We are aware that a number of Lutherans are looking for a new church home. The August 2009 decision by the ELCA to ordain practicing homosexuals has moved many to inquire about other Lutheran church bodies.

For any who are searching, we invite you to check our webpage for the teachings professed by our Evangelical Lutheran Synod. The ELS is not affiliated with the larger ELCA, even though the names of the two churches are similar.

The ELS takes seriously the teachings of Holy Scripture, stressing that the Bible contains no errors in any of its parts and words. The purpose of the Word of God is to lead sinners to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as the atoning sacrifice for all sin. This is why a proper division of the two main teachings in the Bible–Law and Gospel–is needed. The Law teaches how we are to be, what we are to do and not to do; the Gospel teaches what God has done, and still does, for our salvation. Through the Gospel as set forth in word and sacrament, God the Holy Spirit imparts personally to sinners the forgiveness of sins obtained by our Lord Jesus Christ. Through these same means of grace, the Spirit works saving faith in people’s hearts.

Mission work, both at home and abroad, receives much attention in the Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Our synod operates world missions in the countries of Peru, Chile, India and South Korea. Through the 2009 acquisition of a mission organization known as Thoughts of Faith, Inc., the ELS also promotes Gospel outreach in Ukraine, Latvia and the Czech Republic.

The ELS is concerned about the Christian education and spiritual development of our young people. The Board for Parish Education and Youth sponsors an annual synod-wide LYA Convention and provides assistance to congregations who jointly sponsor youth gatherings. Each year opportunity and encouragement is given for youth to volunteer their services for a summer VBS program in the country of Ukraine. The synod operates its own college, Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, MN, and has a seminary on the same campus. In 2005 the synod adopted an initiative known as Lutheran Schools of America (LSA). Goals for LSA include assisting congregations in establishing Lutheran classical education elementary schools, providing curriculum resources, and promoting LSA schools as Gospel-outreach opportunities for congregations in their communities.

Historically, the ELS shares a common heritage with some segments of the ELCA. The Mankato-based group was organized in 1918 by pastors and congregations that had declined to enter a merger that formed one of the predecessor bodies of the ELCA. The ELS has not participated in subsequent Lutheran mergers either – including the one that formed the ELCA in 1988 – because of what it saw as doctrinal compromises that these mergers represented.

Would you like to locate a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod near you?

Please note the “Directory” link on the opening page of our website. If you desire more information concerning the ELS doctrinal positions or concerning the synod’s structure and polity, we urge you to contact President John Moldstad. He may be reached at the synod office in Mankato, by telephone (507-344-7354) or by email (jamjr@blc.edu). The synod’s web site is www.evangelicallutheransynod.org.