Lutheran Churches of the Reformation
Encyclopedia
Lutheran Churches of the Reformation, LCR, is an association of Lutheran
congregations. The LCR has its roots among groups of Lutherans that broke with the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
in the middle of the 20th century, and was formally incorporated in 1964.
) not in-so-far-as but because it is an accurate presentation of what Scripture teaches. It teaches that Jesus is the center of Scripture and the only way to eternal salvation, and that the Holy Spirit uses the gospel alone in Word and Sacraments (Baptism and Holy Communion) to bring people to faith in Jesus as Savior and keep them in that faith, strengthening them in their daily life of sanctification.
's Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod and Wallace H. McLaughlin's We All Believe in One True God: A Summary of Biblical Doctrine.
The Martin Luther Institute of Sacred Studies, or M.L.I.S.S., in Decatur, Indiana
is the seminary and teacher's college of the LCR.
The LCR is governed through annual conventions where delegates of the congregations vote. Doctrinal resolutions must be unanimous, or those in the minority will be suspended from the LCR. The day-to-day business of the LCR is run by the Council, whose members are elected to three year termshttp://www.lcrusa.org/synopsis.htm, commissions, and committees.http://www.lcrusa.org/commissions.htm
For missions, the LCR has a missionary-at-large to serve those who have moved away from their congregations and other like-minded Lutherans. Abroad, the LCR supports congregations in Nigeria and Kenya and has trained pastors for the Lutheran Churches of the Reformation in Nigeria.http://www.lcrusa.org/synopsis.htm
The LCR has also held seminars to train pastors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
As of March 2009, about 1,300 people are baptized members of LCR congregations.
were organized as the Orthodox Lutheran Conference, or OLC, in 1951. http://www.concordialutheranconf.com/clc/content/pekhistory.cfm The OLC split in 1956 after Prof. Paul E. Kretzmann, suspended church-fellowship with some congregations after they charged him with teaching error in class. These congregations formed the Concordia Lutheran Conference
http://www.concordialutheranconf.com/clc/content/ourdeclaration.cfm, while the others, along with Kretzmann, joined with more conservatives leaving the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
to organize as the LCR.http://www.wlsessays.net/node/540
The LCR discussed church-fellowship with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
in the 1960s, but declared that the differences regarding the doctrine of Church and Ministry were divisive of church-fellowship in July 1970.http://www.wlsessays.net/node/539
The Fellowship of Lutheran Congregations,http://web.archive.org/web/20020309152052/http://www.concido.com/flc/ FLC is a group of congregations that left the LCR in 1979 after a dispute concerning the proper procedure of excommunication. The congregations of the FLC joined the Concordia Lutheran Conference
circa 2004.
For a time in the 1990s, the LCR was in official church-fellowship with the Illinois Lutheran Conference, or ILC. The ILC was organized in 1979 after three congregations left in protest when a pastor was suspended from the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
because of claims he made regarding the King James Version of the Bible
.http://www.illinoislutheranconference.org/a-brief-history-of-the-ilc.lwp/odyframe.htm There was controversy between the ILC and the LCR regarding the "appearance of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:22) and the doctrine of Church and Ministry. The LCR severed the fellowship because of differences discovered during the controversy over the "appearance of evil".
In February 2006, five congregations and four pastors suspended church-fellowship with the rest of the LCR when, in the wake of a disagreement regarding the doctrine of the ministry, an LCR congregation was dissolved through legal action by certain members, most of whom were female, who disagreed with their pastor. This led to accusations of female suffrage
by one side and legalism by the other. The LCR was never asked by both sides of the congregation to adjudicate the division. The congregations that suspended fellowship in February 2006 later withdrew their membership from the Lutheran Churches of the Reformation in April 2006 after a special convention called to address the controversy refused to discuss the matter of female suffrage and the aforementioned dissolution. A position paper titled The Ministry and Auxiliary Office with Respect to Legalism http://lutherantheology.com/uploads/works/auxoffices/LCRAuxiliaryOffices.htm, which was presented at that conference in an attempt to resolve the controversy, has since been adopted unanimously by the remaining congregations of the LCR. Another LCR position paper titled Liberty or Death http://www.orthodoxlutheran.org/pdf/Liberty%20or%20Death.pdf written to draw attention to different kinds of legalism was subsequently adopted in July 2007. Those congregations that withdrew membership with the LCR have declared church-fellowship with each other http://olcc.us/declaration.shtml and have since organized the Orthodox Lutheran Confessional Conference
or OLCC http://olcc.us/. A sixth congregation, in Hudson, MI, later withdrew from the LCR over the same issues, and remains independent.
