American Association of Lutheran Churches

American Association of Lutheran Churches
Classification Protestant
Polity congregationalist polity
Origin 1987
Separated from American Lutheran Church
Congregations 67 (2014)
Members 16,000 (2008)
Official website www.taalc.org

The American Association of Lutheran Churches (TAALC, also known as The AALC) is an American Lutheran church body. It was formed on November 7, 1987 as a continuation of the American Lutheran Church (ALC) denomination, the majority of which merged with two other Lutheran church bodies, the Lutheran Church in America (LCA) and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC), to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The AALC offices were located in Bloomington, Minnesota. The national office moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana in 2007. It has 67 congregations, with about 16,000 members, in 2008.[1] Its current Presiding Pastor is the Rev. Dr. Curtis E. Leins.

Historical Background

Lutheranism in the United States
 Lutheranism portal

The AALC began with 12 congregations and has, as of 2008, grown to 70 congregations spread across 23 states. The AALC sees itself as a confessional Lutheran Church body in the United States. At its beginning, TAALC defined itself by what it saw as maintaining a commitment to the authority of Holy Scripture and the teaching of the Lutheran confessions by way of retaining the Confession of Faith of the American Lutheran Church.

The AALC operates its own seminary, The American Lutheran Theological Seminary (ALTS), originally located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In the fall of 2005, ALTS relocated to Fort Wayne, Indiana and is hosted by Concordia Theological Seminary of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS).

The AALC holds to the inerrancy of scripture. It does not ordain women as pastors. However, women may serve as deaconesses. The AALC has two paths to ordination. Besides in congregations, its rostered pastors also serve as chaplains in the U.S. Armed Services, hospitals, correctional facilities, law enforcement, hospice, and a host of other specialized ministries.

The AALC has two well known pastors within confessional Lutheranism: Chris Roseborough of Pirate Christian Radio and Jordan Cooper, who is an author, conference speaker, and host of the Just and Sinner podcasts. The AALC is also the denominational home of Trinity Lutheran Church of San Pedro, California. Trinity Lutheran Church was a key church in the Lutheran Renewal movement in the 60's under the leadership of the Rev. Larry Christensen.

Fellowship with the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod

Since 1989 representatives of The AALC and the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (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 was brought before theology/doctrine commissions of each church body before being 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 (ILC). On July 16, 2007, the LCMS declared fellowship with the AALC during the LCMS 63rd Regular Convention. The bonds between the two sister churches is continues to grow and flourish.

Basic beliefs of the AALC

(from their Web site)

Presiding pastors

References

  1. ↑ "American Association of Lutheran Churches". Association of Religion Data Archives. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
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