The Augsburg Lutheran Churches is a moderate-to-conservative confessional Lutheran denomination in the United States.[1]
| Augsburg Lutheran Churches | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Confessional Lutheran |
| Polity | Congregationalist |
| Origin | 2001 Elk Horn, Iowa |
| Separated from | Evangelical Lutheran Church in America |
| Official website | augsburgchurches |
History edit
The Augsburg Lutheran Churches was formed in 2001 in response to the Called to Common Mission, an agreement between the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in the United States, establishing full communion between them. This agreement's most controversial element was a move towards episcopacy, having a bishopric with full apostolic succession.[2]
The founders of the Augsburg Lutheran Churches believed that the Augsburg Confession (1530), considered the founding document of Lutheranism, holds that ordination is not a sacrament, but a human ceremony. Thus its observance need not be uniform across the church. In 2003, the Augsburg Lutheran District reorganized as a separate denomination and adopted its present name, the Augsburg Lutheran Churches.[3]
The Augsburg Lutheran Churches works together with the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ, and some of its congregations have joint membership in both bodies. It also enjoys a cordial relationship with the North American Lutheran Church. Its official seminary is the Institute of Lutheran Theology.[4]
Beliefs edit
The Augsburg Lutheran Churches has a very simple doctrinal statement[5] with a set of affirmative and negative theses titled 'Our Declaration'. The topics covered are:
1) The Trinity: Our Great Heritage
2) The Cross: Where we begin
3) Sin and Death: Our Problem
4) The Word of the Cross: God’s Answer
5) Mission and Church: God’s Action in this World
6) The Christian Life: God’s Action in this World
References edit
- ^ "The NALC and Lutheran CORE: The New ALC or the New ELCA?". LOGIA.
- ^ "Lutheran Churches - Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com.
- ^ Williams, Mike (9 September 2003). "Why we left ..." (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 September 2003.
- ^ "Mission Statement". Institute of Lutheran Theology. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
- ^ "Our Declaration". Augsburge Lutheran Churches. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
