Lasing modes of laser-diode-pumped fiber grating lasers are analyzed by coupled-mode theory. First, a power series solution of the coupled-mode equations is derived under the assumption of an exponentially-decreasing longitudinal modal gain profile for a laser-diode-pumped grating section, followed by determination of the transfer matrix for such a section. Based on these results, an eigenvalue equation for oscillation is then derived and solved numerically for the lasing modes of uniform and phase-shifted fiber grating lasers. Comparisons made with the uniform-gain results indicate that, surprisingly, the lasing mode characteristics are not as significantly altered as might be expected in most cases, even for a highly nonuniform gain profile. In the case of a phase-shifted grating, the phase-shift position appears to have a much greater impact on determining the threshold gain, the modal field distribution, and the front-to-back output power ratio.