Churches Respond to the ELCA


- List of Churches That Have Left or Who Are Voting to Leave the ELCA (from 2013)

​- Number of Churches That Left the ELCA From 2009 to 2013

Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus severs ties with ELCA

. . .While they were at it the Mekane Yesus included the Church of Sweden (Lutheran) and, for good measure, other “churches who have openly accepted same-sex marriage.” The decision specifically bans Eucharistic hospitality. Mekane Yesus pastors may not receive Holy Communion from ELCA pastors, nor are they permitted to commune them. . .

Ethiopian Lutherans reiterate rejection of ELCA actions on same-sex sexual relationships

If ELCA does not repent within one year, EECMY will cut ties to ELCA. . .“The fundamental position of the EECMY on any ethical issue including homosexual practice rests on her belief in the eternal truth of the teaching of the Holy Scripture and not on human decision that deviates from the Scripture. . ."

One of the largest ELCA churches in America, Community Church of Joy, in Arizona leaves the ELCA.  The following links explain why:
“If there is a wrong you fight it, if you don’t you become part of it.” – The Virginian


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Speaking the Truth in Love (a 2022 letter from an ELCA church to ELCA leadership)

. . .There are many points of concern regarding damaging actions, words, and teachings coming from the highest levels of ELCA leadership and adversely impacting the public witness of the ELCA in recent years (i.e. the lack of condemnation to the self-identified “ELCA leaders” associated with the “Naked and Unashamed” movement originating at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago; recent actions taken in regard to the termination of Pastor Nelson Rabell-González and its impact upon the congregation of Iglesia Luterana Santa Maria Peregrina; Bishop Eaton’s misleading and one-sided initial tweet that was originally pinned to the ELCA official Twitter account regarding the full extent of the ELCA Social Statement on Abortion; and other ELCA Churchwide actions including the overt sexualization of a “transitioning” 12-year old child at the 2018 ELCA Churchwide Youth Gathering). . .

A Vision and Plan for The North American Lutheran Church and Lutheran CORE, a community of confessing Lutherans

. . . We are living in an exciting time for confessing Lutherans in North America! Pastors and laypeople increasingly are engaged in the life of the Church beyond their congregations. Many are returning with new zeal to the true mission of the Church, the sharing of the Good News of Christ Jesus. Many are eager for new fellowships, new structures, and new ways of doing common ministry. And all this is happening in a society that has become once more a mission field, a culture desperately in need of the Gospel of our Lord and Savior. . .

Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus!

 . . .The ELCA has changed and is changing. Two of our members were taught by an ELCA Diakonia teacher that the doctrine of the Trinity is a heresy. In seminary, I was taught by Trgve Skarsten that three things make a church a Christian Church: 1. Belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior; 2. Belief in the doctrine of the Trinity; and 3. Belief the Word of God (the Bible) as our sole authority. The ELCA is now teaching (at Wartburg Seminary) that Jesus is just one of the saviors and that every religion has a savior, that the trinity is heresy(mentioned above) , and that the Word of God does not have final authority over culture (Bishop Mark Hansen) . . .

In Faith (2023)

. . .The threats from the ELCA that place fear into individual pastors is nothing more than evil. If you want to remain faithful to the Word of God, I encourage you to place your assurance in Christ not the ELCA. . .

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania Rejects Aid From ELCA

. . .This church does not accept reasons offered by advocates of same-sex marriage and its legitimacy unless it is based on the Word of God and Biblical teaching; therefore, we reject inappropriate and false interpretations of scripture produced to justify the marriage of people of the same gender. This church encourages and supports all those around the world who oppose churches that have taken the decision to legalize same-sex marriage. . .

Facing Lutheranism's Crisis of Authority

. . .Deficiency 1: Like the ancient Gnostics, the ELCA is antinomian—it rejects the law of God.

Deficiency 2: Like the ancient Gnostics, the ELCA claims a higher knowledge—higher than anything available from an external Word of God. Gnostics trusted instead in enlightenment from within, which is where they locate God. So do those guiding ELCA's decisions, said Braaten.

