Misplaced Pages

This article may rely excessively on sources too closely associated with the subject, potentially preventing the article from being verifiable and neutral. Please help improve it by replacing them with more appropriate citations to reliable, independent, third-party sources. (December 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference
Type	Association
Classification	Protestant
Orientation	Lutheran
Scripture	Bible
President	Thomas P. Nass
Origin	1993
Official website	www.celc.info

Part of a series on
Lutheranism
Background Christianity Start of the Reformation Reformation Protestantism
Doctrine and theology Bible Old Testament New Testament Creeds Apostles' Creed Nicene Creed Athanasian Creed Book of Concord Augsburg Confession Apology of the Augsburg Confession Luther's Small / Large Catechism Smalcald Articles Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope Formula of Concord Distinctive theological concepts Theology of Martin Luther Justification Law and Gospel Sola gratia Sola scriptura Christology Sanctification Two kingdoms catholicity Two states of the Church Priesthood of all believers Divine Providence Marian theology Theology of the Cross Sacramental Union Other relevant topics Homosexuality
Sacraments and worship Baptism Eucharist Confession Confirmation Matrimony Anointing of the Sick Holy Orders Divine Service Matins Vespers Liturgical calendar Calendar of saints Lutheran hymn Lutheran hymnwriters Normative principle Lutheran art
Organization Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference Global Confessional & Missional Lutheran Forum International Lutheran Council Lutheran World Federation Denominations Lutheranism by region
Movements History of Lutheranism Crypto-Lutherans Gnesio-Lutherans Lutheran orthodoxy Pietists Radical Pietism Haugeans Laestadians Finnish Awakening Old Lutherans Neo-Lutherans High church Lutherans Confessional Lutheranism
Key figuresMissionaries John Campanius Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg Hans Egede Johann Heinrich Callenberg Johann Phillip Fabricius Paul Henkel John Christian Frederick Heyer Karl Graul Martti Rautanen Wilhelm Sihler F. C. D. Wyneken Hans Paludan Smith Schreuder Lars Olsen Skrefsrud Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen Onesimos Nesib Paul Olaf Bodding Johann Flierl Christian Keyser Jens Christensen Bible Translators Martin Luther Casiodoro de Reina Kjell Magne Yri Onesimos Nesib Aster Ganno Kristian Osvald Viderø Jákup Dahl Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg Johann Phillip Fabricius William Tyndale John Rogers George Constantine Jozef Roháček Johannes Avetaranian Guðbrandur Þorláksson Ludvig Olsen Fossum Hans Egede / Paul Egede Otto Fabricius Nils Vibe Stockfleth Olaus Petri / Laurentius Petri Martti Rautanen Primož Trubar Jurij Dalmatin Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen Sebastian Krelj Mikael Agricola Norwegian Bible Society Swedish Bible Society Samuel Ludwik Zasadius Stanislovas Rapolionis Laurentius Andreae Hans Tausen Olaf M. Norlie Jonas Bretkūnas Hans Paludan Smith Schreuder Antonio Brucioli Mikołaj Jakubica Matthias Bel Johann Ernst Glück William F. Beck Theologians Martin Luther / Katharina von Bora Philip Melanchthon Johannes Bugenhagen Johannes Brenz Justus Jonas Hans Tausen Laurentius Petri Olaus Petri Mikael Agricola Matthias Flacius Martin Chemnitz Johann Gerhard Abraham Calovius Johannes Andreas Quenstedt Johann Wilhelm Baier Philipp Spener David Hollaz August Hermann Francke Henry Muhlenberg Lars Levi Laestadius Charles Porterfield Krauth C. F. W. Walther Søren Kierkegaard Albrecht Ritschl Wilhelm Herrmann F. W. Stellhorn Rudolf Otto Ernst Troeltsch Rudolf Bultmann Paul Tillich Hermann Sasse Dietrich Bonhoeffer Wolfhart Pannenberg Robert Jenson
v t e

The Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference (CELC) is an international fellowship of 34 Confessional Lutheran church bodies.

The CELC was founded in 1993 in Oberwesel, Germany with an initial thirteen church bodies. Plenary sessions are held every three years. To date there have been ten plenary meetings (1993, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2021), with regional meetings held in the intervening years.

The CELC 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 1950s and 1960s, 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 1960s.

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-four Lutheran church bodies worldwide.

Membership

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." 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."

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

Member church bodies sorted by country/region in alphabetical order:

• Albania

Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Church of Albania

• 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 of Chile

• Czech Republic

Czech Evangelical Lutheran Church

• East Asia

East Asia Lutheran Synod

• Ethiopia

Lutheran Church of Ethiopia

• Finland

The Lutheran Confessional Church of Finland

St. Johannes Evangelical Lutheran Congregation

• Germany

Evangelical Lutheran Free Church

• Hong Kong

South Asian Lutheran Evangelical Mission

• India

Christ Evangelical Lutheran Ministries of India

Lutheran Mission of Salvation—India

• Indonesia

Lutheran Church of Indonesia (Gereja Lutheran Indonesia)

• Japan

Lutheran Evangelical Christian Church

• Kenya

Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ—Kenya

• 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 of Peru

• Portugal

Lutheran Church of Portugal

• Puerto Rico

Evangelical Lutheran Confessional Church

• Russia

Evangelical Lutheran Church - "Concord"

• South Korea

Seoul Lutheran Church

• Sweden

Lutheran Confessional Church

• Taiwan

Christ Lutheran Evangelical Church—Taiwan

• 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.

References

1. "Convention Proceedings".
2. "Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference— A World-Wide Confession". Retrieved 29 October 2020.
3. Constitution of the CELC Archived 2011-05-25 at the Wayback Machine, Art. 2, Sect. 1
4. Constitution of the CELC Archived 2011-05-25 at the Wayback Machine, Art. 2, Sect. 2
5. Constitution of the CELC Archived 2011-05-25 at the Wayback Machine, Art. 4, Sect. 1
6. "Convention Proceedings". Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
7. "The Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference" (PDF). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
8. "PROCEEDINGS of 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" (PDF). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
16. "2021 Convention Proceedings". Retrieved 5 November 2021.

External links

• Official website
• Scholarly articles about the CELC

• Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference members
• Christian organizations established in 1993
• International bodies of Lutheran denominations
• International bodies of Lutheran denominations (currently existing)