Concordia Lutheran Church
Encyclopedia
Concordia Lutheran Church, or, in Swedish
, Lutherska Konkordiekyrkan, is a small Lutheran denomination in Sweden
. It currently consists of one congregation, with about 25-30 members spread around Sweden.
s and laypeople that had left the Church of Sweden
in protest against its doctrinal liberalism
. The denomination was formally incorporated in 1984.
church. The church believes that the Bible
as the inerrant word of God
, the only guide for Christian doctrine, and that the Lutheran confessions are a correct interpretation of the Bible. Its stances on justification and salvation are in line with the orthodox Lutheran teaching of grace alone and faith alone. The church firmly stresses the real presence
in the Lord's Supper
.
(LBK), which is the largest of the independent confessional Lutheran churches in Sweden. The LBK is in doctrinal agreement with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
(WELS).
, spoken by the pastor, immediately assure us of the real presence. The LBK and the WELS believe that one may not declare either the consectrationist or distributionist positions as doctrine because it only finds Scriptural support for the real presence in the sacrament as a whole rather than fixed to any definite instant. CLC believes that all bread and wine that are consecrated are to be consumed. The LBK and the WELS do not require this.
, when that church clearly had subscribed to teaching that was contrary to the WELS teaching.
The WELS disagrees with this judgment and agrees that an orthodox church is never allowed to stay in fellowship with an openly false-teaching church.
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, Lutherska Konkordiekyrkan, is a small Lutheran denomination in 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....
. It currently consists of one congregation, with about 25-30 members spread around Sweden.
History
The church traces its roots back to the 1970s, when an independent Lutheran congregation was formed by some pastorPastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
s and laypeople that had left the Church of Sweden
Church of Sweden
The Church of Sweden is the largest Christian church in Sweden. The church professes the Lutheran faith and is a member of the Porvoo Communion. With 6,589,769 baptized members, it is the largest Lutheran church in the world, although combined, there are more Lutherans in the member churches of...
in protest against its doctrinal liberalism
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
. The denomination was formally incorporated in 1984.
Doctrine
CLC is a confessional LutheranConfessional Lutheran
Confessional Lutheran is a name used by certain Lutheran Christians to designate themselves as those who accept the doctrines taught in the Book of Concord of 1580 in their entirety, because they believe them to be completely faithful to the teachings of the Bible...
church. The church believes that the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
as the inerrant word of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, the only guide for Christian doctrine, and that the Lutheran confessions are a correct interpretation of the Bible. Its stances on justification and salvation are in line with the orthodox Lutheran teaching of grace alone and faith alone. The church firmly stresses the real presence
Real Presence
Real Presence is a term used in various Christian traditions to express belief that in the Eucharist, Jesus Christ is really present in what was previously just bread and wine, and not merely present in symbol, a figure of speech , or by his power .Not all Christian traditions accept this dogma...
in the Lord's Supper
Lord's Supper
The Lord's Supper may refer to:*Eucharist, Mass or Communion, a rite in Christianity*The Last Supper, the last meal Jesus of Nazareth shared with his disciples in the collection of Christian Scriptures called The Holy Bible....
.
Differences between CLC and the Lutheran Confessional Church in Sweden
CLC differs on some doctrinal points from the Lutheran Confessional ChurchLutheran Confessional Church
Lutheran Confessional Church is a Christian Lutheran church, originally organised in 1974, with congregations in Sweden and Norway. It has church fellowship with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod....
(LBK), which is the largest of the independent confessional Lutheran churches in Sweden. The LBK is in doctrinal agreement with 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).
The Lord's Supper
The CLC believes that the words of consecrationConsecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
, spoken by the pastor, immediately assure us of the real presence. The LBK and the WELS believe that one may not declare either the consectrationist or distributionist positions as doctrine because it only finds Scriptural support for the real presence in the sacrament as a whole rather than fixed to any definite instant. CLC believes that all bread and wine that are consecrated are to be consumed. The LBK and the WELS do not require this.
The Ministry
The CLC believes that the office of the pastor is a single, special, God-ordained office of the church to the exclusion of other offices, such as those of teachers. The LBK and the WELS believes that the that pastoral office and other offices are all fall under one ministry of the Gospel.Church Fellowship
The CLC believes that an orthodox church is never allowed to stay in fellowship with an openly false-teaching church. This the CLC believes was the case when WELS did not immediately break fellowship with the Lutheran Church - Missouri SynodLutheran 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...
, when that church clearly had subscribed to teaching that was contrary to the WELS teaching.
The WELS disagrees with this judgment and agrees that an orthodox church is never allowed to stay in fellowship with an openly false-teaching church.