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Lutheran Church History Timeline

(1517–Present)

Lutheran Church History traces the origins, development, doctrines, institutions, and worldwide influence of the Lutheran tradition from the Protestant Reformation to the present. Less

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Early American Lutheranism

General Synod established

1820

The General Synod became the earliest nationwide Lutheran synod or union of synods in the United States. It was later followed by the General Council as American Lutheran bodies developed along regional and ethnic lines.

Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod established

1847

German immigrants fleeing the forced Prussian Union between Lutherans and Reformed church members established the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. Many later settled in Perry County, Missouri, and the synod expanded through immigration, offspring, and church mergers.

Image source: Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod

Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod established

Common Service published

1888

The Common Service established a precedent-setting traditional American Lutheran liturgy. Its forms were later incorporated into several Lutheran worship books and hymnals.

Common Service Book adopted

1917

The Common Service Book was adopted by the United Lutheran Church in America, a predecessor of the Lutheran Church in America. It carried forward the traditional American Lutheran liturgical heritage.

Lutheran Student Movement founded

1922

The Lutheran Student Movement-USA was founded as an ecumenical inter-Lutheran college and university student organization. It was later reorganized in 1969.

American Lutheran Church predecessor formed

1930

An earlier American Lutheran Church was formed in 1930 and consisted largely of members of German heritage. It later became one of the predecessor bodies involved in the 1960 American Lutheran Church merger.

Service Book and Hymnal published

1958

The Service Book and Hymnal was published as an important American Lutheran worship resource. Some congregations continued using it after later hymnals were published.

Social and ecumenical developments

Lutheran World Convention organized

1923

The Lutheran World Convention provided an international framework for Lutheran cooperation. It was reorganized as the Lutheran World Federation in 1948.

Lutheran World Federation reorganized

1948

The Lutheran World Federation was reorganized from the earlier Lutheran World Convention. It became a communion of autonomous national and regional Lutheran church bodies around the world.

National Council of Churches partnership develops

1960

Lutheran cooperation with the National Council of Churches and other ecumenical organizations formed part of the broader interchurch movement associated with the 1960s. The ELCA later became a member of the National Council of Churches.

Lutheran–Roman Catholic dialogues begin

1966

Official Lutheran–Roman Catholic dialogues began producing theological statements and booklets at recurring intervals. These discussions contributed to later agreements between Lutheran and Roman Catholic bodies.

Lutheran Student Movement reorganized

1969

The Lutheran Student Movement-USA was reorganized in 1969, continuing its role as an inter-Lutheran organization serving college and university students.

Survey by Strommen and colleagues

1970

A survey by Strommen and colleagues was conducted in 1970, contributing to the study of beliefs and attitudes among American Lutherans.

Lutherans Concerned network founded

1974

Progressive churches founded the Lutherans Concerned for Gay People network in 1974 to advocate the inclusion of LGBTQ people. The organization was renamed ReconcilingWorks in 2012.

Lutheran Book of Worship published

1978

The Lutheran Book of Worship was published by the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship. It became an influential worship book and remained in use in some congregations after the formation of the ELCA.

ELCA adopts end-of-life statement

Nov 9, 1992

The ELCA adopted its statement on End of Life Decisions. The statement disapproved of euthanasia and opposed legalization of physician-assisted death.

Image source: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

ELCA adopts end-of-life statement

Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification signed

Oct 31, 1999

In Augsburg, Germany, the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. The declaration stated that the mutual condemnations of sixteenth-century Lutherans and Roman Catholics no longer applied to those who signed it.

Image source: Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification

Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification signed

ELCA and Episcopal Church adopt Called to Common Mission

2000

The Called to Common Mission agreement with the Episcopal Church meant that ELCA bishops were installed according to apostolic succession. The agreement presented this as historic continuity while retaining Lutheran teaching about the church's presence wherever baptism and Holy Communion are administered.

Cooperative Clergy Study Project surveys ELCA pastors

2000

The Cooperative Clergy Study Project surveyed 681 ELCA pastors in 2000. It found strong support for opening all clergy positions to women, while also recording varied views on scientific creationism and abortion.

