What are the differences in the Lutheran denominations (synods)?

Question

I've been researching the difference between the different churches, and am very drawn to the beliefs of the Lutheran church. What confuses me is that there are different groups in the Lutheran church: Lutheran Church in America, Missouri Synod, Wisconsin Syond. There may be others, but this is what I've seen. Please help me clarify why there are differences and what they are. I can't figure it out.

Answer 1

Like John Hasse said, the Lutherans made it 377 years and then split over insurance. What a load.

I think "WELS and Other Lutherans" state it best. "Lutheranism moved from Europe to America by means of a long series of migrations, which spanned three centuries. The immigrants founded dozens of Lutheran church bodies, which preached the gospel in nearly a dozen languages. Through the years these groups experienced a bewildering array of mergers, splits and reconciliations." Also remember that the Evangelical Free and the Evangelical Covenant churches were mainly comprised of Lutherans that did not affiliate themselves with Lutheran synods in the United States.

The ELCA and the LCMS comprise 94% of Lutherans in the United States, the WELS and ELS comprise 5%, and the rest comprise of smaller synodical conferences.

I think that the Lutheran churches in the United States can be lumped into three categories, Liberal Protestant, Confessional Lutheran and what remains of Lutheran Pietism. I will concentrate on Liberal Protestant and Confessionalism because they are the most prevalent.

The Liberal Protestant (like the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) can be described as following:
1. Questioning or denying the inerrancy of the Bible
2. Questioning or denying the divinity of Jesus Christ or the members of the Trinity.
3. Acceptance of popular moral or social teachings
4. Movement away from teaching of the Lutheran Confessions (Book of Concord)
5. Ordination of Women and openly homosexual in the priesthood.
6. Heavy emphasis on Ecumenicism
7. Departure from the teach of Justification through Faith. It is either taught that man can save himself or that man is really not that bad and doesn't need to be saved.
8. Departure from moral absolute truths.
9. Movement toward Universalism.

Confessional Lutherans (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Synod and Church of Lutheran Confession) can be described as:
1. Believe that Scriptures are the sole authority on faith and Christian living. With out error and unified. Therefore, they do not ordain Women or openly homosexuals into the priesthood.
2. The Scriptures are God's revelation, which is Christ, centered with two main messages, the Law and the Gospel.
3. Believe that the three ecumenical creeds (the Apostles’, the Nicene, and the Athanasian) as well as the Lutheran Confessions as contained in the Book of Concord of 1580 express the true doctrine of Scripture. Since the doctrines they confess are drawn from Scripture alone, we are bound to them in our faith and life. Therefore all preaching and teaching in our churches and schools must be in harmony with these confessions, and we reject all the errors that they reject.
4. Affirm the doctrine of Original Sin and that man is not basically good not only corrupted by the world and cannot save himself.
5. Affirm Justification by Grace through Faith.
6. Believe that unity in Christian Doctrine is necessary for establishing Christian Fellowship with other Synods or Denominations.


Synodical Conference:
It can be noted that the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod were in communion with each other in the Synodical Conference until 1963. The WELS suspended fellowship with the LCMS over differences on the Office of the Ministry, the LCMS's extension of fellowship with the forerunners of ELCA (varying views on church fellowship) and the LCMS allowing members to join the Boy Scouts. Prior to the WELS suspending fellowship with the LCMS, the Evangelical Lutheran Synod broke of fellowship with the LCMS in 1955 and broke off from the Synodical Conference in 1963 with the WELS. The Concordia Lutheran Conference split from the LCMS in 1956, but still holds to the LCMS doctrinal positions as ratified from 1932. The Church of Lutheran Confession split from the WELS in 1960, prior to the WELS suspending fellowship with the LCMS. I think it can also be said that the the more liberal elements that appeared to cause the majority of problems for the LCMS in the Synodical Conference left the LCMS in 1974 under the auspices of Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (research Concordia's "Seminex"), which later merged into the ELCA in 1988.

The Evangelical Lutheran Synod and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod are currently in fellowship with each other.

American Association of Lutheran Churches- congregations from the American Lutheran Church that resisted the merger with the ELCA.

Association of Free Lutheran Congregations- congregations from the Lutheran Free Church that resisted the merger with the American Lutheran Church.

Church of Lutheran Brethren- congregations from the United Norwegian Lutheran Church that resisted merger into the Lutheran Free Church (see above).

Lutheran Confessional Synod split from the ELCA in 1994 to be a haven from confessional congregations leaving the ELCA. They were in brief fellowship with the WELS and the ELS, but broke off fellowship over differences in the doctrines of the Lord's Supper and the Ministry.

Protes'tant Conference split the WELS in 1920

Lutheran Churches of the Reformation formed from the members left over from the Orthodox Lutheran Conference, when member congregations split to form the Concordia Lutheran Conference.

A very good book to read on the subject is WELS and Other Lutherans from Northwestern Publishing House.
http://online.nph.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?10418&productID=152002

Answer 2

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RE:
What are the differences in the Lutheran denominations (synods)?
I've been researching the difference between the different churches, and am very drawn to the beliefs of the Lutheran church. What confuses me is that there are different groups in the Lutheran church: Lutheran Church in America, Missouri Synod, Wisconsin Syond. There may be others, but this...

Answer 3

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3 Big ones and lots of little ones! 1. Views regarding the nature of conversion (Nazarenes: man contributes to his conversion by an act of "free will"; Lutherans: conversion is completely God's work by the power of the Spirit working through the Word). 2. The nature of the sacraments (Nazarenes: sacraments are symbolic "reminders" of Christ's presence; Lutherans: sacraments are actual "means of grace" through which God conveys his love and forgiveness). 3. Issues relating to the proper distinction between the Law and the Gospel in the Holy Scriptures. Another major issue is that of Santification. They believe that once baptized you are free from sin and will sin no more (entire sanctification). Lutherans believe that we are still sinners, and are still capable of sinning in all that we do and all that we leave undone. And that we will not be entirely sanctified until the second coming. There is also an emphasis put on healings. In terms of where there doctrine comes from, it is a combination of Wesley and Holiness movement. Hope that helps!

Answer 4

Legitimate Lutheranism holds to the Unaltered Augsburg Confession of 1530 and the Triglotta Concordance of 1580.

The Crypto-Calvinist under Philip Melanchthon (Philippists) drafted the Altered Augsburg Confession of 1540, which John Calvin signed, changing the doctrine of "sacramental union" to the doctrine of "consubstantiation".

Answer 5

Doctrinally they are way different.

Answer 6

They are all pagan. So it doesn't make a lot of difference. About 100 years ago the Lutherans decided it was a sin punishable with excommunication to have insurance. Then they forgot about it, and about 30 years ago someone found the notes, so each division blamed the other, and they swept it all under the rug. I think a lot of it has to do with Heirarchy, and who is in charge. Only the Almighty should be in charge, and only He can bring order out of this chaos. Trust YAHOSHUA. He is Savior!