being a member of a LCMS church or from the Concordia University setting. One associate LCMS pastor did not know about LCEF until a district LCEF representative informed him of the organization during his orientation to his assigned church. One LCMS member was only aware of the Young Investors club but not LCEF, another LCMS member had never heard of LCEF.

2. Have you contributed before?

Of the 11 people interviewed, only two have contributed to LCEF.

3. Of what services are you aware?

Even though many interviewed had heard of LCEF, there was still a low or vague awareness of which services are offered. One interviewee shared, “I have heard of LCEF because of a re-roofing project for the church that was done a couple of years ago, but I do not invest with them and don’t know what they offer.”


4. What are your views of LCEF?

Of those who are aware of LCEF, there was a favorable opinion. A campus pastor for Concordia University St Paul said, “They are a real good thing. They are positive for churches and growth, and are a safe investment.”

After describing LCEF to those who were unaware, those interviewed saw potential opportunities for congregations to grow and expand in His word and service.

One LCMS Pastor and Concordia University professor who is an LCEF investor shared, “I have a very positive view of LCEF as they have done much good for the LCMS in expanding God's Word, and I have also benefited professionally from my relationship with the LCEF as a guest to their state and national conventions.”

5. How do you feel LCEF can increase awareness among LCMS members?

Many suggested the power that comes with suggestions from personal friends or congregation members and the spreading of word of mouth. It was also suggested to provide information on services offered to LCMS members by flyers, handouts, or videos.

6. How do you feel LCEF can improve on their services offered?

Some were not aware of the services offered by LCEF and felt that overall improvement of awareness was essential before considering improvement of services. Those who did know of the services thought that a simple, clean, and user-friendly approach would be best for LCEF.

7. Do you have any personal examples of how LCEF has benefited your life, congregation, or community?

The following are a few testimonials from the interviews:

“The first congregation to which I was called invested with and took out loans from the LCEF to fund a building project that doubled the usable space of its campus. Good rates and great mission made LCEF a perfect partner.”

“Both in my congregation where offerings where not always very high they were very forgiving of us when we had to very slow with payments. They allowed us to go on a payment schedule. In fact they refinance the whole thing very easily to make the process easier. Personally I did a consolidation loan through LCEF that ended up having very favorable terms and it was very easy process to take some debt and consolidate it and they mandated as part of that. We got rid of our credit cards. They went through debt counseling so I think that it was a very helpful process that they put us through.”


“In my life the savings account gave a percentage to certain Lutheran organizations that I wanted to support; building programs at my current congregation have made use of LCEF to finance the project.”

8. How important is it for a business to have community or congregation involvement?

In general, most individuals who were interviewed felt that the involvement of businesses in the community is not only helpful to the business in the long run, but a very positive influence on the community. Some individuals felt that they would be more inclined to donate or patronize a business if it were supporting a local cause or congregation.

9. How do you/your community currently put on fund raisers? Where do you look for financial support and contributions?

“We go to our school families for bi-annual fundraisers (in the spring it is a walk-a-thon which is fun for the whole family [and extended family]…while in the fall we put on a banquet that is more “upscale” and intended only for adults and their friends).”

10. Do you (or your family) have a financial advisor?

Six people interviewed have financial advisors, one of whom is through Thrivent.

11. How do you currently access financial information?

Six people interviewed said that they access financial information though newspapers. Others said through magazines, websites, employers, and news websites.

12. Do you currently use any other banking institutions and why?

Many interviewed said that they use banks because they are FDIC insured and convenient. One person said that they use Thrivent because it is well-known.

Consumer Decision Process

Investment and saving choices are considered high involvement purchases that require a lot of time and energy. High involvement purchasing decisions are typically concerned with high dollar values or large personal consequences. During this process, consumers typically consider many different brands, sellers, and product attributes. A considerable amount of time is usually spent searching for information on the topic and many external information sources are used.


After high involvement purchases are made, there is a higher likelihood that the consumer will experience post-purchase cognitive dissonance. This means that the tendency to experience psychological tension or anxiety is much higher after making a high dollar purchase. Individuals making investments fall into this category.

