Association of Independent Evangelical Lutheran Churches (1988 - Present) - Religious Group
Religious Family: LutheranReligious Tradition: Unclassified
Description: The Association of Independent Evangelical Lutheran churches was formed in 1988 and incorporated in New York in 2001. It is a small, conservative Lutheran church that affirms the authority of the Bible. It maintains dioceses for Haiti, South America, and South Africa, and is in communion with the Augustana Catholic Church, the Lutheran Orthodox Church, and the Lutheran Evangelical Protestant Church.
Official Site: Not available
Association of Independent Evangelical Lutheran Churches, Trends (2004 - 2010)1
| YEAR | MEMBERS | MINISTERS | CHURCHES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 5,500 | 35 | 25 |
| 2006 | 7,150 | 35 | 25 |
| 2007 | 6,318 | 49 | 35 |
| 2009 | 7,576 | 49 | 35 |
| 2010 | 7,760 | 71 | 45 |
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.
