Thrivent

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans (marketing name Thrivent) (/ˈθraɪvɪnt/ THRYVE-int) is an American Fortune 500 not-for-profit financial services organization headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Appleton, Wisconsin, and founded by Lutherans. As a member-owned fraternal benefit society, it operates under a chapter system, serving nearly 2.3 million members. Operating through its local chapters nationwide, Thrivent and its subsidiaries offer financial products and services including life insurance, annuities, mutual funds, disability income insurance, credit union products, money management, brokerage services, and retirement planning. The organization and its members provide volunteer services to charitable organizations and schools. For example, Thrivent members reportedly volunteered more than 8.6 million hours in 2013 and contributed $182.7 million in that year to organizations and activities that aim to strengthen families and communities. In June 2013, members voted to allow non-Lutheran Christians to join, and as a result in March 2014 the marketing name for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans was shortened to Thrivent Financial. In the summer of 2020, the marketing name was changed to Thrivent. Thrivent Financial was officially formed on January 1, 2002, with the merger of Aid Association for Lutherans (AAL) and Lutheran Brotherhood (LB), which had been established in 1902 and 1917 respectively. The merger formed the largest fraternal benefit society in the United States. In the late 19th and early 20th century, the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod forbade its members to join fraternal societies because they required initiation rites and secret oaths.