United Lutheran Church in America

United Lutheran Church in America
Classification Protestant
Orientation Lutheran
Structure National church, regional synods, and local congregations
Region United States
Origin 1918
Merger of General Synod
General Council
United Synod of the South
Absorbed Slovak Zion Synod (1920)
Icelandic Synod (1942)
Merged into Lutheran Church in America (1962)
Congregations 4,363 (1961)
Members 2,390,075 (1961)
Ministers 4,893 (1961)

The United Lutheran Church in America (ULCA) was established in 1918 in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation after negotiations among several American Lutheran national synods resulted in the merger of three German-language synods: the General Synod (founded in 1820), the General Council (1867), and the United Synod of the South (1863). The Slovak Zion Synod (1919) joined the ULCA in 1920. The Icelandic Synod (1885) also joined the United Lutheran Church in America in 1942.

In 1962, after a five-year merger process, the United Lutheran Church in America became part of the new Lutheran Church in America (LCA). Twenty-six years later, on January 1, 1988, the LCA joined with the American Lutheran Church (1960) and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, (1978) to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which is today the largest Lutheran church body in the United States.[1]

In 1961, just before its merger into the LCA, the ULCA had 4,893 pastors, 4,363 congregations, and 2,390,075 members.[2]

Presidents

References

  1. Histories of bodies that merged to form the ULCA (Evangelical Church in America) "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 5, 2009. Retrieved June 13, 2009.
  2. "United Lutheran Church in America". American Denomination Profiles. Association of Religion Data Archives. Retrieved February 24, 2016.

Other sources

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