The Association of Free Lutheran Congregations (AFLC) is the sixth largest
Lutheran
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
church body in the United States. The AFLC includes congregations from the former
Lutheran Free Church
The Lutheran Free Church (LFC) was a Lutheran denomination that existed in the United States, mainly in Minnesota and North Dakota, from 1897 until its merger into the American Lutheran Church (ALC) in 1963. The history of the church body predate ...
in 27 different U.S. states and four
Canadian province
Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...
s. The AFLC is not an incorporated
synod
A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...
, but a free association. Each local congregation is a separate corporation.
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
is the geographic center of the organization, with over 80 congregations and over 12,000 members.
There are also numerous congregations in the neighboring states of
North Dakota
North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...
,
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...
, and
Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
.
The AFLC headquarters are in
Plymouth, Minnesota
Plymouth is a city in Hennepin County in the U.S. state of Minnesota. A suburb in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, the city is about west of downtown Minneapolis. The population was 81,026 at the 2020 census, making it Minnes ...
, where the
Association Free Lutheran Bible School and Seminary are also located.
The beliefs of the AFLC are grounded in
Pietist Lutheran tradition.
The AFLC logo consists of an open Bible, ascending dove, and green vine. The open Bible is symbolic of God's word as the foundation of faith and life; the ascending dove is symbolic of the freedom of congregation and the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit; and the green vine is symbolic of the living congregation bearing fruit for God.
History
The AFLC was formed in 1962 by 40 congregations of the former
Lutheran Free Church
The Lutheran Free Church (LFC) was a Lutheran denomination that existed in the United States, mainly in Minnesota and North Dakota, from 1897 until its merger into the American Lutheran Church (ALC) in 1963. The history of the church body predate ...
that did not want to join the 1963 merger into
The American Lutheran Church
The American Lutheran Church (ALC) was a Christian Protestant denomination in the United States and Canada that existed from 1960 to 1987. Its headquarters were in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Upon its formation in 1960, The ALC designated Augsburg P ...
(ALC). The ALC had been formed in 1960 by the merger of several ethnic Lutheran denominations. The AFLC was originally called the Lutheran Free Church-not merged, but the ALC filed suit against the group for using the name Lutheran Free Church. The name Association of Free Lutheran Congregations was chosen by 1964. In 2006, the AFLC had 43,360 baptized members in 267 churches
and in 2009, the AFLC had 277 pastors, 280 congregations, and 44,473 members.
Doctrine
The AFLC accept and believe in the Holy Bible as the complete written Word of God, preserved by the Holy Spirit for salvation and instruction. The AFLC accepts the ancient ecumenical symbols, namely, the
Apostles
An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...
, the
Nicene
The Nicene Creed, also called the Creed of Constantinople, is the defining statement of belief of Nicene Christianity and in those Christian denominations that adhere to it.
The original Nicene Creed was first adopted at the First Council of N ...
, and the
Athanasian Creed
The Athanasian Creed—also called the ''Quicunque Vult'' (or ''Quicumque Vult''), which is both its Latin name and its opening words, meaning "Whosoever wishes"—is a Christian statement of belief focused on Trinitarian doctrine and Christolo ...
s;
Luther's Small Catechism
Luther's Small Catechism () is a catechism written by Martin Luther and published in 1529 for the training of children. Luther's Small Catechism reviews the Ten Commandments, the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the Sacrament of Holy Bapti ...
, and the unaltered
Augsburg Confession
The Augsburg Confession (), also known as the Augustan Confession or the Augustana from its Latin name, ''Confessio Augustana'', is the primary confession of faith of the Lutheranism, Lutheran Church and one of the most important documents of th ...
, as the true expression of the Christian faith and life.
There were five principal reasons for the formation of the AFLC:
*Recognition of the
Bible
The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
as the inspired and inerrant authority in all matters of faith and life.
*Recognition that the teaching and preaching of God's Word is the main task of the Church, to be conducted in such a way that the saints are built up and unbelievers see their need for salvation.
*Belief that the congregation is the right form of the Kingdom of God on earth, with no authority above it but the Word and the Spirit of God;
*Belief that Christian unity is a spiritual concept, not a man-made organization such as the
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, most jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodo ...
or the
National Council of Churches
The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, usually identified as the National Council of Churches (NCC), is a left-wing progressive activist group and the largest ecumenical body in the United States. NCC is an ecumenical partners ...
.
*Belief that Christians are called to be a salt and light, separated from the ways of the world, and that this difference is to be reflected in the life of the congregation as well as in the institutions of the church body.
Unlike most other conservative Lutheran bodies in the United States, the AFLC allows
open communion
Open communion is the practice of some Protestant Churches of allowing members and non-members to receive the Eucharist (also called Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper). Many but not all churches that practice open communion require that the ...
and
women's suffrage
Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...
in congregational voting.
Committees and corporations
The AFLC has five corporations that are sponsored by the AFLC to direct their common endeavors: the Coordinating Committee, the Schools Corporation, the Missions Corporation, the AFLC Foundation, and the Association Retreat Center (ARC. There are two auxiliary corporations in the AFLC: the Women's Missionary Federation (WMF) and Free Lutheran Youth (FLY).
Coordinating Committee
The coordinating committee consists of seven members from the congregations currently part of the AFLC. The main duties of the coordinating committee includes monitoring the pastoral roster, monitoring the congregational roster, and providing guidance for the other ministries of the AFLC, including youth, evangelism, parish education, etc.