Deficiency 3: Like the ancient Gnostics, ELCA leaders sneer at the idea that we can look to a book as our authority—especially a book written by Jews. Antinomianism and anti-Semitism are always found together, said Braaten. . .

Minneapolis church splits with ELCA over gays; Pastor says 'activist fringe' in power

A Lutheran congregation in Minneapolis said Wednesday that it voted to leave the denomination because the church's governing body had voted to let gay men and lesbians serve as pastors.

Sunday's vote by members of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church is the first step in the process a congregation goes through to leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, or ELCA, the largest Lutheran denomination in the country.

The church was among three that voted Sunday to leave the ELCA; the others were in Arizona and Virginia. St. Paul Evangelical's senior pastor, the Rev. Roland J. Wells Jr., said the congregation no longer had faith that the ELCA represented the "Lutherans in the pew.". . .
(update:  the second vote passed unanimously.  They have cut ties to the ELCA)

Hispanic Pastors’ Response to 2009 Churchwide Assembly Decisions

. . .It is clear to us that the ELCA has decided to stop recognizing the Authority of the Bible, presenting a different and diluted Gospel not in accordance with the teaching of the Scriptures (Galatians 1:6-10). Therefore, we RENOUNCE the decision of the Churchwide Assembly and will continue to uphold the clear Biblical standards for marriage, family, and sexuality. . .

Statement of three President Emeriti of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church

In these historic days we have been deeply alarmed by the direction you are choosing to take. Thus we have to inform you with a heavy heart that we are deeply saddened and dismayed by the decisions you are taking at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis regarding human sexuality. We see it as a defiant departure from the Biblical truth and from our global Evangelical Lutheran tradition. . .

​LCMS President Kieschnick responds to ELCA decision affirming homosexual clergy

. . .The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has repeatedly affirmed as its own position the historical understanding of the Christian church that the Bible condemns homosexual behavior as “intrinsically sinful.” It is therefore contrary to the will of the Creator and constitutes sin against the commandments of God. . .

LCMS, ELCA reps discuss cooperation

. . ."It is with great sadness that external cooperation between the headquarters of the ELCA and the LCMS is coming to an end due to the approval by the ELCA in 2009 of sexual practices and relationships forbidden by the Holy Scriptures," Harrison said. . .

Why We Are Leaving the ELCA - WordAlone

. . .The new social statement and policies on sexuality are just the tip of the iceberg. They are a single example of how far the ELCA has strayed from the authority of Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions. On a much deeper level, the changes taking place in the church today are altering the very message of Christ. When the Word of God is no longer taught as the basis for the Christian faith and life, a religious institution ceases to be a Church of Christ. . .

Tonawanda Lutherans leave church after rift

. . .“The reason we left is that our bishop told us that we don’t know what the scriptures really say,” said Mulvaine. . .Specifically, Mulvaine said he objected to the church allowing unbaptized people to receive Holy Communion, to church health insurance paying for abortion and to changes in the worship book that eliminated references to “Father.” . . .Mulvaine said Augustana members in April initially voted overwhelmingly to leave but that vote was declared unconstitutional by (synod bishop) Jerge because she said she wasn’t given proper notice. . .

Letter from Bp. Nicholas Tai, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong (2009)

. . . If the Church accepts and practices homosexual behavior, it will be a big stumbling block for the vast majority of 1.3 billion Chinese, who need the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. . .

​Twin City Congregation Votes to Leave ELCA

"When the ELCA took actions that even the liberal United Methodist and Presbyterian Church USA have repeatedly rejected, the sign was clear that the stranglehold of the activist fringe have taken control of the leadership of the church.  Those of us in the center, representing over 80% of ELCA Lutherans in the pew, can see that it's time to form a new church body.  It's time to build a positive, grace-filled, missional church- the ELCA that could have been."

​Lutheran congregation leaves ELCA

RANCHO PENASQUITOS, Calif. — Alarmed by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s decade-long progression to the left, Peñasquitos Lutheran Church in San Diego, Calif. voted in July to leave the denomination—weeks before its leadership voted Aug. 21 to allow practicing homosexuals to serve as clergy.“We wanted to make our separation known in advance of the convention so they would see this wasn’t just a knee-jerk decision over one issue, one experience,” said senior pastor Jerald Borgie. “There was a whole series of things building over time.”

