Faith Lutheran Church is a member of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America), the largest Lutheran group in North America. The ELCA alone is more than 3.3 million members strong, with more than 8,900 congregations across the U.S., Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands. Lutheranism is a faith tradition that is open to all, regardless of background.
Known as the church of “God’s work. Our hands,” the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA’s roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther. Faith is a member of the SEMN (Southeast Minnesota) synod, a regional designation.
The ELCA has engaged in ecumenical dialogue with other church bodies for years. In fact, the ELCA has entered into cooperative “full communion” agreements (sharing common convictions about theology, mission, and worship) with several other protestant denominations, including the:
• Moravian Church
• Episcopal Church
• Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
• Reformed Church in America
• United Church of Christ
• United Methodist Church
The ELCA has an ongoing dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church, and in 1999, representatives of the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. This represented a historic consensus on key issues of faith and called for further dialogue and study together.
Click here to learn more about who we are at Faith Lutheran