Lutherans please

[Soutane]

In my little town we have two Lutheran Churches.They are located almost kittycorner to each other which I’ve always thought strange.One of these churches calls itself an evangelical Lutheran church and the other does not.The one that does not advises on their sign that they offer Holy Communion,the other does not.Is it possible with the obviously minimal information that I have provided for you to advise me of any diffences in their approach to Faith and Worship?

 

[Steadfast]

1. Both churches have Holy Communion, only one church advertises it.
2. One is probably a member congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and practices open communion.
3. The other is probably either Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) or Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), both of which practice closed communion. There are other possibilities but these are most likely.
4. What makes things even more confusing is that it was once commonplace for churches of either WELS or LCMS to include the adjective “Evangelical” in the name of the congregation and you will still see it occasionally in their letterhead and signage.
5. For the record, the ELCA is the more “liberal” church, WELS the more “conservative” and LCMS somewhere right of center.
6. The ELCA has about 6 million members, LCMS about 2.5 million and WELS about a half a million.

 

[Soutane]

Steadfast,are all Lutherans welcome in all Lutheran churches?

 

[JonNC]

Steadfast,are all Lutherans welcome in all Lutheran churches?

Of course. Everyone is welcome, but I suspect that that was not your question. ElCA, LCMS, and WELS do not share altar and fellowship. Until recently it had more to do with polity than anything. But over the last few decades, the ELCA has moved more toward liberal protestantism - women in the clergy, open communion relationship with churches of the reformed/Calvinist tradition, etc.

In practice, however, common Lutherans generally tend to receive reach other in their churches as Lutherans. The joke is “the further you are from St. Louis (LCMS HQ) and Chicago (ELCA HQ), the more alike Lutherans are.”

Jon

 

[Soutane]

Of course. Everyone is welcome, but I suspect that that was not your question. ElCA, LCMS, and WELS do not share altar and fellowship. Until recently it had more to do with polity than anything. But over the last few decades, the ELCA has moved more toward liberal protestantism - women in the clergy, open communion relationship with churches of the reformed/Calvinist tradition, etc.

In practice, however, common Lutherans generally tend to receive reach other in their churches as Lutherans. The joke is “the further you are from St. Louis (LCMS HQ) and Chicago (ELCA HQ), the more alike Lutherans are.”

Jon

Thanks Jon,that’s what I meant.

 

[Steadfast]

Example:

My wife was confirmed in the ELCA.

I was Presbyterian.

At the LCMS church we joined after we were married:

I had to go through classes and be confirmed before I could commune.

She was admitted to communion upon acceptance as a member of the congregation which involved little more than acceptance of her certificates of baptism and confirmation.