Alternative Lutheran churches/denominations
For those no longer interested in membership with the ELCA, below are some Lutheran alternatives. Of course there a many great churches and denominations to choose from but for now, I will keep the following list to Lutheran ones. Please do your homework when choosing your church. Where the church stands on the Bible and Jesus are especially important.
Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ
Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ is an association of congregations and individuals who are:
- free in Christ;
- accountable to one another;
- rooted in the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions;
- working together to fulfill Christ's Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations.
Association of Free Lutheran Congregations (AFLC)
The AFLC is a fellowship of independent congregations, who have chosen to be interdependent for the purpose of accomplishing service in the Kingdom of God that cannot best be done alone. The Association of Free Lutheran Congregations (AFLC) was organized in1962 by 40-50 congregations of the former Lutheran Free Church (LFC), and has grown to become the fourth largest Lutheran church body in the United States with over 270 member congregations.
United Lutheran Mission Association
The United Lutheran Mission Association is a group of Confessional, Lutheran congregations that formed in
2004. They are "Old Missouri" in doctrine and practice and have been blessed with a seminary; Walther Theological
Seminary (Decatur, IL). They hold the Bible to be the inspired, inerrant Word of God and embrace the Book of
Concord because it is a correct interpretation of Holy Writ. They have member congregations in IL, MI and CA and are in fellowship with a congregation in VA and with the Australian Evangelical Lutheran Church. Check them out
at www.unitedlutheranmission.org or contact their rep at [emailprotected]
Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS)
We subscribe to the Lutheran Confessions contained in the Book of Concord originally published in 1580, because they are a faithful and accurate summary of biblical doctrine. . . (see the ELS - What We Believe section)
The American Association of Lutheran Churches (The AALC)
The AALC is a Lutheran Church body that stands firmly upon the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions, counting every one of our congregations and pastors as precious, as we proclaim the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ to all nations. The AALC was formed by confessional dissenting congregations who did not join in with the ELCA merger because of doctrinal and confessional reasons, as well as practices that contradict the historical and orthodox Evangelical Lutheran Church.
This is where we stand:
- We believe we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
- We believe the Holy Bible is God’s infallible, inerrant Word.
- We accept the Lutheran Confessions because they are the right interpretation of the Bible.
- We believe God has called us to reach people in our communities and around the world.
- The AALC has been a full ministry partner with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod since 2007.
Church of the Lutheran Brethren
The Church of the Lutheran Brethren (CLB) is a family of 123 congregations in the United States and Canada, with 1,500 daughter congregations in Cameroon, Chad, Japan and Taiwan now organized into four national church bodies. The CLB, as a denomination, exists to serve congregations in their obedience to the Great Commission, locally, nationally and internationally, as seen in Matthew 28:18-20.
Evangelical Lutheran Conference & Ministerium (ELCM)
The ELCM is a synodical federation, fellowship, and association of centrist-oriented Evangelical Lutheran congregations and pastors holding to the Biblical teachings of the Christian Book of Concord. The ELCM is Centrist, Biblical, Confessional, Evangelical, Liturgical, Traditional, Congregational Polity, and High view of the Office of Ministry minus hierarchy orientation.
North American Lutheran Church (NALC)
The NALC is a fast-growing Christian church body in the Lutheran tradition, uniting more than 130,000 Lutherans in more than 345 congregations across North America. The NALC embodies the theological center of Lutheranism in North America and stands firmly within the global Lutheran mainstream. . .
The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod
In grateful response to God's grace and empowered by the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacraments, the mission of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod is vigorously to make known the love of Christ by word and deed within our churches, communities, and the world.
(LCMS Mission Statement)
Missionary Lutheran Church
The world is our parish as weseek toserve Christ and minister to the lost.Believing in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and that Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior of all,we accept theBibleas sufficient for faith and practice and the Lutheran Confessions found in theBook of Concord as true expressions of Christian faith and life. In remaining faithful to the Great Commission of Christ, weminister to the spiritual, intellectual, physical, and emotionalneeds of God's peopleby spreading Christ’s liberating Gospel of Love through Word and Sacrament lived out in practical application as we seek toreachthe lost, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless, visit the imprisoned, and care forwidows and orphans.
The Lutheran Conference of Confessional Fellowship
THE PURPOSE OF OUR CONFERENCE IS:To preach the Gospel within the context of upholding all of Scriptures;To establish and provide for a godly fellowship among congregations and pastors.
Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS)
John 3:16 has been called the gospel in a nutshell—and for good reason. In that one verse we're told all that we need to know for our salvation. God loves us. He sent his son to die for us. Believe it . . . (see the WELS - What We Believe section)
Church of the Lutheran Confession
All of the CLC member churches confess that the Bible is the inspired and unerring Word of God. They confess the creeds of the Lutheran Church without qualification, as they are found in the Book of Concord of 1580. Scripture itself is the source and foundation of Christian teaching and faith — The Lutheran confessions are a faithful setting forth of what Scripture teaches. The name of our church body is a witness to what we believe; it is a continual reminder of our responsibility to be truly Lutheran, and therefore Scriptural in our teaching and in our practice. This principle holds true among us: “If it is not Scripture; it is not Lutheran! . .”
Independent Lutheran Diocese
The vision the Independent Lutheran Diocese is:
To return to an Authentic Christian Worship Experience
To seek and find True Spirituality in our hearts & lives.
Discover & present Genuine Christianity to those around us
Experience the Joy of Jesus Christ in our daily life.
Augsburg Lutheran Churches
To bear witness to the good news that sinners are put right with God by faith alone in Christ alone. We resist any corruption of this Gospel, and exist to serve and support fellow confessors who seek to do likewise. Looking only to the cross of Christ, we proclaim God’s Word as Law and Gospel for the redemption of his people today.
