The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) is a traditional, confessional Lutheran denomination in the United States. With approximately 2 million members, it is the second-largest Lutheran body in the U.S. after the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The LCMS was organized in 1847 by German immigrants fleeing the forced Prussian Union between Lutherans and Reformed church members in Germany.
The LCMS espouses a conservative, orthodox interpretation of the Bible. It holds to the key Lutheran doctrines such as justification by faith alone, baptismal regeneration, and the real presence of Christ’s body and blood in the Lord’s Supper. Unlike ELCA Lutherans, LCMS congregations tend to be more traditional in their worship practices, utilizing hymnals and organs during services.
The LCMS has its headquarters and publishing office in St. Louis, Missouri. It is divided into 35 regional districts and maintains two official seminaries for ministerial training. The LCMS is in altar and pulpit fellowship with a number of other traditional/conservative Lutheran synods worldwide.
History of the LCMS
The LCMS traces its origins to Saxon and other German immigrants who settled in Missouri in 1839. These Lutherans founded the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in 1847 at a meeting in Chicago, Illinois. The Synod’s first president was C.F.W. Walther, a noted Lutheran theologian and professor at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis.
Walther and the other founders of the LCMS were forced to flee Germany when King Frederick William III ordered the merging of the Lutheran and Reformed state churches into one body in what is known as the Prussian Union. The immigrants to Missouri wanted to establish a church body that held unswervingly to confessional Lutheran doctrine and practice. This commitment remains a hallmark of the LCMS today.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Synod expanded its outreach programs among German immigrants to North America. Concordia Publishing House was founded in 1869 to provide Lutheran literature and hymnals. By the 1960s, the LCMS numbered almost 3 million members.
In the 1970s, the LCMS adopted a more conservative stance in reaction to liberal currents in American Lutheranism. Many Lutherans who desired greater ecumenical involvement in the broader culture left the LCMS during this time. Since then, the LCMS has focused primarily on biblical orthodoxy rather than social activism.
doctrinal Beliefs of the LCMS
The LCMS subscribes to the Lutheran Confessions as contained in the Book of Concord of 1580. These Confessions explain and establish the Synod’s doctrinal positions on Scripture, justification, Law and Gospel, the sacraments, and other theological matters.
In summary, some key doctrines of the LCMS include:
- Authority of Scripture – The Bible is divinely inspired, inerrant, and the sole authority for doctrine and life.
- Justification – Justification is entirely the work of God’s grace received through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
- Law and Gospel – The Law shows sin but the Gospel reveals God’s grace in Christ. Christians live under both.
- Sacraments – Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are true sacraments instituted by Christ.
- Lord’s Supper – Christ’s true body and blood are miraculously present in the bread and wine.
- Eternal Security – Believers can fall from faith through unrepentant sin.
The LCMS affirms other orthodox Christian doctrines such as the Trinity, Christ’s virgin birth, His substitutionary atonement, and bodily resurrection from the dead. The Synod rejects same-sex marriage, abortion, and women’s ordination.
Worship and Congregational Life in the LCMS
Most LCMS churches have a traditional Lutheran liturgical style of worship. This usually includes set liturgies, hymns, and the common lectionary. Contemporary worship is practiced in some congregations but is less widespread.
The pastor wears clerical robes and ministers from behind the altar during Communion. Lay readers and assisted ministers may also take part in leading the service. Infant baptism is almost universally practiced in the LCMS.
Music utilized in worship tends to be more classical and orthodox than contemporary. Organs and choirs are common. The 1941 Lutheran Hymnal is still used in many congregations although the LCMS has also authorized alternate hymnals.
Outside of Sunday worship, LCMS congregations encourage biblical education for all ages through Sunday school, VBS, youth groups, adult Bible studies, and parochial schools. Evangelism training equips members to share their Lutheran beliefs.