In order to alleviate the concerns experienced in a high involvement purchase, such as investments and savings, it is necessary to provide the consumer with a large amount of comprehensible information. Marketers supply consumers with necessary information via advertisements, personal selling, and social media. These things make the decision process easier for the consumer. Companies also use advertising to reinforce the right purchasing decision the consumer has made.

It is necessary to understand the internal debate the consumer goes through in order to be of better assistance in the purchasing process. Investments require a high amount of involvement and information. Awareness naturally flows from the advertisements, personal selling, and social media pertinent to the consumer decision process.

Recommendations

Based on the data that was analyzed and collected, LCMS members desire several main characteristics concerning financial investments and opportunities:

1. Greater awareness of LCEF services2. Clean and simplistic presentation of information 3. Easy accessibility 4. Transparency and personalization of service

This aligns with the characteristics involved in high involvement purchasing decisions, which include monetary investments. Therefore, it would be pertinent to create an investment process that is simplistic and personal in order to reduce post-purchase cognitive dissonance.

The Big Idea

The big idea that was selected for this campaign was designed to generate awareness of LCEF and appease the needs of LCMS members. “WE ARE LCEF.” is a strong, unified message that can be translated and related easily to the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. “WE ARE LCEF.” conveys a powerful


message and presence that will inspire LCMS members and eliminate the lack of awareness that currently exists.

By instituting this new brand, LCEF is informing LCMS members that together, we are expanding God’s kingdom. This campaign is the beginning of a movement among LCMS members to unite together to provide strength in service. Through each LCEF investment opportunity, we are empowering others to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ while our own finances grow. We need to educate our current and future members of what services LCEF provides to ensure God’s mission is accomplished. With our LCMS members coming together we ensure funds are available now and in the future. Together, WE ARE LCEF.

The tagline of “WE ARE LCEF.” will be delivered throughout the campaign.

Based off of the thorough research that was conducted, the following recommendations are suggested:

1. Bus Tour

Initiating a summer bus tour to LCMS districts and congregations will increase awareness of LCEF to LCMS members in an un-masked and personal manner. Not only does a bus tour command attention, but it also provides a fun way for LCMS members to gather together in His name and learn about the offerings of LCEF. It also brings the information to the congregation members, making it easily accessible.

To begin, five informed LCEF representatives would be selected to participate in the month and a half long summer tour. These representatives will stop at a highly populated congregation in each district every two days. This allows time for preparation and travel between congregations and


allows for members from surrounding, smaller congregations to commute to the larger, more populated area. The congregations that were selected for stops were based on location, a high population, and average attendance. Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, and Wisconsin were selected for tour stops for this campaign.

The tour is designed to be small enough to be a test run for the rest of the districts, but large enough to gauge the effect of the tour. The first stop will be on July 8th, 2015 in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, and will conclude on August 18th, 2015, in Woodbury, Minnesota.

Figure 1. Example of the bus wrap

Upon arrival to the predetermined stops, the representatives will deliver a 30-45 minute presentation on LCEF and how it can serve the congregation and ultimately, the LCMS as a whole. After the presentation, members will have the opportunity to speak with the representatives and sign up for an informative email list and whichever programs they desire to learn more about. To gain further opportunities to inform and build relationships with LCMS members, a barbeque cookout will also follow, allowing time for food


and fellowship. These relationships will generate positive “word of mouth” promotions around each district, allowing the awareness of LCEF to grow drastically.

When the bus tour concludes, it is important for district and congregation LCEF representatives to make follow-ups with the congregations visited. Uniform training and consistent communication allows for a unified message from LCEF. It also gives members the opportunity to sign up for programs or donate to causes on a regular basis. Consumers need to be reminded of products and services provided and follow-ups to these congregations will help with that.

2. Print AdsThe “WE ARE LCEF.” campaign will be utilizing print ads to cover three pieces of information.

Bus Tour dates LCEF investments LCEF member testimonials

These print ads will consist of clean, simplistic and attractive visuals explain information in a relatively uncomplicated manner.

Each print ad can be converted to multiple forms of print media. For instance, the size can easily be adjusted from a magazine print, poster, a bulletin or handout size without losing important information.

