American Lutheran Church
Encyclopedia
The American Lutheran Church (ALC or sometimes TALC) was a Christian
Protestant denomination
in the United States
that existed from 1960 to 1987. Its headquarters was in Minneapolis, Minnesota
. Upon its formation in 1960, the ALC designated Augsburg Publishing House (est. 1891), also located in Minneapolis, as the church publisher. The Lutheran Standard was the official magazine of the ALC.
The ALC's immigrant heritage came mostly from Germany
, Norway
, Sweden
, and Denmark
, and its demographic center was in the Upper Midwest
(with especially large numbers in Minnesota
). Theologically, the church was influenced by pietism
. It was slightly more conservative than the Lutheran Church in America
(LCA), with which it would eventually merge, and officially taught biblical inerrancy in its constitution (although seldom enforced it by means of heresy trials and the like).
The ALC was a founding member of the Lutheran Council in the United States of America
, which began on January 1, 1967. The ALC cooperated with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in many ventures, but ties would end when talks concerning a merger with the Lutheran Church in America
began.
In 1966, Canadian congregations of the ALC formed the autonomous Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada
(ELCC), which in 1986 joined with the Lutheran Church in America – Canada Section (LCA-CS) to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
(ELCIC).
The ALC began ordaining women as ministers in December 1970, when the Rev. Barbara Andrews became the second woman ordained as a Lutheran minister in the United States. The first Native American
woman to become a Lutheran minister in the United States, the Rev. Marlene Whiterabbit Helgemo, was ordained by the ALC in July 1987.
, established in 1917 and known from its founding until 1946 as the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America (NLCA). The NLCA had itself been formed from a merger of the Hauge Synod
(est. 1876), the Norwegian Synod (est. 1853) and the United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America
(est. 1890).
, founded in 1896 and known until 1946 as the United Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church. The UDELC had been formed from a merger of the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Association in America (or Blair Church) (est. 1884) and the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in North America (or North Church) (est. 1894).
, which had broken away from the United Norwegian Lutheran Church in 1897, joined The ALC on February 1, 1963. (Forty Lutheran Free Church congregations chose not to participate in the merger, and instead formed the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations
, today the fifth-largest Lutheran denomination in the U.S. with over 250 congregations.)
On 1 January 1988, the American Lutheran Church ceased to exist when it, along with the Lutheran Church in America
and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches
, joined together to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
. At the time of the merger, the ALC was the third-largest Lutheran church body in the United States, behind the Lutheran Church in America
and the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
. The ALC brought approximately 2.25 million members into the ELCA. Twelve ALC congregations that did not want to participate in the merger formed the American Association of Lutheran Churches
, which has since grown to 87 congregations.
Use of the term Presiding Bishop approved in 1980.
History of the bodies that eventually joined into the ALC
Doctrine book from the old ALC:
Note: The below papers reflect the viewpoints of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
(WELS), a conservative body opposed to ecumenism.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Protestant denomination
Religious denomination
A religious denomination is a subgroup within a religion that operates under a common name, tradition, and identity.The term describes various Christian denominations...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that existed from 1960 to 1987. Its headquarters was in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
. Upon its formation in 1960, the ALC designated Augsburg Publishing House (est. 1891), also located in Minneapolis, as the church publisher. The Lutheran Standard was the official magazine of the ALC.
The ALC's immigrant heritage came mostly from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, and its demographic center was in the Upper Midwest
Upper Midwest
The Upper Midwest is a region in the northern portion of the U.S. Census Bureau's Midwestern United States. It is largely a sub-region of the midwest. Although there are no uniformly agreed-upon boundaries, the region is most commonly used to refer to the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and...
(with especially large numbers in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
). Theologically, the church was influenced by pietism
Pietism
Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century and later. It proved to be very influential throughout Protestantism and Anabaptism, inspiring not only Anglican priest John Wesley to begin the Methodist movement, but also Alexander Mack to...
. It was slightly more conservative than the Lutheran Church in America
Lutheran Church in America
The Lutheran Church in America was a U.S. and Canadian Lutheran church body that existed from 1962 to 1987. It was headquartered in New York City and its publishing house was Fortress Press....
(LCA), with which it would eventually merge, and officially taught biblical inerrancy in its constitution (although seldom enforced it by means of heresy trials and the like).