Schools Corporation
The schools corporation's main delegation is the election of the board of trustees, that governs the
Free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary
Free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary (FLBCS) is one institution of higher education consisting of two programs, the undergraduate Free Lutheran Bible College (FLBC) and the four-year pastoral training program Free Lutheran Seminary (FLS). FLBC ...
(FLBCS). This corporation consists of fifty members from the congregations of the AFLC. The AFLC leaders decided to create a Lutheran Bible School patterned after the fundamental teachings of the Lutheran Bible Institute founded in 1919. The school was opened in 1966 with 13 students but grew to 35 the next year. By the 1990s, the school, renamed to Association Free Lutheran Bible School, was averaging 105 students. Today there are approximately 100 students attending the school.
Missions Corporation
The missions corporation consists of one hundred members of the congregations of the AFLC and elects from itself a Home Missions Committee and a World Missions Committee which are involved in the outreach of the AFLC into the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and several other countries.
AFLC Foundation
Association Retreat Center
The Association Retreat Center (ARC) is a separate organization of the AFLC located near
Osceola, Wisconsin
Osceola ( ) is a village in Polk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,765 at the 2020 census. Located mostly within the Town of Osceola, the village sits on the border with Minnesota, separated by the St. Croix River. It is ...
, that serves as a retreat center for various activities within the AFLC.
Other committees and corporations
The Women's Missionary Federation (WMF) serves the women of the churches with
Bible
The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
studies, fellowship, and has an emphasis on missionary services.
The Free Lutheran Youth (FLY) is a youth organization dealing with youth ministry.
Publications
The official publication of the AFLC is ''The Lutheran Ambassador'', with twelve issues per year devoted to Bible-centered articles and news of the churches. Ambassador Publications is the parish education department of the AFLC.
The ''Ambassador Hymnal'' is the
hymnal
A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). They are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Christia ...
published by the AFLC. It contains over 600 hymns as well as a selected order of church services and responsive Bible readings.
Presidents
* John P. Strand (1962–1978)
* Richard Snipstead (1978–1992)
* Robert L. Lee (1992–2007)
* Elden K. Nelson (2007–2013)
* Lyndon Korhonen (2013–2022)
* Micah Hjermstad (2022-Present)
Annual conferences
The AFLC schedules an annual conference to share reports of congregations and other various ministries. The main reason for these conferences is spiritual edification, as the schedules include prayer times, worship hours, and business meetings together. At the conference, suggestions for changes are presented and discussed and the elections for positions in committees/corporations are conducted.
*1963 Fargo, North Dakota
*1964 Valley City, North Dakota
*1965 Minneapolis, Minnesota
*1966 Thief River Falls, Minnesota
*1967 Fargo, North Dakota
*1968 Cloquet, Minnesota
*1969 Minneapolis, Minnesota
*1970 Valley City, North Dakota
*1971 Cloquet, Minnesota
*1972 Minneapolis, Minnesota
*1973 Ferndale, Washington
*1974 Thief River Falls, Minnesota
*1975 Minneapolis, Minnesota
*1976 Hancock, Minnesota
*1977 Fargo, North Dakota
*1978 Minneapolis, Minnesota
*1979 Whitefish, Montana
*1980 Valley City, North Dakota
*1981 Minneapolis, Minnesota
*1982 Dickinson, North Dakota
*1983 Osceola, Wisconsin
*1984 Minneapolis, Minnesota
*1985 Osceola, Wisconsin
*1986 Warm Beach, Washington
*1987 Thief River Falls, Minnesota
*1988 DeKalb, Illinois
*1989 Minot, North Dakota
*1990 Bloomington, Minnesota
*1991 Osceola, Wisconsin
*1992 Osceola, Wisconsin
*1993 DeKalb, Illinois
*1994 Valley City, North Dakota
*1995 Osceola, Wisconsin
*1996 Stanwood, Washington
*1997 Thief River Falls, Minnesota
*1998 Red Wing, Minnesota
*1999 Fergus Falls, Minnesota
*2000 Osceola, Wisconsin
*2001 Williston, North Dakota
*2002 El Campo, Texas
*2003 Brookings, South Dakota
*2004 Osceola, Wisconsin
*2005 Valley City, North Dakota
*2006 Stanwood, Washington
*2007 Sioux Falls, South Dakota
*2008 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
*2009 Fergus Falls, Minnesota
*2010 Plymouth, Minnesota
*2011 Sioux Falls, South Dakota
*2012 Thief River Falls, Minnesota
*2013 Osceola, Wisconsin
*2014 Valley City, North Dakota
*2015 Stanwood, Washington
*2016 Osceola, Wisconsin
*2017 Plymouth, Minnesota
*2018 Dickinson, North Dakota
*2019 Canadensis, Pennsylvania
*2020 Osceola, Wisconsin
*2021 Plymouth, Minnesota
*2022 Osceola, Wisconsin
*2023 Sioux Falls, South Dakota
*2024 Plymouth, Minnesota
See also
*
List of Lutheran denominations
Lutheranism, Lutheran denominations are Protestantism, Protestant church bodies that identify, to a greater or lesser extent, with the Theology of Martin Luther, theology of Martin Luther and with the writings contained in the Book of Concord. Mo ...
References
{{Authority control
Lutheran denominations in North America
Christian organizations established in 1962
1962 establishments in the United States
Christian denominations founded in the United States