Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ

Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ
Classification	Protestant
Orientation	Mainline Confessional Lutheran
Theology	Moderate to Conservative
Polity	congregationalist polity
Origin	2000
Congregations	770[1]
Official website	www.lcmc.net

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.

History

LCMC was started by the WordAlone 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 February, 2012, membership was reported as 772 congregations, including 679 US congregations in 42 states, the U S Territories of Guam and Puerto Rico (1 in each territory), as well as 91 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).

Lutherans of the United States
Mainline Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Evangelical Mekane Yesus Fellowship in North America Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Lithuanian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Diaspora Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ North American Lutheran Church
Heritage of the Synodical Conference of North America Association of Confessional Lutheran Churches Church of the Lutheran Confession Concordia Lutheran Conference Evangelical Lutheran Synod Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod Lutheran Churches of the Reformation Orthodox Lutheran Confessional Conference Protes'tant Conference United Lutheran Mission Association Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
Heritage of the LFC or ALC American Association of Lutheran Churches Association of Free Lutheran Congregations Evangelical Lutheran Conference & Ministerium of North America Conservative Lutheran Association Lutheran Ministerium and Synod - USA
Heritage of the Awakening Apostolic Lutheran Church of America Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America Laestadian Lutheran Church
High Church Revival Anglo-Lutheran Catholic Church Evangelical Catholic Church Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America International Lutheran Fellowship
Charismatic Revival Alliance of Renewal Churches
Lutheranism portal	v t e

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 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 pastors. 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.

See also

• Confessing Movement

External links

• Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ

References