International Lutheran Council

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Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox Christian denomination Template:Lutheranism The International Lutheran Council (ILC) is a worldwide association of confessional Lutheran denominations. Member bodies of the ILC hold "an unconditional commitment to the Holy Scriptures as the inspired and infallible Word of God and to the Lutheran Confessions contained in the Book of Concord as the true and faithful exposition of the Word of God." The member church bodies are not required to be in church-fellowship with one another, though many of them are.

The organization was constituted in 1993 at a council held in Antigua, Guatemala, although it traces its roots back to theological conferences held in various locations during the 1950s and 1960s. It is to be distinguished from the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference.

The council has 59 participating churches as of 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Among its larger members are the Malagasy Lutheran Church, the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS), the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil, and the Lutheran Church – Canada. Altogether, approximately 7,150,000 adherents belong to ILC member churches.<ref name="ILC Welcomes" />

The council's chairman is Bishop Juhana Pohjola of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The executive secretary is Albert B. Collver III of the LCMS. Delegates to the ILC meet every two years.

The organization has not accepted the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, an agreement reached by the Catholic Church's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU) and the Lutheran World Federation, in 1999. However, the ILC has been involved in dialogue with the PCPCU, with a final report released on 30 November 2021.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

The origins of the ILC go back to a meeting at Uelzen, Germany, in July 1952 by Lutherans who were not happy with the theological course being taken by the Lutheran World Federation. Among the participants were delegates from the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod who had been observers at the LWF assembly in Hannover. Other delegates were present from churches affiliated with the LCMS from Germany, Australia, Denmark, and the United Kingdom. Two further meetings were held, in Oakland, California, in 1958 and in Cambridge, England, in August 1963. At the latter meeting it was decided to create a permanent organization, a "Continuation Committee", to act for the group in between meetings, which were now dubbed International Lutheran Theological Conferences. The committee was also tasked with publishing a theological journal and a committee bulletin, and with facilitating exchanges of pastors, theological professors, and students. However, the meeting explicitly disclaimed it was founding a group in opposition to the LWF.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Five more "theological conferences" were held until the name was shortened to International Lutheran Conference at the Eighth Conference in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Resolutions passed during this period described the ILC as a partnership, forum, or "group of independent Lutheran churches".<ref name=":2">Pearce & Ahlers pp.8-10</ref> At the Fifteenth Conference in Antigua, Guatemala, the group decided on creating a more formal structure as an association of churches and adopted a set of Guiding Principles that would serve as a constitution and theological point of reference. The "Continuation Committee" was replaced by an "Executive Council".<ref>Pearce & Ahlers pp.15-6</ref><ref>Constitution/Guiding Principles</ref>

At the 2018 World Conference meeting, held in Antwerp, Belgium, on 25–26 September 2018, the ILC voted to admit 17 new church bodies, 11 as full members and 6 as associate members. This increased the church members of ILC to 54 and their faithful to 7.15 million members.<ref name="ILC Welcomes">Template:Cite web</ref>

At the 2022 World Conference meeting, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia was accepted as a full member.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It had already been accepted as an observer member in February 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Chairmen

World Conferences

International Lutheran Theological Conference (1952–1975)

1. 1952 – Uelzen, Germany

2. 1959 – Oakland, USA

3. 1963 – Cambridge, England

4. 1966 – Frankfurt, Germany

5. 1968 – Cambridge, England

6. 1970 – St. Louis, USA

7. 1973 – Madras, India

8. 1975 – Porto Alegre, Brazil (At this meeting, the name changed to “International Lutheran Conference”)

International Lutheran Conference (1978–1993)

9. 1978 – Papua New Guinea

10. 1981 – St. Louis, USA

11. 1984 – Obot Idim, Nigeria

12. 1987 – Berlin, Germany

13. 1989 – Seoul, South Korea

14. 1991 – Hong Kong

15. 1993 – Antigua, Guatemala (At this meeting, the name changed to “International Lutheran Council”)

International Lutheran Council (1995–present)

