Association of Free Lutheran Congregations (1962 - Present) - Religious Group
Religious Family: LutheranReligious Tradition: Evangelical Protestant
Description: The Association of Free Lutheran Congregations was founded in 1962 by Rev. John P. Strand and others who rejected the merger of the Lutheran Free Church into the American Lutheran Church.
Official Site: https://www.aflc.org/
Connections: Association of Free Lutheran Congregations
| Group (Active) | Group (Defunct) | Other |
Maps: Association of Free Lutheran Congregations1
Adherence Rate per 1,000 (2020)
Congregations (2020)
Top 5 Association of Free Lutheran Congregations States (2020)1 [View all States]
| Rank | State | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota | 41 | 6,474 | 8.31 |
| 2 | South Dakota | 28 | 3,398 | 3.83 |
| 3 | Minnesota | 80 | 12,379 | 2.17 |
| 4 | Montana | 5 | 443 | 0.41 |
| 5 | Nebraska | 3 | 721 | 0.37 |
Top 5 Association of Free Lutheran Congregations Counties (2020)1 [View all Counties]
| Rank | County | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grant County, ND | 1 | 259 | 112.56 |
| 2 | Cheyenne County, KS | 1 | 285 | 108.95 |
| 3 | Walsh County, ND | 3 | 999 | 94.58 |
| 4 | Koochiching County, MN | 2 | 951 | 78.84 |
| 5 | Big Stone County, MN | 2 | 402 | 77.82 |
Top 5 Association of Free Lutheran Congregations Metro Areas (2020)1 [View all Metro Areas]
| Rank | Metro | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fergus Falls, MN Micro Area | 4 | 1,123 | 18.69 |
| 2 | Brookings, SD Micro Area | 2 | 639 | 18.59 |
| 3 | Red Wing, MN Micro Area | 4 | 785 | 16.50 |
| 4 | Dickinson, ND Micro Area | 2 | 545 | 15.76 |
| 5 | Grand Forks, ND-MN Metro Area | 11 | 1,643 | 15.74 |
Association of Free Lutheran Congregations, Members (1974 - 2009)2
Association of Free Lutheran Congregations, Ministers & Churches (1974 - 2009)2
Association of Free Lutheran Congregations, Trends (1974 - 2009)2
| YEAR | MEMBERS | MINISTERS | CHURCHES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 13,471 | 77 | 125 |
| 1975 | 14,215 | 77 | 127 |
| 1977 | 13,946 | 76 | 127 |
| 1978 | 14,400 | 82 | 132 |
| 1979 | 14,738 | 91 | 132 |
| 1980 | 14,738 | 97 | 130 |
| 1982 | 15,430 | 100 | 140 |
| 1983 | 16,759 | 96 | 145 |
| 1984 | 17,665 | 118 | 151 |
| 1985 | 18,205 | 120 | 156 |
| 1986 | 19,508 | 160 | 160 |
| 1987 | 26,509 | 130 | 186 |
| 1988 | 26,870 | 139 | 193 |
| 1991 | 27,650 | 170 | 210 |
| 1992 | 20,945 | 181 | 225 |
| 1993 | 29,848 | 191 | 230 |
| 1994 | 30,769 | 205 | 230 |
| 1997 | 32,659 | 207 | 243 |
| 1999 | 32,984 | 213 | 241 |
| 2000 | 36,400 | 222 | 245 |
| 2002 | 36,431 | 226 | 252 |
| 2003 | 39,409 | 223 | 257 |
| 2006 | 43,360 | 234 | 267 |
| 2007 | 43,428 | 249 | 274 |
| 2008 | 43,477 | 249 | 274 |
| 2009 | 44,473 | 277 | 280 |
Sources
1 The 2020 data were collected by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB) and include data for 372 religious bodies or groups. Of these, the ASARB was able to gather data on congregations and adherents for 217 and on congregations only for 155. [More information on the data sources]
2 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.
