Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (1976 - 1988) - Religious Group
Religious Family: LutheranReligious Tradition: Unclassified
Description: The Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, the newest and the smallest body to enter into the 1988 merger to form the ELCA, was formed in 1976 by ministers and churches that withdrew from the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
Official Site: Not available
Connections: Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches
| Group (Active) | Group (Defunct) | Other |
Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, Members (1977 - 1986)1
Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, Ministers & Churches (1977 - 1986)1
Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, Trends (1977 - 1986)1
| YEAR | MEMBERS | MINISTERS | CHURCHES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 95,186 | 377 | 210 |
| 1978 | 106,684 | 545 | 250 |
| 1979 | 113,942 | 532 | 283 |
| 1980 | 107,782 | 680 | 268 |
| 1981 | 109,434 | 676 | 270 |
| 1982 | 110,934 | 665 | 272 |
| 1986 | 103,263 | 672 | 250 |
Sources
1 All data on clergy, members, and churches are taken from the National Council of Churches’ Historic Archive CD and recent print editions of the Council’s Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. The CD archives all 68 editions of the Yearbook (formerly called Yearbook of the Churches and Yearbook of American Churches) from 1916 to 2000. Read more information on the Historic Archive CD and the Yearbook.
Membership figures are "inclusive." According to the Yearbook, this includes "those who are full communicant or confirmed members plus other members baptized, non-confirmed or non-communicant." Each denomination has its own criteria for membership.
When a denomination listed on the Historic Archive CD was difficult to identify, particularly in early editions of the Yearbook, the ARDA staff consulted numerous sources, including Melton’s Encyclopedia of American Religions and the Handbook of Denominations in the United States. In some cases, ARDA staff consulted the denomination’s website or contacted its offices by phone. When a denomination could not be positively identified, its data were omitted.
