Toward a Classification System of Religious Groups ... - Prolades.com

Basic characteristics of Lutheranism: accepts the basic sacraments of
baptism (by sprinkling, including of infants), confirmation, confession,
absolution, and the Lord’s Supper (the doctrine of consubstantiation—
Christ is “present” in the host but His passion is not repeated];
Lutherans are Arminians, who believe in man’s free will and reject the
doctrine of predestination; church government is an Episcopal system;
use is made of the liturgical calendar and liturgical garments.
B1.101 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: 1988, a merger of the
Lutheran Church in America (traces its origin to 1748 through a series
of previous mergers), American Lutheran Church (1960, a merger of
various older Lutheran bodies of German, Danish and Norwegian
heritage), and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches
(1976, a split from the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod); the ELCA is
the most liberal of Lutheran bodies in North America, and it is now the
largest Lutheran denomination in America and one of the largest
Protestant bodies in America.
B1.102 Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (1847, St. Louis, MO) – German
heritage; conservative in its theology; has mission work throughout Latin
America.
B1.103 Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (1850, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) –
German heritage; ultra-conservative in its theology; has mission work in
Latin America.
B1.104 Danish Lutheran Churches in Tandil, Argentina (1860s) – Danish
heritage.
B1.105 Apostolic Lutheran Church of America (1879, New York Mills,
Minnesota) - Finnish heritage; formally organized in 1929.
B1.106 Lutheran Synod of Río Grande do Sul, Brazil (1886) – German
heritage.
B1.107 Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America (1900, Fergus Falls, MN)
B1.108 Evangelical Lutheran Synod (1918, Mankato, MN) – Norwegian
heritage; has mission work in Perú.
B1.109 German-speaking Lutheran Churches in the Americas (1940s,
supervised by the Lutheran Church of Germany)
B1.110 Church of the Lutheran Confession (1960, Watertown, SD)
B1.111 Association of Free Lutheran Congregations (1962, Minneapolis, MN)
B1.112 Association of Lutheran Churches in Costa Rica and Panama -
Asociación de Iglesias Luteranas de Costa Rica y Panamá (1970s, Obispo
Kenneth Mahler)
B1.199 Other Lutheran Churches
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