The print ads will be distributed through LCMS publications including the Lutheran Witness, the Reporter newspaper, the Portals of Prayer and the Lutheran annual. These print ads will also be featured on the LCEF website, as well as LCEF’s social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Posters will also be distributed to each LCMS congregation that is featured on the bus tour and will be sent to all LCMS congregations after the tour. These ads will be included as an insert into the bulletin and have available in the narthex, or where ever the congregation keeps pamphlets.


Figure 2. Bus tour print ad that advertises the dates and locations of the summer tour


Figure 3. Print testimonials that provide quotes from LCMS members about LCEF

Figure 4. LCEF

Investment print ad explaining specific investment opportunities


3.

Website


To complement a clean, simplistic, and attractive formatting of information, a new user-friendly website design was created. LCMS members have suggested that information be user friendly, easily accessible, and not overwhelming. The website was designed to inform the visitor of LCEF services and events while remaining uncomplicated to retain their attention. It highlights the bus tour and seamlessly incorporates the print ads. Each page of the website captures the “WE ARE” tagline by displaying the following phrases on the stated website page.

WE ARE LCEF. (Home Page) WE ARE HERE. (Bus Tour Page) WE ARE GROWING. (Get Involved Page) WE ARE ONE. (Community Page) WE ARE READY. (Contact Page)

These phrases leading into each website page will give the viewer a sense of unity, which corresponds with our campaign slogan of “WE ARE LCEF.”

The website Home page will feature the mission statement and vision of the “WE ARE LCEF.” Campaign. It will also display a new short video that is meant to provide a visual to the campaign’s vision.

Figure 5. LCEF Home page


The Bus Tour page will provide a short statement regarding the purpose of the Bus Tour and what is included at each event. This statement is meant to give LCMS members a strong understanding of what to look forward to. To conclude the page, the Bus Tour infographic will be on display so that each LCMS member can view when and where the next tour stop is.

Figure 6. LCEF Bus Tour page

The Get Involved page features every investment opportunity presented by the LCEF displayed as an infographic. As mentioned earlier, these infographics present financial information on each investment in a very uncomplicated and appealing way. A new feature on this page is to also display the most popular investment opportunities presented by the LCEF. This will promote a sense of transparency with each member as well as inform them of what their fellow members are utilizing.


Figure 7. LCEF Get Involved page

The Community page will display LCMS member testimonials and pictures from recent LCEF projects and funding initiatives. These pictures and testimonials will help the LCEF build trust with LCMS members and generate a sense of transparency. By displaying how LCEF is involved in the spreading of the Gospel will encourage more members to contribute.

Figure 8. LCEF Community page

The Contact page will display multiple features that will allow LCMS members to become connected with the LCEF. The first feature is a contact form that


is sent directly from the website that will contain the users name, email address and question. This form is sent automatically to the preferred email address. The next feature is an interactive map that is programmed to locate the nearest LCEF representative in relation to the user’s location. The map will then pull up the representative name, location, email address and phone number. This will give the user all information in an easily accessible way. The last feature that displayed is a live chat option. This allows visitors to ask questions and immediately receive answers from an LCEF representative. This chat option would be live during normal business hours allowing personalization and convenience to each member.

Figure 9. LCEF Contact page

Located at the bottom of each page are links to every social media page run by the Lutheran Church Extension Fund. These social media pages have been redesigned to display the clean and simplistic look of the website.

Figure 10. Social media icons at the bottom of each web page


4. Social Media

Each social media profile picture and cover photo has been redesigned to display the clean and simplistic look of the website as well as the “WE ARE LCEF.” Tagline.

Figure 11. LCEF Facebook Page

Figure 12. LCEF Twitter Page


Figure 13. LCEF YouTube Page

Figure 14. LCEF Vimeo Page


Figure 15. LCEF LinkedIn Page

Managing numerous social media accounts can be difficult, especially when trying to increase LCMS member interactions. To combat this, we will be utilizing a third party site called Hootsuite, which combines all social media accounts into one site. This allows for quick response time, generating great interactions. Also, this site allows you to schedule future posts that will be posted on each selected site at the time and date specified. This feature enables LCEF to become more active on social media sites while increasing personal interactions by responding to members quickly.