.http://www.wels.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?1518&cuItem_itemID=7895&cuTopic_topicID=14
The congregations of the LCR use the King James Version of the Bible for corporate worship, the 1943 "Blue" edition of Luther's Small Catechism
in confirmation instruction, and The Lutheran Hymnal
, 1941.http://www.lcrusa.org/synopsis.htm The LCR is does not hold to the King James Only position, as members choose a variety of translations for personal use.
In 1990, the LCR passed a resolution titled "Procreation" stating that birth control, in all forms, is sin, although they "allow for"..."exceptional cases (casuistry)", for example, when the woman's life or health is at risk.
Congregations of the LCR follow 1 Timothy 2:12 in practicing male-only suffrage in congregational voter's assemblies.
The Lutheran Churches of the Reformation, hold to Brief Statement of 1932, which states that 'the Pope is the very Antichrist'.
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
congregations. The LCR has its roots among groups of Lutherans that broke with 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...
in the middle of the 20th century, and was formally incorporated in 1964.
Core Beliefs
The Lutheran Churches of the Reformation teaches that the Bible is the only authoritative and error-free source for doctrine. It subscribes to the Lutheran Confessions (the Book of ConcordBook of Concord
The Book of Concord or Concordia is the historic doctrinal standard of the Lutheran Church, consisting of ten credal documents recognized as authoritative in Lutheranism since the 16th century...
) not in-so-far-as but because it is an accurate presentation of what Scripture teaches. It teaches that Jesus is the center of Scripture and the only way to eternal salvation, and that the Holy Spirit uses the gospel alone in Word and Sacraments (Baptism and Holy Communion) to bring people to faith in Jesus as Savior and keep them in that faith, strengthening them in their daily life of sanctification.
Doctrine
The doctrine of the Lutheran Churches of the Reformation is summarized in Franz August Otto PieperFranz August Otto Pieper
Franz August Otto Pieper was a Confessional Lutheran theologian; born at Carwitz , Pomerania and died in St. Louis, Missouri. After studying at the gymnasium of Colberg, Pomerania, he emigrated to the United States in 1870...
's Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod and Wallace H. McLaughlin's We All Believe in One True God: A Summary of Biblical Doctrine.
Operations
The Lutheran Churches of the Reformation publishes One Accord, a monthly devotional and news magazine, and The Faithful Word, a quarterly theological journal.http://www.lcrusa.org/publications.htmThe Martin Luther Institute of Sacred Studies, or M.L.I.S.S., in Decatur, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
is the seminary and teacher's college of the LCR.
The LCR is governed through annual conventions where delegates of the congregations vote. Doctrinal resolutions must be unanimous, or those in the minority will be suspended from the LCR. The day-to-day business of the LCR is run by the Council, whose members are elected to three year termshttp://www.lcrusa.org/synopsis.htm, commissions, and committees.http://www.lcrusa.org/commissions.htm
For missions, the LCR has a missionary-at-large to serve those who have moved away from their congregations and other like-minded Lutherans. Abroad, the LCR supports congregations in Nigeria and Kenya and has trained pastors for the Lutheran Churches of the Reformation in Nigeria.http://www.lcrusa.org/synopsis.htm
The LCR has also held seminars to train pastors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
As of March 2009, about 1,300 people are baptized members of LCR congregations.
Relation to other Lutheran groups
The congregations in the LCR and the Concordia Lutheran ConferenceConcordia Lutheran Conference
The Concordia Lutheran Conference is a small organization of Lutheran churches in the United States which formed in 1957. It was a reorganization of some of the churches of the Orthodox Lutheran Conference, which had been formed in September, 1951 in Okabena, Minnesota following a break with...
were organized as the Orthodox Lutheran Conference, or OLC, in 1951. http://www.concordialutheranconf.com/clc/content/pekhistory.cfm The OLC split in 1956 after Prof. Paul E. Kretzmann, suspended church-fellowship with some congregations after they charged him with teaching error in class. These congregations formed the Concordia Lutheran Conference
Concordia Lutheran Conference
The Concordia Lutheran Conference is a small organization of Lutheran churches in the United States which formed in 1957. It was a reorganization of some of the churches of the Orthodox Lutheran Conference, which had been formed in September, 1951 in Okabena, Minnesota following a break with...
http://www.concordialutheranconf.com/clc/content/ourdeclaration.cfm, while the others, along with Kretzmann, joined with more conservatives leaving 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...
to organize as the LCR.http://www.wlsessays.net/node/540
The LCR discussed church-fellowship 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,...
in the 1960s, but declared that the differences regarding the doctrine of Church and Ministry were divisive of church-fellowship in July 1970.http://www.wlsessays.net/node/539
The Fellowship of Lutheran Congregations,http://web.archive.org/web/20020309152052/http://www.concido.com/flc/ FLC is a group of congregations that left the LCR in 1979 after a dispute concerning the proper procedure of excommunication. The congregations of the FLC joined the Concordia Lutheran Conference
Concordia Lutheran Conference
The Concordia Lutheran Conference is a small organization of Lutheran churches in the United States which formed in 1957. It was a reorganization of some of the churches of the Orthodox Lutheran Conference, which had been formed in September, 1951 in Okabena, Minnesota following a break with...
circa 2004.