The ALC was a founding member of the Lutheran Council in the United States of America
Lutheran Council in the United States of America
The Lutheran Council in the United States of America was an ecumenical organization of American Lutherans that existed from 1967 to 1988. Succeeding the National Lutheran Council, it was founded by four Lutheran church bodies: the Lutheran Church in America, the American Lutheran Church, the...
, which began on January 1, 1967. The ALC cooperated with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in many ventures, but ties would end when talks concerning a merger with the Lutheran Church in America
Lutheran Church in America
The Lutheran Church in America was a U.S. and Canadian Lutheran church body that existed from 1962 to 1987. It was headquartered in New York City and its publishing house was Fortress Press....
began.
In 1966, Canadian congregations of the ALC formed the autonomous Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada was a Lutheran Christian denomination active in Canada from 1966 to 1985. Prior to gaining autonomy, its congregations comprised the Canada District of the American Lutheran Church. The first presiding officer of the ELCC was the Rev. Dr Karl Holfeld...
(ELCC), which in 1986 joined with the Lutheran Church in America – Canada Section (LCA-CS) to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada's largest Lutheran denomination, with 152,788 baptized members in 624 congregations, with the second largest, the Lutheran Church–Canada, having 72,116 baptized members...
(ELCIC).
The ALC began ordaining women as ministers in December 1970, when the Rev. Barbara Andrews became the second woman ordained as a Lutheran minister in the United States. The first Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
woman to become a Lutheran minister in the United States, the Rev. Marlene Whiterabbit Helgemo, was ordained by the ALC in July 1987.
Formation
The American Lutheran Church was formed in 1960 out of the following Lutheran church bodies:American Lutheran Church (1930)
The first American Lutheran Church was formed in 1930 from a merger of the German Iowa Synod (est. 1854), Buffalo Synod (est. 1845) and the Evangelical Lutheran Joint Synod of Ohio (est. 1818). After 1960, this body was informally referred to as the "old American Lutheran Church," to distinguish it from the body of the same name into which it had been absorbed.Presidents of ALC
- Carl Christian HeinCarl Christian HeinCarl Christian Hein was an influential American Lutheran clergyman.Born in Wiesbaden, Germany, Hein moved to the United States in 1884. He was became pastor of a Lutheran church in Marion, Wisconsin in 1889, and then moved to Detroit, Michigan in 1891, where he became pastor of a church there...
1930–1937 - Emmanuel F. Poppen 1937–1950
- Henry F. Schuh 1951–1960
Colleges of ALC
- Capital UniversityCapital UniversityCapital University is a private liberal arts university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Bexley, Ohio, founded in 1830. In addition to its rigorous liberal arts program, the university also offers a reputable adult degree program in Columbus, Ohio. It is one of the oldest...
- Wartburg CollegeWartburg CollegeWartburg College is a selective four-year liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Waverly, Iowa. Wartburg West is in Denver, Colorado....
- Texas Lutheran UniversityTexas Lutheran UniversityTexas Lutheran University is an undergraduate, private, coeducational university affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The University was founded in 1891, and currently serves approximately 1,400 students each semester....
- Luther College (Saskatchewan)Luther College (Saskatchewan)Luther College is a college and high school located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The university portion of Luther College is located on the campus of the University of Regina and is a federated college. The high school is located at a separate site in the McNab neighbourhood of Northwest Regina...
Seminaries of ALC
- CapitalTrinity Lutheran SeminaryTrinity Lutheran Seminary is an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America seminary located in Columbus, Ohio.-Background:In 1830, the German Theological Seminary of the Ohio Synod, later known as the Evangelical Lutheran Theological Seminary, was founded to meet the need for educating pastors in the...
(Columbus, Ohio) - WartburgWartburg Theological SeminaryWartburg Theological Seminary is a Lutheran seminary located in Dubuque, Iowa. It offers three graduate-level degrees , a TEEM Certificate, and a Diploma in Anglican Studies, all of which are accredited by the Association of Theological Schools and the Higher Learning Commission of the...
(Dubuque, Iowa)
Evangelical Lutheran Church
The Evangelical Lutheran ChurchEvangelical Lutheran Church (United States)
The Evangelical Lutheran Church or ELC was formed in 1917 as the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America .-Background:The Norwegian Lutheran Church of America was formed by merger of the Hauge Synod , the Norwegian Synod , and the United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America...
, established in 1917 and known from its founding until 1946 as the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America (NLCA). The NLCA had itself been formed from a merger of the Hauge Synod
Hauge Synod
The Hauge Synod, was the name of a Norwegian Lutheran church body in the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century.-Background:...