16. 1995 – Adelaide, Australia

17. 1997 – St. Louis, USA

18. 1999 – Cambridge, England

19. 2001 – Warburg, South Africa

20. 2003 – Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil

21. 2005 – Berlin, Germany

22. 2007 – Accra, Ghana

23. 2009 – Seoul, South Korea

24. 2012 – Niagara Falls, Canada

25. 2015 – Buenos Aires, Argentina

26. 2018 – Antwerp, Belgium

26. 2022 - Kisumu, Kenya

Members

By country in alphabetical order

Full members

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  • Argentina
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Argentina (Iglesia Evangélica Luterana Argentina)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Belgium
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Belgium (Evangelisch-Lutherse Kerk in België)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Benin
Lutheran Church in Africa—Benin Synod<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ILC Welcomes" />
  • Bolivia
Christian Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bolivia (Iglesia Cristiana Evangélica Luterana de Bolivia) - also a member of the Global Confessional and Missional Lutheran Forum
  • Brazil
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil (Igreja Evangélica Luterana do Brasil)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Canada
Lutheran Church – Canada
  • Chile
Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Republic of Chile (Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de la República de Chile)
  • China (Hong Kong SAR)
Lutheran Church-Hong Kong Synod (香港路德會)
  • China, Republic of (Taiwan)
China Evangelical Lutheran Church (中華福音道路德會)
  • Ethiopia
Ethiopian Evangelical Lutheran Church<ref name="Block">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Denmark
Evangelical Lutheran Free Church of Denmark (Den evangelisk-lutherske Frikirke i Danmark)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Finland
Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland (Finnish: Suomen evankelisluterilainen lähetyshiippakunta, Swedish: Evangelisk-lutherska missionsstiftet i Finland)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="prosmemnord">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ILC Welcomes" />
  • France
Evangelical Lutheran Church-Synod of France (Église Évangélique Luthérienne - Synode de France)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Germany
Independent Evangelical—Lutheran Church (Selbständige Evangelisch - Lutherische Kirche)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Ghana
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> - also a full member of the Lutheran World Federation
  • Guatemala
Lutheran Church of Guatemala (Consejo Luterano Iglesia Luterana en Guatemala)
  • Haiti
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti (Eglise Evangelique Lutherienne D'Haiti)
  • India
India Evangelical Lutheran Church - also a full member of the Lutheran World Federation
  • Kenya
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> - also a full member of the Lutheran World Federation and a member of the Global Confessional and Missional Lutheran Forum
  • Korea, South
Lutheran Church in Korea (기독교한국루터회)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> - also a full member of the Lutheran World Federation
  • Latvia
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> - also a full member of the Lutheran World Federation
  • Liberia
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Liberia<ref name="ILC Welcomes" />
  • Madagascar
Malagasy Lutheran Church<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ILC Welcomes" /> - also a full member of the Lutheran World Federation
  • Mexico
Lutheran Synod of Mexico (Sinodo Luterano de Mexico)
  • Nicaragua
Lutheran Church Synod of Nicaragua (Iglesia Luterana Sínodo de Nicaragua)
  • Nigeria
Lutheran Church of Nigeria<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Norway
Lutheran Church in Norway (Den Lutherske Kirke i Norge)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of Norway (Det evangelisk-lutherske stift i Norge)<ref name="prosmemnord" /><ref name="ILC Welcomes" />
  • Papua New Guinea
Gutnius Lutheran Church
  • Paraguay
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Paraguay (Iglesia Evangélica Luterana del Paraguay)
  • Philippines
Lutheran Church in the Philippines - also a full member of the Lutheran World Federation
  • Portugal
Portuguese Evangelical Lutheran Church<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Russia
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria (Евангелическая-лютеранская Церковь ИНГРИИ)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> - also a full member of the Lutheran World Federation
Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church (Сибирская Евангелическо-Лютеранская Церковь)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • South Africa
Free Evangelical Lutheran Synod in South Africa<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Lutheran Church in Southern Africa<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Spain
Spanish Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELE)
  • Sri Lanka
Ceylon Evangelical Lutheran Church,<ref name="Block"/> replacement body for the Lanka Lutheran Church - also a full member of the Lutheran World Federation
  • Sweden
The Mission Province (Missionsprovinsen)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="prosmemnord" /><ref name="ILC Welcomes" /> - also a member of the Global Confessional and Missional Lutheran Forum
  • Togo
Lutheran Church of Togo<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ILC Welcomes" />
  • Uganda
Lutheran Church of Uganda<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ILC Welcomes" />
  • United Kingdom
Evangelical Lutheran Church of England<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • United States of America
Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod
American Association of Lutheran Churches
Lutheran Ministerium and Synod – USA
  • Uruguay
Lutheran Church of Uruguay<ref name="ILC Welcomes" />
  • Venezuela
Lutheran Church of Venezuela (Iglesia Luterana de Venezuela)

Associate members

  • Indonesia
Indonesian Lutheran Christian Church<ref name="ILC Welcomes" /> - also a member of the Global Confessional and Missional Lutheran Forum
  • Peru
Evangelical Lutheran Church - Peru (Iglesia Evangélica Luterana - Perú) - also a member of the Global Confessional and Missional Lutheran Forum (Note: this is not the same Lutheran denomination as Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en el Perú, known as Christuskirche, member of the Lutheran World Federation).
  • Rwanda
Lutheran Mission in Africa—Synod of Thousand Hills<ref name="ILC Welcomes" />
  • South Africa
St. Peter Confessional Lutheran Synod of South Africa<ref name="ILC Welcomes" />
  • South Sudan
South Sudan Evangelical Lutheran Church<ref name="ILC Welcomes" />
  • Taiwan
The Lutheran Church of the Republic of China<ref name="ILC Welcomes" /> - also a full member of the Lutheran World Federation

Former members

The Lutheran Church of Australia and the Lutheran Church of Japan were removed from associate membership on March 21, 2025, due to their failure to adhere to the doctrinal position of the ILC. In particular, both churches had decided to allow the ordination of women into the pastoral office.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

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References

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