Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference

The Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference (CELC) is an international conference of Confessional Lutheran national churches. The CELC is headquartered in Mankato, Minnesota.[1]

Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference
TypeAssociation
ClassificationProtestant
OrientationLutheran
HeadquartersMankato, Minnesota
Origin1993
Official websitewww.celc.info
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Founded in 1993 with thirteen church bodies as members, the CELC has grown to thirty-two members today. Plenary sessions are held every three years. To date there have been nine plenary meetings (1993, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2017), with regional meetings held in the intervening years.[2]

The organization rejects the 1999 Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification signed between the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church.

History

After the decline and dissolution of the Synodical Conference in the 1950’s and 1960’s, there was renewed interest for fellowship with other Lutheran church bodies. The Rev. Edgar Hoenecke called for a worldwide fellowship of Lutheran church bodies in the late 1960’s.

Over the years, many people advocated for an international Lutheran organization and did much to help bring it about. However, three people are noted as having some of the biggest influence in helping to bring about a new international Lutheran organization: Pres. Gerhard Wilde of the Evangelisch-Lutherische Freikirche (ELFK), Pres. George Orvick of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS), and Prof. Wilbert Gawrisch of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS).

On April 27–29, 1993, the CELC was formed in Oberwesel, Germany with Lutheran church bodies from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America.

Today, the CELC consists of thirty-two Lutheran church bodies worldwide.[3]

Membership
  • Dark Green - countries with a full member of the CELC
  • Bright Green - countries with an associate member of the CELC
  • Light Green - countries with an observer member of the CELC

Member church bodies confess "the canonical books of the Old and New Testament as the verbally inspired and inerrant Word of God and submit to this Word of God as the only infallible rule and authority in all matters of doctrine, faith, and life."[4] They also accept "the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church contained in the Book of Concord of 1580, not in so far as, but because they are a correct exposition of the pure doctrine of the Word of God." [5]

Members cannot be in fellowship with church bodies whose doctrine or practice deviate from the confessional standard of the CELC.[6]

Member church bodies sorted by country in alphabetical order:

  • Albania
Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Church of Albania (Associate Member)
  • Australia
Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Australia
  • Bulgaria
Bulgarian Lutheran Church
  • Cameroon
Lutheran Church of Cameroon
  • Canada
WELS-Canada (Part of Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod)
  • Chile
Christian Church of the Lutheran Reformation (Associate Member)
  • Czech Republic
Czech Evangelical Lutheran Church
  • Finland
Evangelical Lutheran Confessional Church
St. John's Lutheran Congregation in Finland (Associate Member)
  • Germany
Evangelical Lutheran Free Church
  • India
Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Ministries--India (Associate Member)
Lutheran Mission of Salvation India (Associate Member)
  • Indonesia
Geraja Lutheran Indonesia
  • Japan
Lutheran Evangelical Christian Church
  • Korea
East Seoul Canaan Church (Associate Member)
  • Latvia
Confessional Lutheran Church in Latvia
  • Malawi
Lutheran Church of Central Africa
  • Mexico
Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Church
  • Nigeria
Christ the King Lutheran Church
All Saints Lutheran Church of Nigeria
  • Norway
Lutheran Confessional Church
  • Peru
Evangelical Lutheran Synod
  • Portugal
Lutheran Church of Portugal (Associate member)
  • Puerto Rico
Evangelical Lutheran Confessional Church
  • Russia
Evangelical Lutheran Church - "Concord"
  • South Korea
East Seoul Canaan Church
  • Sweden
Lutheran Confessional Church
  • Ukraine
Ukrainian Lutheran Church
  • United States of America
Evangelical Lutheran Synod
Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
  • Zambia
Lutheran Church of Central Africa

Conventions

The CELC holds a triennial convention in various countries around the world. The CELC conducts official business at these conventions. Representatives from all CELC member synods attend these conventions. The conventions center around a main doctrinal theme and include worship and Scripture-based essays.[7]

  • 1993
Theme: Holy Scripture
Oberwesel, Germany[8]
  • 1996
Theme: Justification
Quebradillas, Puerto Rico[9]
  • 1999
Theme: The Holy Spirit
Winter Haven, Florida, USA[10]
  • 2002
Theme: Christology
Gothenburg, Sweden[11]
  • 2005
Theme: The Last Things
Narita, Japan[12]
  • 2008
Theme: Evangelism
Kyiv, Ukraine[13]
  • 2011
Theme: The Church
New Ulm, Minnesota, USA[14]
  • 2014
Theme: Sanctification
Lima, Peru[15]
  • 2017
Theme: Reformation- Then and Now
Grimma, Germany[16]

References
  1. "Contact".
  3. "Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference— A World-Wide Confession". Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  4. Constitution of the CELC Archived 2011-05-25 at the Wayback Machine, Art. 2, Sect. 1
  5. Constitution of the CELC Archived 2011-05-25 at the Wayback Machine, Art. 2, Sect. 2
  6. Constitution of the CELC Archived 2011-05-25 at the Wayback Machine, Art. 4, Sect. 1
  7. "Convention Proceedings". Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  8. "The Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference" (PDF). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  9. "PROCEEDINGS of the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference" (PDF). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  10. "PROCEEDINGS of the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference" (PDF). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  11. "PROCEEDINGS of the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference" (PDF). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  12. "PROCEEDINGS of the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference" (PDF). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  13. "Proceedings of the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference" (PDF). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  14. "PROCEEDINGS of the CONFESSIONAL EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CONFERENCE" (PDF). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  15. "PROCEEDINGS of the CONFESSIONAL EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CONFERENCE" (PDF). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  16. "PROCEEDINGS" (PDF). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
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