Evangelical Lutheran Worship published

2006

Evangelical Lutheran Worship was published in 2006 and became the main hymnal used in ELCA congregations. Some congregations continued to use earlier worship books, including the 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship.

ReconcilingWorks adopts new name

2012

Lutherans Concerned for Gay People was renamed ReconcilingWorks in 2012, continuing its work for LGBTQ inclusion in Lutheran communities.

ELCA adopts anti-abortion statement with Lutheran CORE and NALC

Dec 14, 2012

Lutheran CORE and the North American Lutheran Church, through their Joint Commission on Theology and Doctrine, approved The Lord Is with You, a word of counsel addressing the sanctity of nascent life and expressing an official anti-abortion stance.

Ethiopian Mekane Yesus severs ties with ELCA

2013

The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus severed ties with the ELCA in 2013, including communion and pulpit fellowship, over practices and teachings connected with homosexuality.

ELCA responds to nationwide same-sex marriage ruling

2015

After the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationally in the United States, the ELCA presiding bishop's office informed members that each congregation could bless same-sex marriages or choose not to do so.

Image source: Same-sex marriage in the United States

ELCA responds to nationwide same-sex marriage ruling

Pew estimates ELCA religious identification

2025

In 2025, Pew Research estimated that 1.4 percent of U.S. adults, or roughly 3.7 million people, identified with the ELCA. A broader estimate placed identification with the ELCA and mainline Lutheranism at about 2 percent of U.S. adults, or 5.2 million people.

Church mergers and organization

American Lutheran Church formed

1960

The American Lutheran Church formed through the merger of the earlier American Lutheran Church of 1930, the United Evangelical Lutheran Church with Danish roots, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church with Norwegian roots. It reflected major German, Danish, and Norwegian American Lutheran traditions.

Lutheran Church in America formed

1962

The Lutheran Church in America was created by merging the United Lutheran Church in America, Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, and the American Evangelical Lutheran Church. Its membership largely reflected colonial and nineteenth-century immigrant communities.

Lutheran Free Church joins the ALC

1963

The Lutheran Free Church joined the American Lutheran Church three years after the 1960 merger, further consolidating American Lutheran bodies.

AELC congregations withdraw from LCMS

1975

A group of congregations left the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod after 1975 as it became more dominated by theological and social conservatives. These congregations formed the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches.

Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches formed

1976

The Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches was formed by approximately 250 congregations that had left the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. The schism involved disputes over biblical inerrancy and ecumenism, and its congregations were concentrated largely in the lower Midwest.

LCA, ALC, and AELC agree to unite

1982

After several years of discussion, the Lutheran Church in America, the American Lutheran Church, and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches formally agreed in 1982 to unite.

ELCA predecessor churches and Canadian congregations

1986

Before 1986, some congregations that later formed the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada belonged to predecessor churches of the ELCA.

ELCA officially formed

Jan 1, 1988

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America officially began on January 1, 1988, through the merger of the 1962 Lutheran Church in America, the 1960 American Lutheran Church, and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches. The merger created the largest Lutheran church body in the United States.

Lutheran CORE announces separation plan

Feb 2010

After the ELCA's 2009 human-sexuality decision, Lutheran CORE announced in February 2010 that it would secede from the ELCA and form a new denomination, later named the North American Lutheran Church.

ELCA Churchwide Assembly changes meeting cycle

2011 - 2013

A constitutional amendment passed in 2011 changed the ELCA Churchwide Assembly from a biennial meeting in odd-numbered years to a triennial meeting after 2013.

ELCA reports 2.59 million baptized members

Dec 31, 2025

As of December 31, 2025, the ELCA reported approximately 2,588,700 baptized members in 8,208 congregations.

Leadership and ministry

LCMS elects J. A. O. Preus II

1969

In 1969, the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod elected more conservative leadership under President J. A. O. Preus II, replacing the moderate incumbent Oliver Harms.

Predecessor churches adopt women's ordination

1970

The American Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church in America adopted the ordination of women in 1970. The Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches adopted the practice in 1976.