5. “WE ARE LCEF.” Commercial and Radio Ads

The “WE ARE LCEF.” campaign features two new commercials and a new radio ad that captures what it means to contribute to LCEF. The commercials will be available on LCEF’s Website, YouTube and Vimeo pages as well as the Lutheran Hour. The radio ad will be aired exclusively on the KFUO radio station and the Lutheran Hour.


Figure 16. LCEF Commercial Snapshot

Campaign Budget

The Bus Tour holds the greatest weight of the marketing campaign budget because of the benefits that it offers. It will allow LCEF staff to communicate face to face with LCMS members about investment opportunities through LCEF. With this in mind, $193,000 of the budget will be dedicated to the bus tour. Finances have been allocated for the travel to and from the congregations, wages, lodging, food, travel for the respective district representatives, and miscellaneous expenses.

Print Ads will be a vital tool in the campaign, and will be utilized in many aspects. The finances allotted will fulfill the printing requirement needed. $60,000 will be used on the print ads causing them to be easily accessible which allows for LCMS members to become aware of all personal, ministry, and business partnerships.

The live chat capability featured on the LCEF website is designed to further the interaction with LCEF investors looking for information about products and services. The interaction with the consumer will create a sense of trust in LCEF as a ministry partner, furthering the spreading of the gospel by the


finances they are investing. The $55,000 allocated to the live chat includes the additional staff to handle the increased volume of interactions. The budget will also be utilized in the design, upkeep of the chat technology, and wages.

Social media, commercial advertisement, and radio advertisement will also play a key role in the increasing of awareness among LCMS members of LCEF investment opportunities. $42,000 will be used to create and air the content.

Figure 17. Breakdown of Budget


Implementation Process

To implement the recommendations suggested, an eight-step process was created. This process gives order and structure to the recommendations as well as a generic timeline for when events should occur. Below, Figure 17 shows the implementation process in detail.

Figure 18. Implementation Process


Conclusion

The Lutheran Church Extension Fund acts as a financial partner for schools, congregations, and rostered church workers associated with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. It is the lending arm of the LCMS and works to plant, sustain, and revitalize distinctly LCMS churches and institutions. However, LCEF has been under-utilized in the LCMS due primarily to a lack of awareness. Through extensive research, it has been discovered that LCMS members are looking for three main qualities in a financial investment company:

Greater awareness of services Clean and simplistic presentation of information Easy accessibility Transparency and personalization

The “WE ARE LCEF.” campaign is designed to dramatically increase brand awareness and meet the needs of LCMS members. Using these multiple, integrated tactics that utilize personal outreach, awareness can be gained by LCMS members and congregations. This plan is multi-tiered and dimensional in order to reach and unify members of all ages. The bus tour, print advertising, social media, and other tactics demonstrate a creative yet traditional approach that brings information to members while increasing trust, involvement, strength, and awareness.


References

About LCEF. (n.d.). Retrieved January 20, 2015, from http://lcef.org/about/index.cfm

Hawkins, D., & Mothersbaugh, D. (2010). Consumer Behavior: Building Marketing Strategy(11th ed., p. 133). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Member Profile. (2007, January 1). Retrieved February 1, 2015, from http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/D_887_p.asp

MyAccount. (n.d.). Retrieved January 20, 2015, from http://lcef.org/myaccount/index.cfm

PartnerPLUS Term Note. (n.d.). Retrieved January 20, 2015, from http://lcef.org/investments/partnerplus-bus.cfm

Planned Giving. (n.d.). Retrieved January 20, 2015, from http://gifting.lcef.org/

Summary of Key Findings. (2008, January 1). Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://religions.pewforum.org/reports

Third 2014 Charter Will Provide Affordable Financial Services to the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. (n.d.). Retrieved January 20, 2015, from http://www.ncua.gov/News/Pages/NW20141223Charter.aspx

http://www.ncua.gov/News/Pages/NW20141223Charter.aspx

http://religions.pewforum.org/reports

http://gifting.lcef.org/

http://lcef.org/investments/partnerplus-bus.cfm

http://lcef.org/myaccount/index.cfm

http://lcef.org/about/index.cfm

Documents

LCEF Final