Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ
Encyclopedia
Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC) is an association of Lutheran congregations in the United States
. It began in 2000 in response to the liberalization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA). LCMC is characterized by the traditional stances it takes on Lutheran polity
, biblical authority
, and human sexuality
. The group describes itself as "centrist" or "mainstream", noting that it stands between the more liberal ELCA and the more conservative Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
(LC-MS) and other, more conservative Lutheran church bodies in North America
.
Network as an alternative for local churches who no longer felt that they could remain in the ELCA and work to reform it. In 2001, the organization began with 31 congregations as charter members. As of April 26, 2011, membership was reported as 721 congregations, including 653 US congregations in 42 states, the U S Territories of Guam and Puerto Rico (1 in each territory), as well as 68 congregations in 10 other countries (including Belarus
, Cambodia
, Canada
, Mexico
, Nicaragua
, Russia
, and Vietnam
). LCMC is now the fourth largest Lutheran group in the United States (after the ELCA, LC-MS, and Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
(WELS).
The beliefs of the LCMC are based on the Bible
and the Lutheran confessions in the Book of Concord
. On one important issue, LCMC stands apart from the conservative Lutheran denominations in that it recognizes the ordination of women
as pastor
s. It believes that biblical marriage is between one man and one woman and, therefore, does not bless same-sex partnerships or permit congregations to be members who have non-celibate gay pastors. LCMC's stance on marriage and sexuality has brought about significant growth, growing from about 230 member congregations since the ELCA changed its standards in August 2009.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It began in 2000 in response to the liberalization of 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...
(ELCA). LCMC is characterized by the traditional stances it takes on Lutheran polity
Polity
Polity is a form of government Aristotle developed in his search for a government that could be most easily incorporated and used by the largest amount of people groups, or states...
, biblical authority
Biblical authority
The term biblical authority refers to the extent to which propositions within the Old and New Testament scriptures are authoritative over human belief and conduct, as well as the extent to which their propositions are accurate in matters of history and science...
, and human sexuality
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
. The group describes itself as "centrist" or "mainstream", noting that it stands between the more liberal ELCA and the more conservative 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...
(LC-MS) and other, more conservative Lutheran church bodies in North America
Lutheran church bodies in North America
* AALC - American Association of Lutheran Churches* ACLC - Association of Confessional Lutheran Churches* ALCA - Apostolic Lutheran Church of America* AFLC - Association of Free Lutheran Congregations* ALCC - Anglo-Lutheran Catholic Church...
.
History
LCMC was started by the WordAloneWordAlone
WordAlone is a Lutheran grassroots network of congregations and individuals within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America , the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States. According to its website, WordAlone advocates reform and renewal of the church, representative governance,...
Network as an alternative for local churches who no longer felt that they could remain in the ELCA and work to reform it. In 2001, the organization began with 31 congregations as charter members. As of April 26, 2011, membership was reported as 721 congregations, including 653 US congregations in 42 states, the U S Territories of Guam and Puerto Rico (1 in each territory), as well as 68 congregations in 10 other countries (including Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
). LCMC is now the fourth largest Lutheran group in the United States (after the ELCA, LC-MS, and Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod is a North American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as theologically conservative, it was founded in 1850 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As of 2008, it had a baptized membership of over 389,364 in more than 1,290 congregations,...
(WELS).
Polity and beliefs
LCMC is congregational in structure, rejecting the historic episcopate adopted by the ELCA, the denomination which most LCMC members were once a part.The beliefs of the LCMC are based on the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
and the Lutheran confessions in the Book of Concord
Book of Concord
The Book of Concord or Concordia is the historic doctrinal standard of the Lutheran Church, consisting of ten credal documents recognized as authoritative in Lutheranism since the 16th century...
. On one important issue, LCMC stands apart from the conservative Lutheran denominations in that it recognizes the ordination of women
Ordination of women
Ordination in general religious usage is the process by which a person is consecrated . The ordination of women is a regular practice among some major religious groups, as it was of several religions of antiquity...
as pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
s. It believes that biblical marriage is between one man and one woman and, therefore, does not bless same-sex partnerships or permit congregations to be members who have non-celibate gay pastors. LCMC's stance on marriage and sexuality has brought about significant growth, growing from about 230 member congregations since the ELCA changed its standards in August 2009.