Image source: Ordination of women

Predecessor churches adopt women's ordination

Herbert W. Chilstrom serves as first presiding bishop

1987 - 1995

Herbert W. Chilstrom served as the first presiding bishop associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, beginning in 1987 and continuing through 1995.

ELCA study of ministry begins

1988

An extensive Study of Ministry began immediately after the ELCA merger. It examined discordant viewpoints and the renewal of the office of deacon in relation to older and more traditional understandings of Christian ministry.

April Ulring Larson elected first female ELCA bishop

1992

April Ulring Larson was elected bishop of the La Crosse area synod in 1992, becoming the first female bishop in the ELCA.

H. George Anderson becomes presiding bishop

1995 - 2001

H. George Anderson served as ELCA presiding bishop from 1995 to 2001. Before becoming presiding bishop, he had been president of Luther College.

ELCA adopts The Use of the Means of Grace

1997

The ELCA Churchwide Assembly adopted The Use of the Means of Grace in 1997, providing guidance on the church's sacramental practices.

ELCA begins historic-episcopate installations

2000

Beginning in 2000, the ELCA required installations of new bishops to include the laying-on of hands by at least three bishops known to be within the historic line of apostolic succession.

Mark Hanson begins tenure as presiding bishop

2001 - 2007

Mark Hanson began his tenure as ELCA presiding bishop in 2001. He was re-elected in August 2007 for a second term.

ELCA adopts revised ministry policies

Apr 2010

In April 2010, the ELCA Church Council adopted revisions to ministry policy documents to implement the August 2009 Churchwide Assembly decision. The revisions also added sections on integrity, substance abuse, and addiction.

Elizabeth Eaton elected presiding bishop

Aug 2013 - Nov 1, 2013

Elizabeth Eaton was elected presiding bishop in August 2013 and took office on November 1, 2013. She became the first woman elected to the ELCA's highest office.

ELCA ordains first transgender pastor

2015

In 2015, the ELCA officially ordained its first transgender pastor. The event formed part of the denomination's broader development of policies concerning gender and sexual identity.

Deacon roster consolidated

Jan 2017

Beginning in January 2017, the former ELCA lay rosters of deaconess, diaconal minister, and associate in ministry were merged into a single roster called Deacons. The revised ordination rite allowed symbols such as a towel and basin to represent servant ministry.

First African-American female ELCA bishops elected

2018

In 2018, the ELCA elected its first African-American female bishops: Patricia Davenport in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod and Viviane Thomas-Breitfeld in the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin.

Elizabeth Eaton reelected presiding bishop

2019

Elizabeth Eaton was reelected to a second term as ELCA presiding bishop in 2019.

Michael Burk appointed presiding bishop pro tempore

Nov 2023

In November 2023, the ELCA Church Council appointed Michael Burk as Presiding Bishop Pro Tempore after Bishop Elizabeth Eaton requested a four- to six-month leave of absence.

Katrina D. Foster becomes first openly gay woman synod bishop

May 13, 2025

Katrina D. Foster became the first woman and first openly gay person to serve as bishop of the Metropolitan New York Synod.

Yehiel Curry elected presiding bishop

Jul 2025 - Oct 1, 2025

Yehiel Curry, bishop of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod, was elected ELCA presiding bishop in July 2025 and took office on October 1, 2025.

Yehiel Curry installed as presiding bishop

Oct 4, 2025

Yehiel Curry was installed as ELCA presiding bishop on October 4, 2025, at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.

Key Facts

  1. Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses, published in 1517, challenged the sale of indulgences and helped launch the Protestant Reformation.
  2. The Augsburg Confession of 1530, presented to Emperor Charles V, became a foundational statement of Lutheran belief.
  3. The Peace of Augsburg in 1555 recognized Lutheranism as a legally permitted religion within the Holy Roman Empire.
  4. Lutheran churches spread through Scandinavia, central Europe, and later North America and other regions through migration and missionary work.
  5. Modern Lutheranism includes many denominations and global church bodies, including the Lutheran World Federation, founded in 1947.

Source

This Lutheran Church History timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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