The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod has a long history in the United States with its roots deep in the rich limestone soil of Missouri. Like-minded congregations gathered together and formed our Synod. They banded together to work for a common goal and for the mutual benefit of its Members, Churches and Ministry.
Our Saxon forefathers who settled in the United States in the early to mid 1800s brought their cherished biblical beliefs with them. The synod concept was very similar to the cooperative or guild that European craftsmen had used successfully for 500 years before our Synod's founding. Craftsmen of a similar trade would form a trade association or guild known today as a cooperative. The silversmiths did silverwork, the coopers made wooden barrels and the ironworkers did blacksmith work. By concentrating their talents and pooling their resources the cooperative made a better life for their families and themselves. The quality of goods and services also increased as the cooperatives set quality and skill standards for their product. The public realized a product built or produced by a trade or craftsmen cooperative was of high quality and workmanship. This in turn increased the business to the cooperative. The craftsmen members of the cooperative would set prices and wages, handle quality control, hire apprentices and journeymen in training and employ those that qualified.
Cooperatives also took the concepts of working together toward a common goal with mutual benefits to all of its members beyond goods and services into the area of finance, healthcare and retirement.
They pooled their financial resources and set up retirement plans, healthcare, disability funds, life insurance and even their own banks and lending institutions. The results of the pooling of the cooperative's resources was a tremendous benefit as the cooperative (through its strength in member incomes pooled toward a common goal) was able to buy other goods and services at a tremendous discount and pass on those savings to its cooperative members. The purchasing power of cooperative member dollars was enhanced due to the bulk purchasing power of the cooperative.
All of us at one time or another has seen the wonders of cooperative purchasing power. We buy canned goods at the grocery store in bulk to get a better price per item. We shop at Sams club or Costco. We get discounts on our insurance if we insure another car on that same policy or have our home insured with the same insurance company that insures our car.
AAL / Lutheran Brotherhood now known as Thrivent was similar in concept. They were mutual benefit associations that gave back a portion of their profits to their members in dividends or grants to the members churches, parochial schools or qualified ministries. The members of AAL / Lutheran Brotherhood belonged to a cooperative founded for the mutual benefit of Lutheran families and ministries. They provided life insurance and mutual funds to their members and distributed some of these profits to their member churches and ministries in the form of grants.
Lutheran Cooperative Network intends to build on the success of our Saxon ancestors. Their cooperatives, Synod formation and mutual benefit associations such as AAL & Lutheran Brotherhood worked well. By using the power of cooperative buying we can deliver a product or service at competitive prices to your home or place of business. We can take the discount received and give 20% rebates back to your Church. This rebate percentage would double to 40% to your Church, District, Synod and other Lutheran Ministries if your church chooses to participate in one or more optional LCN promotional ideas or even has an idea of their own to help LCN spread our ministry concept. Optional LCN promotional ideas are as follows:
- Your church allows us to use their church membership mailing list simply to send a catalog of vitamins and information of other products LCN now offers.
- Your church will allow us to provide bulletin inserts for your members informing of any rebates your church receives resulting from the purchase of any LCN products by your church members.
- Your church allows an LCN representative to present a brief introduction of LCN during Sunday School or after a church service.
If all Lutherans would pool their resources and buy the same brand of vitamins, use the same long distance service, purchase cellular phones, take vacations at the same selected hotels/resorts, use other LCN products we now offer or, the discounts coming back to our Lutheran Churches and Ministries would be tremendous. This massive inflow of funds could enhance the ministry of the Gospel throughout the USA and the world. And yet we are not asking you to give a dime to our ministry as a contribution or gift. Lutheran Cooperative Network only asks that you and your family use our products and services and LCN will do the rest. As the Lutheran Cooperative Network grows we will add more products and services to our network.
When Lutheran Cooperative Network reaches 2,500 members or families we can issue our own Credit Cards through a cooperating bank. The Credit Cards will carry the Lutheran Cooperative Network name and logo. The Credit Cards will rebate back to the Lutheran Cooperative Network of 1% of all of your purchases! Lutheran Cooperative Network (with computer software) will take that of 1% of your purchase rebates and return a portion of it to your Church. A portion of it will stay with Lutheran Cooperative Network to cover our expenses and some will go to Lutheran Ministries chosen by Lutheran Cooperative Network such as Petra Lutheran Ministries, Lutheran World Relief and more.
Lutheran Cooperative Network is a 501 (C) (3) nonprofit and is a family member of Petra Lutheran Ministries and Petra Community Housing Development Corporation. Regardless of what member Church or District gets a rebate from its members purchases some Ministries will always receive a portion of every member purchase. These are core ministries and also include support of staff salaries and expenses for Lutheran Cooperative Network.
Our different products will have different rebates:
- Our Vitamins will rebate 50% of the price
- Our Juice Plus products rebate is 15%
- Our Long Distance Service 8%- 12% of the price
- Our Multi-Vendor Cell Phone Plans rebate is $40.00 (one time amount)
- Our Health Care Program $100.00 per family signed up
- Our Condo Rentals rebate is 5% of the price to LCN, plus an additional 5% to members
- Wealth Management Services/Financial Planning rebate is 10%
- Our Credit Card (when activated) will rebate of 1% on a member's spending
* Lutheran Cooperative Network/Petra Lutheran Ministries/Elderly Housing will receive 38% of all rebates and fees to operate Lutheran Cooperative Network and to fund affordable housing for the elderly and its associated ministries.