(est. 1876), the Norwegian Synod (est. 1853) and the United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America
United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America
The United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America was the result of the union formed in 1890 between the Norwegian Augustana Synod , the Conference of the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America , and the Anti-Missourian Brotherhood .In 1897, a group of churches left the UNLC and...
(est. 1890).
United Evangelical Lutheran Church
The United Evangelical Lutheran ChurchUnited Evangelical Lutheran Church
The United Evangelical Lutheran Church was one of the many denominations formed when Lutherans came to the United States from Europe...
, founded in 1896 and known until 1946 as the United Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church. The UDELC had been formed from a merger of the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Association in America (or Blair Church) (est. 1884) and the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in North America (or North Church) (est. 1894).
Additional member
The American Lutheran Church was joined in 1963 by the following Lutheran church body:Lutheran Free Church
The Lutheran Free ChurchLutheran Free Church
The Lutheran Free Church was a Lutheran denomination that existed in the United States from 1897 to 1963 mainly in Minnesota and North Dakota...
, which had broken away from the United Norwegian Lutheran Church in 1897, joined The ALC on February 1, 1963. (Forty Lutheran Free Church congregations chose not to participate in the merger, and instead formed the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations
Association of Free Lutheran Congregations
Association of Free Lutheran Congregations is the fifth largest Lutheran church body in the United States. The AFLC includes congregations in 27 different states, as well as four Canadian provinces. The AFLC is not an incorporated synod, but a free association. Each local congregation is a separate...
, today the fifth-largest Lutheran denomination in the U.S. with over 250 congregations.)
Merger
Lutheran Church in America
The Lutheran Church in America was a U.S. and Canadian Lutheran church body that existed from 1962 to 1987. It was headquartered in New York City and its publishing house was Fortress Press....
and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches
Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches
The Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches was a U.S. church body that existed from 1976 through the end of 1987. The AELC formed when approximately 250 dissident congregations withdrew from the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod in 1976, and ended as an independent body when it became part...
, joined together to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA officially came into existence on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three churches. As of December 31, 2009, it had 4,543,037 baptized members, with 2,527,941 of them...
. At the time of the merger, the ALC was the third-largest Lutheran church body in the United States, behind the Lutheran Church in America
Lutheran Church in America
The Lutheran Church in America was a U.S. and Canadian Lutheran church body that existed from 1962 to 1987. It was headquartered in New York City and its publishing house was Fortress Press....
and the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod is a traditional, confessional Lutheran denomination in the United States. With 2.3 million members, it is both the eighth largest Protestant denomination and the second-largest Lutheran body in the U.S. after the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Synod...
. The ALC brought approximately 2.25 million members into the ELCA. Twelve ALC congregations that did not want to participate in the merger formed the American Association of Lutheran Churches
American Association of Lutheran Churches
The American Association of Lutheran Churches was formed on November 7, 1987 as an alternative choice for churches in The American Lutheran Church denomination who did not want to be part of the merger with two other Lutheran church bodies, Lutheran Church in America , & American Evangelical...
, which has since grown to 87 congregations.
Presidents/Presiding Bishops of ALC
- 1960 - 1970 Fredrik A. SchiotzFredrik A. SchiotzRev. Dr. Fredrik Axel Schiotz was an American Lutheran Church leader, president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, President of the Lutheran World Federation and Presiding Bishop of The American Lutheran Church.-Biography:...
- 1971 - 1973 Kent S. Knutson
- 1973 - 1987 David W. Preus
Use of the term Presiding Bishop approved in 1980.
Colleges
- Augsburg CollegeAugsburg CollegeAugsburg College is a selective liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Augsburg was named for the Augsburg Confession, the document of Lutheran belief. The school was founded in 1869 in Marshall, Wisconsin as Augsburg Seminary and moved...
- Augustana College (South Dakota)Augustana College (South Dakota)Augustana College is a private, liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. The campus makes the school the largest private university in South Dakota...
- California Lutheran UniversityCalifornia Lutheran UniversityCalifornia Lutheran University is a university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Thousand Oaks, California.-Mission statement:The University's mission statement is as follows:...
- Capital UniversityCapital UniversityCapital University is a private liberal arts university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Bexley, Ohio, founded in 1830. In addition to its rigorous liberal arts program, the university also offers a reputable adult degree program in Columbus, Ohio. It is one of the oldest...
