American Association of Lutheran Churches
Encyclopedia
The American Association of Lutheran Churches (TAALC, also known as The AALC) was formed on November 7, 1987 as an alternative choice for churches in The American Lutheran Church
American Lutheran Church
The American Lutheran Church was a Christian Protestant denomination in the United States that existed from 1960 to 1987. Its headquarters was in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Upon its formation in 1960, the ALC designated Augsburg Publishing House , also located in Minneapolis, as the church publisher...
(ALC) denomination who did not want to be part of the merger with two other Lutheran church bodies, Lutheran Church in America
Lutheran Church in America
The Lutheran Church in America was a U.S. and Canadian Lutheran church body that existed from 1962 to 1987. It was headquartered in New York City and its publishing house was Fortress Press....
(LCA), & American Evangelical Lutheran Church
American Evangelical Lutheran Church
The American Evangelical Lutheran Church was one of the many denominations formed when Lutherans immigrated to America. Originally known as the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in America , the predominantly Danish-American church was informally known as "the Danish Church."In 1872 Grundtvigian...
(AELC) which formed the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA officially came into existence on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three churches. As of December 31, 2009, it had 4,543,037 baptized members, with 2,527,941 of them...
. The AALC offices were located in Bloomington, Minnesota
Bloomington, Minnesota
Bloomington is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota in Hennepin County. Located on the north bank of the Minnesota River above its confluence with the Mississippi River, Bloomington lies at the heart of the southern...
. The national office moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
in 2007.
The AALC began with 12 congregations and has, as of 2007, grown to 78 congregations spread across 23 states. The AALC sees itself in the conservative middle of Lutheranism
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
in the United States. At its beginning, TAALC defined itself by its opposition to the theology of the ELCA, and became a home to Orthodox, Evangelical, and Charismatic Lutherans. At one point the three strands were unofficially described as being a threefold cord, (Ecclesiastes 4:12). This approach was never formal policy, but occurred because this new church body did not have a broad corpus of doctrinal writings and historical precedent to rely upon.
The unofficial intent was for each of the three strands to respect each other's differences and, in doing so, to learn from each other. In practice the various "strands" struggled for control. In the mid 1990s, the renewal movement seemed to be ascendent. A handful of congregations split off from the AALC in 1995 to form the Lutheran Ministerium and Synod - USA
Lutheran Ministerium and Synod - USA
The Lutheran Ministerium and Synod - USA is a small Lutheran Christian denomination based in the United States. Its congregations are mostly located in the Upper Midwest, and the church body maintains its official headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana.Founded in 1995, the LMS-USA is governed by...
, which is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
. Several West Coast charismatic churches began drifting out of the AALC orbit in 2007 as confessional/orthodox leaders started setting the tone. These churches saw the association with LCMS (see below) and its seminary in Fort Wayne as foreign to the original intent of the AALC. Many of these charismatic/renewal congregations are ending up in the Alliance of Renewal Churches
Alliance of Renewal Churches
The Alliance of Renewal Churches is a connection of charismatic Lutheran churches. This movement emerged out of the Charismatic Movement and is focused in the Midwest and California; although there are members from all around the country.The Alliance of Renewal Churches is closely connected...
.
The AALC operates its own seminary, The American Lutheran Theological Seminary (ALTS), originally located in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
. In the fall of 2005, ALTS relocated to Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
and is hosted by Concordia Theological Seminary
Concordia Theological Seminary
The Concordia Theological Seminary is an institution of theological higher education of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod , located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, dedicated primarily to the preparation of pastors for the congregations and missions of the LCMS...
of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod is a traditional, confessional Lutheran denomination in the United States. With 2.3 million members, it is both the eighth largest Protestant denomination and the second-largest Lutheran body in the U.S. after the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Synod...
(LCMS).
Since 1989 representatives of The AALC and the LCMS have met in a series of official and unofficial talks. After six official meetings, at which various doctrinal papers were submitted, representatives of both The AALC and the LCMS have recommended to their respective church bodies that they enter into altar and pulpit fellowship with one another. The proposal will meet the theology/doctrine commissions of each church body, and if passed, will be presented at their respective national conventions. During the June 20–23, 2007 TAALC National Convention, the AALC declared fellowship with the LCMS; and voted to join the International Lutheran Council
International Lutheran Council
The International Lutheran Council is a worldwide association of confessional Lutheran denominations. It is to be distinguished from the larger Lutheran World Federation, which is an association of the more theologically moderate to liberal Lutheran churches, all of which are in full communion with...
(ILC). On July 16, 2007, the LCMS declared fellowship with the AALC during the LCMS 63rd Regular Convention.
In 2006, the AALC had 26,537 members in 73 churches.
Basic beliefs of the AALC
(from their Web site)- Affirms the full authority of the Bible as the inerrant and infallible Word of God
- The Lutheran Confessions as a true interpretation of Scripture
- A purpose focused on the Great Commission with priority for Evangelism and World Missions
- The authority of the local congregation as the basic unit of the church
Presidents
- Rev. Dr. Duane L. Lindberg 1987–1999
- Rev. Thomas V. Aadland 1999–2007
- Rev. Franklin E. Hays 2007–