For a time in the 1990s, the LCR was in official church-fellowship with the Illinois Lutheran Conference, or ILC. The ILC was organized in 1979 after three congregations left in protest when a pastor was suspended from 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,...
because of claims he made regarding the King James Version of the Bible
King James Version of the Bible
The Authorized Version, commonly known as the King James Version, King James Bible or KJV, is an English translation of the Christian Bible by the Church of England begun in 1604 and completed in 1611...
.http://www.illinoislutheranconference.org/a-brief-history-of-the-ilc.lwp/odyframe.htm There was controversy between the ILC and the LCR regarding the "appearance of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:22) and the doctrine of Church and Ministry. The LCR severed the fellowship because of differences discovered during the controversy over the "appearance of evil".
In February 2006, five congregations and four pastors suspended church-fellowship with the rest of the LCR when, in the wake of a disagreement regarding the doctrine of the ministry, an LCR congregation was dissolved through legal action by certain members, most of whom were female, who disagreed with their pastor. This led to accusations of female suffrage
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
by one side and legalism by the other. The LCR was never asked by both sides of the congregation to adjudicate the division. The congregations that suspended fellowship in February 2006 later withdrew their membership from the Lutheran Churches of the Reformation in April 2006 after a special convention called to address the controversy refused to discuss the matter of female suffrage and the aforementioned dissolution. A position paper titled The Ministry and Auxiliary Office with Respect to Legalism http://lutherantheology.com/uploads/works/auxoffices/LCRAuxiliaryOffices.htm, which was presented at that conference in an attempt to resolve the controversy, has since been adopted unanimously by the remaining congregations of the LCR. Another LCR position paper titled Liberty or Death http://www.orthodoxlutheran.org/pdf/Liberty%20or%20Death.pdf written to draw attention to different kinds of legalism was subsequently adopted in July 2007. Those congregations that withdrew membership with the LCR have declared church-fellowship with each other http://olcc.us/declaration.shtml and have since organized the Orthodox Lutheran Confessional Conference
Orthodox Lutheran Confessional Conference
The Orthodox Lutheran Confessional Conference is a group of independent Lutheran congregations. The OLCC was organized in 2006 after their charter congregations left the Lutheran Churches of the Reformation.- Organizational structure :...
or OLCC http://olcc.us/. A sixth congregation, in Hudson, MI, later withdrew from the LCR over the same issues, and remains independent.
Distinctive Characteristics
The LCR believes that the local congregation is the only divinely ordained church organization, and does not refer to synods or denominations as churches. This separates the group from some other conservative Lutherans such as the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran SynodWisconsin 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,...
.http://www.wels.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?1518&cuItem_itemID=7895&cuTopic_topicID=14
The congregations of the LCR use the King James Version of the Bible for corporate worship, the 1943 "Blue" edition of Luther's Small Catechism
Luther's Small Catechism
Luther's Small Catechism was written by Martin Luther and published in 1529 for the training of children. Luther's Small Catechism reviews The Ten Commandments, The Apostles' Creed, The Lord's Prayer, The Sacrament of Holy Baptism, The Office of the Keys & Confession, and The Sacrament of the...
in confirmation instruction, and The Lutheran Hymnal
The Lutheran Hymnal
The Lutheran Hymnal is one of the official hymnals of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. Published in 1941 by Concordia Publishing House in St. Louis, Missouri, it was the LCMS' second official English-language hymnal, succeeding the 1912 Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-Book...
, 1941.http://www.lcrusa.org/synopsis.htm The LCR is does not hold to the King James Only position, as members choose a variety of translations for personal use.
In 1990, the LCR passed a resolution titled "Procreation" stating that birth control, in all forms, is sin, although they "allow for"..."exceptional cases (casuistry)", for example, when the woman's life or health is at risk.
Congregations of the LCR follow 1 Timothy 2:12 in practicing male-only suffrage in congregational voter's assemblies.
The Lutheran Churches of the Reformation, hold to Brief Statement of 1932, which states that 'the Pope is the very Antichrist'.
External links
- Official LCR website
- Interchurch Relations in Recent Years by Edward C. Fredrich
- A Little Lecture on Little Little-Known Lutheran Synods by Edward C. Fredrich
- The Doctrinal Differences Between the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod and the Church of the Lutheran Confession, The Concordia Lutheran Conference, and the Lutheran Churches of the Reformation. by Lyle W. Lange
- WELS Q&A on differences between WELS and LCR