* The purchasing members Church will receive 20%-40% of the rebates depending on their churchs willingness to help promote LCN as described above.
* The member's District will receive from 2.5% - 5% of all rebates and fees depending on its willingness to help LCN as described above.
* Our Synod will receive 2.5%-5% of all rebates and fees depending on its willingness to help LCN as described above.
* The Church Doctor will receive 1% of all rebates.
* PLI will receive 1% of all rebates.
* The remaining 10% of the rebates and fees will go to RSOs and associated Lutheran Ministries that are selected by LCN for their financial needs and ministry outreach on a quarterly basis.
* There may be some percentage left of rebates due to a members Church, District or Synod not choosing to participate in one or more optional ideas to aid LCN in our outreach to Lutherans. In that case these left over amounts will go to RSOs and associated Lutheran Ministries selected by LCN.
Lets give an example to illustrate how Lutheran Cooperative Network can work for your ministry:
John Smith is a member of an LCMS Lutheran Church and really believes in the Lutheran Cooperative Network. He purchases Vitamns and Long Distance Service and takes a one week vacation at a Condo in Cancun that is a member of the LCN discount network.
- He spends $100.00 on our Nutritional Supplements and Vitamins
- He signs up for our Long Distance Service at 3.9¢ per minute with no monthly fee and spends $50.00 on long distance calls
- He takes a vacation at a nice Condo in Cancun, Mexico that participates with the LCN discount program and his weekly stay costs him $700.00 for the oceanfront Condo
Mr. Smith's uses of LCN products, services and a participating vendor allows Lutheran Cooperative Network to receive:
- $ 50.00 Vitamin rebate (50%)
- $ 4.00 Long Distance rebate (8%)
- $ 35.00 Condo rebate (5%) (Note: Mr. Smith also personally receives $35.00)
$ 89.00 rebates received by LCN
From this $ 89.00:
- John Smith's Church participates in one or more of our LCN optional promotional ideas (or creates a promotional idea of their own) and receives 40% of all rebates
- John Smith's District participates in one or more of our LCN optional promotional ideas (or creates a promotional idea of their own) and receives 5% of all rebates
- The Synod participates in one or more of our LCN optional promotional ideas (or creates a promotional idea of their own) and receives 5% of all rebates
- LCN / Petra Lutheran Ministries / Elderly Housing receives 38% of all rebates
- The Church Doctor Ministry receives 1% of all rebates
- PLI Ministry receives 1% of all rebates
- LCN gives the final 10% to RSO's and Lutheran Ministries selected by LCN
So in summary, John Smith (by using LCN products, services and participating LCN vendors) has given to the Lord's work...
- $ 35.60 to his Lutheran Church
- $ 4.45 to his District
- $ 4.45 to his Synod
- $ 8.90 to selected RSO's
- $ 33.82 to LCN / Petra Lutheran Ministries / Elderly Housing
- $ .89 to The Church Doctor
- $ .89 to PLI
...for a total of $89.00.
LCN also sends John Smith a tax statement at the end of the year showing him he made an $89 gift to charity and can use this amount to reduce his taxes.
Again, if you grasp the LCN concept many goods or services Lutherans purchase can be bought at a discount from participating vendors or service providers. Real estate agents, financial planners, doctors, attorneys, plumbers, etc. can give rebates to LCN members and send the rebates to LCN. It is anticipated in some states where utilities have been deregulated LCN can even sell electricity and natural gas and in effect become your utility company. Gas station companies can give LCN rebates on gas charged on our LCN credit cards. The list of possibilities are endless and within our grasp. The larger LCN becomes the more purchasing power we have with vendors and the greater revenue that can flow to Lutheran Church Ministries.
This is what Lutheran Cooperative Network (LCN) is all aboutEutherans with common goals banding together for a mutual benefit.
Though one may be overpowered two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.E Ecclesiastes 4:12
I invite your church or ministry to come join us today and expand The Gospel with LCN rebates and fees. These dollars are returned to you out of the purchasing power of your members. Remember, LCN is not asking for one dollar in gifts or contributions. LCN is only asking for your members to try our products, services and participating vendors that support the cooperative concept of giving to the Gospel.
Lutheran Cooperative Network plans to add to its lists of products and services. These new items will rebate a percentage of members purchasing dollars to LCN for ministry distribution. These new products and services will be in the area of:
- Canadian Pharmacy Prescriptions for seniors at a substantial discount (pending)
- Senior Home Care
- Real Estate (buying or selling homes)
- Mortgage and Home Equity Loans
- Business Loans
- Full Service Travel Agency
- Cruise Ship Vacations
- Credit Card Service
- Coupon and Gift Certificates that can be used at major retailers, grocery stores and restaurants
- Car and Truck Purchases
- Online Retail Stores
Respectfully,
Arthur Snyder, President
Lutheran Cooperative Network