The spiritual head of a congregation that numbers 800 in weekend attendance said the withdrawal from the denomination began more than 10 years ago when he said church structure and ideology began to supplant Scripture. . .

Church leaves the fold: Lutheran beliefs stray, pastor says (PDF file)

Fargo's Atonement Lutheran Church is leaving the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. By a vote of 211 to 14, Atonement's congregation confirmed on Sunday an earlier decision to secede from the 17-year-old Lutheran organization. The 1,500-member congregation has been distancing itself from the ELCA for years, because it is becoming more hierarchical in structure and less traditional in beliefs than members prefer, said the Rev. Dale Wolf, a pastor at Atonement. . .

LCMS President Addresses Relationship with ELCA - Witness Stone Blog

. . .“Our relationship with the ELCA is over. . .Relationship, Higgins Road to St. Louis is over. . ."

Lutherans second church to split over gays

On Wednesday, an 11-member steering committee of Lutheran CORE (Coalition for Renewal), meeting in New Brighton, Minn., said it cannot remain inside the 4.7-million-member ELCA after the denomination agreed at its August churchwide assembly in Minneapolis to ordain partnered gay clergy.
That decision, CORE said in a statement, created "a biblical and theological crisis throughout the ELCA and conflict in local congregations. . .

Some 60 Chinese pastors' response to ELCA decision

We absolutely disagree with the above mentioned resolution to call and ordain homosexual pastors. . . As Lutheran congregations, the one thing we have learned from our Lutheran heritage is to take the Bible as our ultimate authority in faith and in ministry. Thus, we submit ourselves to the authority of the Bible, but not the Pope, nor the Presiding Bishop, nor the resolution of the Church-wide Assembly, nor the voices and urges from the world. . .

ELS (Evangelical Lutheran Synod) Disagrees with ELCA on Homosexuality

ELS President, Rev. John A. Moldstad, said: “Ordaining practicing homosexuals and lesbians to the ministry is a serious departure from the biblical standards of morality to which Lutherans and Lutheran pastors have historically been held.” Moldstad clarified that, in contrast to the newly-adopted position of the ELCA, the position of the ELS on the matter of homosexuality and marriage is as follows. . .

Response of The Oromo Evangelical Lutheran Churches of the ELCA to the 2009 ELCA Church Wide Assembly on the Social Statement of human sexuality

. . .In 2008 the Estonian Council of Churches through a common stand by its members expressed that the tradition of Holy Scripture cannot be reinterpreted as sanctioning homosexual practice. Homosexuality according to the Bible is a sin which is dealt in a negative light within both the Old and New Testaments. . .

Declaration of the General Synod of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church: Regarding the Stance of Churches on Homosexual Behaviour and Fellowship Between Churches

. . .In 2008 the Estonian Council of Churches through a common stand by its members expressed that the tradition of Holy Scripture cannot be reinterpreted as sanctioning homosexual practice. Homosexuality according to the Bible is a sin which is dealt in a negative light within both the Old and New Testaments. . .

Call to Faithfulness—a time to speak

. . .There is a time to keep silence, and a time to speak. Now is not a time to keep silence. Silence, whether intended or not, gives approval to the actions taken at Churchwide. . .

Letter From Presiding Pastor of the American Association of Lutheran Churches

. . .Because of (the ELCA's) action countless millions of souls are in dire jeopardy of everlasting punishment.  This is a scandal and a shame. My colleagues, this is not about sex, or same gender relationship, or ordination. The problem is much deeper and more pervasive than that. . .

The ELCA – The Music Doesn’t Sound the Same

. . .In the ELCA, there is a strand of thought being sown in our church that faith in Jesus Christ is an optional response in receiving salvation. It seems to point to a type of universal salvation which points away from historic Christian understanding. . .

St. Luke's Lutheran Church

“The belief of this congregation is that the ELCA has been moving away from the core tenets of being Lutheran” and undergoing “a fundamental shift toward following social programs as opposed to ministries and Biblical spirituality.... It’s a general loss of focus on what a church is supposed to be. A church is there to prepare people to meet Christ at the time of their death, to live a spiritual life, and to serve the community — in that order. . .”

