What do you know about the ELCA?

Question

i'm exploring different churches. I'd like to join a church with some traditional aspects such as communion, etc. I am intrigued by the Catholic church, but there might be a little too much ritual for me. i'm also considering the Episcopal church, but they may be a little too liberal/leftist for me. What can you tell me about the ELCA? What do they have you do if you are not already a church goer/baptized?

Answer 1

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America might be a good middle ground for you, if you aren't into Catholic ritual, or dislike the purported "leftism" of the Episcopal Church (not all Episcopalians are "leftists", of course). The ELCA is not as conservative as the Lutherans of the Missouri Synod. I'm not sure about the conversion process for Lutherans, though. However, your local church would probably be quite glad to tell you. Call or e-mail the church and ask them what the Baptism and/or Confirmation process is like. You will likely need to undergo Baptism, if you haven't already done so, in order to take Communion.

Here is the church's official website:

http://www.elca.org/

Try sending your question to this e-mail address:

[e-mail]

Answer 2

Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) is going to be more traditional without all the rituals of the Catholic Church, but yet they are not all gloom and doom either and not near as strict as the Wisconsin Synod. If you want the true beliefs of the ELCA you need to seek out their actual written doctrine of beliefs. Don't depend on an individual that happens to be a member and take their word for what the church stands for. A lot of times they will tell you facts based on their own personal beliefs that might not be reflected in the true doctrine of the church and just because someone is a member doesn't necessarily mean that they really know a lot about the workings of the church. Take religion classes at an ELCA church and a LCMS church and see which one you are more comfortable with. Good luck!

Answer 3

The ELCA is liberal. If you want a conservative Lutheran denomination, you should try the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

Answer 4

To save you some probable heart-ache, I can tell you that it's not much different than the Episcopal Church if what you don't like about it is its liberal approach. The ELCA compromises God's Word & their own Confessions in many & diverse ways--i.e. ordain women & openly gay; official stance is *not* pro-life; etc.. In a way this is even worse as they call themselves 'Lutheran', but don't believe or practice the Lutheran Confessions (which are merely a collection & summarization of what the Lutheran church believes & practices according to Scripture, & what they don't believe & why according to Scripture).

If you are looking for a balanced church, I would explore the LCMS (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod). Granted you will find some congregations that are compromising kind of like the ELCA, but in general they stick to the basic, that we are saved "by God's GRACE ALONE, through FAITH in JESUS CHRIST ALONE, as written in SCRIPTURE ALONE," and the actual Lutheran Confessions. They are one of the only denominations left who make a proper distinction between Law & Gospel, which is very important.

Per Christ's own words, LCMS Lutherans believe in the real presence of Christ's supernatural (not only spiritual, not merely carnal) body & blood in, with & under the bread & wine at Communion. We don't pretend to know how this happens, but trust in Christ's own words & that as true God & true man He is able to do so.

We also believe per Christ's own words, that Baptism saves; that God, not humans, do the saving work in Baptism, by the Holy Spirit through God's Word.

On a Sunday, you will experience (if the particular congregation hasn't compromised) a liturgical service. This liturgy will most likely reflect the believe that it is God who comes to us & feeds our souls & bodies in worship service, not us who ascend to Him. Surely we respond, but it is God who initiates His love first in the service. The form of liturgy won't always be exactly the same, but will have many of the same elements expressed in different ways. It will vary little by little according to the congregation or even service to service.

You can visit an LCMS church as much as you want. To become a member of the church, the pastor will want to instruct you in the beliefs of the church. If you have been baptized in a Trinitarian church prior to this, it will be more like the rite of confirmation for you in which you will be asked to confess your faith as you have learned it from Luther's Small Catechism in front of the congregation--not too intimidating as the pastor will guide you through it. If you haven't been baptized, you will be instructed in the same Luther's Small Catechism, asked to confess your faith in the midst of the Sacrament of Baptism usually done as a part of a regular church service.

If you want to explore what LCMS Lutherans believe, I suggest listening to some "Issues Etc." radio programs. You can listen for free to archives online at: http://www.kfuoam.org/ie_main.htm. KFUO also broadcasts services from some of the local churches in St. Louis. You can also go to http://www.lcms.org/ to the Belief & Practice section to explore there.

Prayers that the Holy Spirit guides you unto truth & a truly nurtured faith, in Jesus Christ. Amen.