After World War I, the Hermannsburg Mission turned over all work in India to the Americans because of impoverished conditions in Germany at that time. The membership of the SALC are mostly on low levels of the economic scale. Although the church is heavily rural, most of the people are landless, and many are unemployed or poorly paid. Nevertheless, the church is committed to work toward self-sufficiency. Also, the church has some income-producing investments which came from converting the use of its property.
Education is high on the agenda of the church.
The SALC maintains ten elementary schools, five secondary schools, and one industrial school. Church hostels also help young people from rural areas to continue their education. Two hostels, one for men and one for women, are located near the university colleges in Tirupati. A student center also serves the needs of college students. The SALC has been a part of the Telugu Indigenous Curriculum Project, which aids several different Telugu-speaking churches in Christian education in homes as well as churches.