Why There Must Be New Beginnings - Robert Benne

. . . The first thing that must be left behind is the heterodox arrogance by which the leadership of the ELCA has ignored the clear meaning of Scripture, the testimony of the whole Christian moral tradition, the wisdom of its predecessor bodies, and the voice of the ecumenical church in the world today with regard to the issue of homosexual conduct. . .

Tanzanian Bishop, African Churches Comment on ELCA Assembly Decisions

". . .ELCT has refused to recognize the decision to allow same-sex marriages because it is against the Holy Bible. It is in direct contravention of God's word, which has not changed," Malasusa was quoted as saying.
     "It's time Africa preached to the rest of the world and remind them of God's word because it seems they have forgotten what the Bible says," Malasusa said.  The newspaper said that comment brought cheers from worshippers. . .

The Lutheran Orthodox Church,(LOC) response to ELCA vote

. . .We find it very sad that the ELCA, with such a large worldwide presence, a presence that could have and should have stood for what is true, proper and chaste, a force that could have stood firm for Biblical truths, guarding and guiding the flock entrusted into their care has turned their denomination into a mockery and a sham, now being nothing more than whitewashed graves- pure on the outside, but inside full of dead men's bones. It would be more fitting if the ELCA stood for The Evangelical Liberal Church in America and dropped the name Lutheran, which the ELCA is no longer, in the eyes of this Lutheran ecclesiastical body. . .

LCMS Urged to Defend Abandoned Biblical Truths

". . .The unique contribution of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod to Christianity in the world is that we have always stood steadfast and without compromise on the truth of God's inspired, inerrant, infallible Word," he said Sunday at the 64th regular convention in Houston. . .

A Year After Denomination Accepted. . .

. . . (Rev.) Lehmann of Flatville said at the meeting, "We've been black-balled by my alma mater (Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa) and cannot be an internship congregation. Our last intern (in 2003) was warned, 'He's orthodox.' As politics of the church have changed and become charged, it feared I was going to pollute. . . "

St. Paul Lutheran Church's Journey into the Light

St. Paul has had a tradition of being actively involved in the life of the ELCA.  There has always been a presence from St. Paul at the annual Synod assembly as well as the biennial Churchwide gathering.  We’ve participated in Habitat for Humanity house buildings, Women of the ELCA (WELCA), Lutheran Men-in-Mission (LMM), among other activities. . .

"Leaving"

. . .What I did was follow the rules and leave the denomination with my flock, Holy Trinity, New Rochelle, New York. We followed all the rules and left the ELCA because it was our. . .“church,” therefore, it was our church’s decision that the denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, had completely lost its moorings and was adrift at sea, the sea called PC, the politically correct idealogy. . .

Immanuel Lutheran Church

Letter to the Congregation

. . .So, on Sunday, September 13 I plan to lay my case before you for joining the NALC. I fear that it is unavoidable that when I lay my case before you, I will be critical of the ELCA. I plan, then, to methodically point to serious cases where I believe the ELCA has departed from the Bible and from the church’s holy tradition. . .

My Proposal: That We Join the  North American Lutheran Church (NALC)

. . . One of Bishop Rimbo’s Assistants, The Rev. Lamont Anthony Wells, for example, wrote to the clergy last Advent and greeted us in the name of “our Holy Parent.” This is awful! This is a disaster. This is a threat to the world. “Calm yourself!” someone might say. But I cannot calm myself and I must not. . .

​Harvey Faith Lutheran - Our History

. . .The ELCA continues to demonstrate it intends to follow a path that is moving away from Scriptural teachings. The crisis in the ELCA is not really about sexuality it is about the authority of God’s Word. Many of us decided we could no longer follow nor support the ELCA. . .

Why Holy Trinity Left the ELCA

. . .What follows is a series of arguments against leaving the ELCA; each argument is paired with a response. This will give you a sense of how the discussion transpired and of why Holy Trinity voted to leave the ELCA. . .
More articles about churches and people leaving the ELCA
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