- Concordia College, MoorheadConcordia College, MoorheadConcordia College is a private liberal arts school located in Moorhead, Minnesota, United States. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and offers bachelors' degrees in the arts and music, as well as a master's degree in education. The college was founded by Norwegian...
- Dana CollegeDana CollegeDana College is a now defunct baccalaureate college located in Blair, Nebraska. Its rural 150-acre campus is approximately 25 miles northwest of Omaha, and overlooks a portion of the Missouri River Valley....
- Luther College (Iowa)Luther College (Iowa)Luther College is a four-year, residential liberal arts institution of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, located in Decorah, Iowa, USA...
- Pacific Lutheran UniversityPacific Lutheran UniversityPacific Lutheran University is located in Parkland, a suburb of Tacoma, Washington. In September 2009, PLU had a student population of 3,582 and approximately 280 full-time faculty...
- St. Olaf CollegeSt. Olaf CollegeSt. Olaf College is a coeducational, residential, four-year, private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American immigrant pastors and farmers, led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after Olaf II of Norway,...
- Texas Lutheran UniversityTexas Lutheran UniversityTexas Lutheran University is an undergraduate, private, coeducational university affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The University was founded in 1891, and currently serves approximately 1,400 students each semester....
- Wartburg CollegeWartburg CollegeWartburg College is a selective four-year liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Waverly, Iowa. Wartburg West is in Denver, Colorado....
- Waldorf Jr. CollegeWaldorf CollegeWaldorf College, located in Forest City, Iowa, is a four-year liberal arts, for-profit college.Founded in 1903, the college was affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America until 2009, when, due to financial problems, the college was sold to for-profit Mayes Education, owner of...
now a 4 year college - Oak Grove Lutheran High School, Fargo, North Dakota
Seminaries
- The Evangelical Lutheran Theological SeminaryTrinity Lutheran SeminaryTrinity Lutheran Seminary is an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America seminary located in Columbus, Ohio.-Background:In 1830, the German Theological Seminary of the Ohio Synod, later known as the Evangelical Lutheran Theological Seminary, was founded to meet the need for educating pastors in the...
, Columbus, Ohio (shared with LCA) - Luther Theological Seminary, Saint Paul, Minnesota (shared with LCA)
- Wartburg Theological SeminaryWartburg Theological SeminaryWartburg Theological Seminary is a Lutheran seminary located in Dubuque, Iowa. It offers three graduate-level degrees , a TEEM Certificate, and a Diploma in Anglican Studies, all of which are accredited by the Association of Theological Schools and the Higher Learning Commission of the...
, Dubuque, Iowa - Pacific Lutheran Theological SeminaryPacific Lutheran Theological SeminaryPacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, California is a seminary affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is a member school of the Graduate Theological Union...
, Berkeley, California (shared with LCA)
National Conventions
- 1960 ALC Constituting Convention, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- 1962 1st, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- 1964 2nd, Columbus, Ohio
- 1966 3rd, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- 1968 4th, Omaha, Nebraska
- 1970 5th, San Antonio, Texas
- 1972 6th, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- 1974 7th, Detroit, Michigan
- 1976 8th, Washington, D.C.
- 1978 9th, Moorhead, Minnestota
- 1980 10th, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- 1982 11th, San Diego, California
- 1984 12th, Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota
- 1986 13th, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- 1987 Closing convention, Columbus, Ohio
External links
- The American Lutheran Church (1960-87)
- American Lutheran Church (1930-60)
- ELCA predecessor church bodies
History of the bodies that eventually joined into the ALC
- Wolf, Edmund Jacob. The Lutherans in America; a story of struggle, progress, influence and marvelous growth. New York: J.A. Hill. 1889.
Doctrine book from the old ALC:
- Nervig, Casper B. Christian Truth and Religious Delusions, Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1941.
Note: The below papers reflect the viewpoints of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod is a North American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as theologically conservative, it was founded in 1850 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As of 2008, it had a baptized membership of over 389,364 in more than 1,290 congregations,...
(WELS), a conservative body opposed to ecumenism.
- The Doctrinal Situation of Three Merging Churches by John Baumgart
- A Brief Factual Presentation Of The Historical Development Of Efforts Toward Lutheran Unity In The U. S. A. by Max Lehninger
- A Basic Doctrinal Difference Among Lutherans by Elmer J. C. Prenzlow, Jr.
- The American Lutheran Church Today by Martin O. Westerhaus