Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference
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| Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference | |
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| Type | Association |
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Lutheran |
| Scripture | Bible |
| Headquarters | Mankato, Minnesota |
| Origin | 1993 |
| Official website | www |
| Part of a series on |
| Lutheranism |
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The Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference (CELC) is an international conference of Confessional Lutheran national churches. The CELC is headquartered in Mankato, Minnesota.[1]
Founded in 1993 with thirteen church bodies as members, the CELC has grown to thirty-two members today. Plenary sessions are held every three years. To date there have been nine plenary meetings (1993, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2017), with regional meetings held in the intervening years.[2]
The organization rejects the 1999 Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification signed between the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church.
History[]
After the decline and dissolution of the Synodical Conference in the 1950s and 1960s, there was renewed interest for fellowship with other Lutheran church bodies. The Rev. Edgar Hoenecke called for a worldwide fellowship of Lutheran church bodies in the late 1960s.
Over the years, many people advocated for an international Lutheran organization and did much to help bring it about. However, three people are noted as having some of the biggest influence in helping to bring about a new international Lutheran organization: Pres. Gerhard Wilde of the Evangelisch-Lutherische Freikirche (ELFK), Pres. George Orvick of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS), and Prof. Wilbert Gawrisch of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS).
On April 27–29, 1993, the CELC was formed in Oberwesel, Germany with Lutheran church bodies from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America.
Today, the CELC consists of thirty-two Lutheran church bodies worldwide.[3]
Membership[]
- Dark Green - countries with a full member of the CELC
- Bright Green - countries with an associate member of the CELC
- Light Green - countries with an observer member of the CELC
Member church bodies confess "the canonical books of the Old and New Testament as the verbally inspired and inerrant Word of God and submit to this Word of God as the only infallible rule and authority in all matters of doctrine, faith, and life."[4] They also accept "the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church contained in the Book of Concord of 1580, not in so far as, but because they are a correct exposition of the pure doctrine of the Word of God."[5]
Members cannot be in fellowship with church bodies whose doctrine or practice deviate from the confessional standard of the CELC.[6]
Member church bodies sorted by country in alphabetical order:
- Albania
- Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Church of Albania (Associate Member)
- Australia
- Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Australia
- Bulgaria
- Cameroon
- Canada
- WELS-Canada (Part of Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod)
- Chile
- (Associate Member)
- Czech Republic
- Finland
- (Associate Member)
- Germany
- India
- (Associate Member)
- (Associate Member)
- Indonesia
- Japan
- Korea
- (Associate Member)
- Latvia
- Malawi
- Mexico
- Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Church
- Nigeria
- Norway
- Peru
- Portugal
- Lutheran Church of Portugal (Associate member)
- Puerto Rico
- Russia
- South Korea
- Sweden
- Ukraine
- United States of America
- Evangelical Lutheran Synod
- Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
- Zambia
Conventions[]
The CELC holds a triennial convention in various countries around the world. The CELC conducts official business at these conventions. Representatives from all CELC member synods attend these conventions. The conventions center around a main doctrinal theme and include worship and Scripture-based essays.[7]
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References[]
- ^ "Contact".
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference— A World-Wide Confession". Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ^ Constitution of the CELC Archived 2011-05-25 at the Wayback Machine, Art. 2, Sect. 1
- ^ Constitution of the CELC Archived 2011-05-25 at the Wayback Machine, Art. 2, Sect. 2
- ^ Constitution of the CELC Archived 2011-05-25 at the Wayback Machine, Art. 4, Sect. 1
- ^ "Convention Proceedings". Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ "The Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference" (PDF). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ "PROCEEDINGS of the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference" (PDF). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ "PROCEEDINGS of the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference" (PDF). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ "PROCEEDINGS of the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference" (PDF). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ "PROCEEDINGS of the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference" (PDF). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ "Proceedings of the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference" (PDF). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ "PROCEEDINGS of the CONFESSIONAL EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CONFERENCE" (PDF). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ "PROCEEDINGS of the CONFESSIONAL EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CONFERENCE" (PDF). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ "PROCEEDINGS" (PDF). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
External links[]
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| Authority control |
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- Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference members
- Christian organizations established in 1993
- International bodies of Lutheran denominations
- International bodies of Lutheran denominations (currently existing)