Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

What does Thrivent own?
Thrivent owns its insurance operations, Thrivent Asset Management and the Thrivent Mutual Funds family, its advisor broker-dealer network, and Thrivent Charitable Impact & Investing. It manages $212 billion in client assets and holds $230 billion of life insurance in force.

Is Thrivent publicly traded?
No. Thrivent is a fraternal benefit society owned by its members. It issues no stock and cannot be bought on an exchange.

When was Thrivent founded?
Thrivent was formed on January 1, 2002, by the merger of two fraternal insurers: Aid Association for Lutherans (1902) and Lutheran Brotherhood (1917).

Who owns Thrivent?
Its members own it. Clients who hold Thrivent insurance or investment products share in the organization's results through dividends and policy enhancements, a structure similar to a mutual insurer.

Who do you have to be to join Thrivent?
Membership is open to Christians. The organization expanded beyond its original Lutheran-only membership in 2014 while keeping the legal name Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

What is Thrivent's market position?
It is one of the largest fraternal benefit societies and a Fortune 500 company, with $212 billion in assets under management and advisement and a record $18.2 billion surplus as of the end of 2025.

Thrivent's two predecessor organizations were founded in the early 20th century to provide insurance within Lutheran communities excluded from or underserved by commercial carriers. Aid Association for Lutherans began in 1902 in Appleton, Wisconsin, and Lutheran Brotherhood followed in 1917 in Minneapolis. Both grew into large fraternal insurers with national membership over the 20th century.

The organizations merged on January 1, 2002, forming Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, headquartered in Minneapolis. The combined entity immediately ranked among the largest fraternal insurers in the country.

Two decisions reshaped the modern organization. In 2014, the board voted to extend membership beyond Lutherans to all Christians, reflecting a broader addressable market while retaining the faith-based identity. In 2020, the organization rebranded, dropping "Financial for Lutherans" from market-facing use in favor of simply Thrivent, though the legal name persists.

Growth continued on the financial side. Assets under management and advisement crossed $200 billion in mid-2025, ending the year at $212 billion. The 2025 annual report showed a record $18.2 billion in total adjusted surplus, $2.0 billion in life and health benefits paid, and $555 million returned to members through dividends and policy enhancements. The organization expects to pay a record $590 million in member dividends and enhancements in 2026.

For a fraternal benefit society, mission and ethics are the product. Thrivent's 2025 annual report described a record year of generosity: $555 million in dividends and product enhancements returned to members and substantial funding for Habitat for Humanity and disaster relief programs, causes the organization has supported for decades.

The organization screens investments through values-based guidelines consistent with its Christian identity, offering faith-aligned portfolios that avoid certain industries. As a nonprofit fraternal, third-party certifications such as B Corp are not applicable, but governance follows the disclosure norms of state-regulated insurers.