Church Governance and Structure
Unlike some Protestant denominations, the LCMS operates as a decentralized body that entrusts local governance and oversight to congregations. There is no top-down episcopal hierarchy like bishops in Methodism or Catholicism. Decision-making authority rests largely with the laity and local pastors.
Congregations call their own pastors from candidates endorsed by one of the Synod’s seminaries. Each congregation owns its own property and operates programs as members see fit. Ministers and congregations are united by shared doctrine and commitments to perform certain duties cooperatively to support the Synod’s work.
At the national level, conventions meet every three years to handle the denomination’s business. Elected officers oversee operations between conventions. The national Synod coordinates ministry training programs, missions, publications, and relationships with partner church bodies.
The LCMS is divided into 35 regional districts for administrative purposes. Districts assist local congregations, supervise ordained pastors, and elect lay and pastoral delegates to the national conventions.
Training of Pastors and Rostered Workers
The LCMS maintains two official seminaries for training professional church vocations: Concordia Seminary in St. Louis and Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Both campuses offer the Master of Divinity (M.Div) degree for aspiring pastors.
Master’s programs are also available for training deaconesses, directors of Christian education, pastoral counselors, and other lay ministry roles. Alternate routes to certification as a minister or teacher are also endorsed for qualifying candidates.
All seminarians take courses in biblical languages, Lutheran doctrine, church history, exegetical theology, and ministerial practice. Field work, vicarages, and mentoring help apply learning to real congregational life.
Faculty must subscribe to the Book of Concord and are expected to equip students to rightly handle God’s Word and faithfully shepherd His flock. Most instructors hold advanced theological degrees.
Missions and Community Engagement
Through its Office of National Mission, the LCMS operates one of the largest Protestant mission programs in the United States. Hundreds of missionaries and personnel serve in church planting, leadership training, and teaching ministries nationwide.
The Office of International Mission sends career missionaries abroad and maintains relationships with more than 30 partner Lutheran church bodies globally. Popular destinations include Africa, Eurasia, and Latin America.
Many local LCMS congregations actively serve their communities through food pantries, pregnancy counseling, tutoring, elderly assistance, and disaster relief programs. Members are encouraged to exhibit Christ’s love through acts of service in their neighborhoods.
The Synod also promotes advocacy for traditional marriage, sanctity of life causes, and religious freedom protections. Various LCMS entities provide biblical perspectives on public policy issues.
Relationships with Other Lutherans
The LCMS is not currently in fellowship with the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) or under the Lutheran World Federation umbrella. This is due to irreconcilable doctrinal differences, especially regarding biblical authority and the ELCA’s acceptance of homosexual behavior.
However, the LCMS does enjoy altar and pulpit fellowship with many smaller Lutheran groups in America and worldwide that still hold to biblical orthodoxy. These partners include the Lutheran Church-Canada (LCC), the American Association of Lutheran Churches (AALC), and the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS), among others.
Together, confessional Lutherans represent about 15% of all Lutherans globally. Cooperation exists with partners to provide pastoral training programs, disaster relief, and confessional publications.
Demographics of the LCMS
The LCMS experienced steady growth for much of its history. Membership peaked around 1970 at almost 3 million communicant members before falling to about 2.3 million by 1988. Current baptized membership stands around 2 million people.
The Synod remains primarily an ethnic German denomination, although outreach to other groups has diversified membership slightly. Congregations are concentrated in the Midwest but are found throughout the United States, especially urban areas.
According to a 2015 Pew Research study, 69% of members are over the age of 50. Perhaps reflecting this, the church body has seen declining baptisms in recent decades. Focusing on youth and evangelism remains an important priority moving forward.
Despite demographic challenges, the LCMS continues to be the second-largest Lutheran denomination in America. Adherence to traditional doctrine and practice remains high during an era of liberalizing trends in Christianity.
Conclusion
For over 175 years, the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has sought to maintain historic Lutheran beliefs and practices among German immigrants and their descendants in America. Despite its relatively small size, the LCMS has also provided spiritual guidance, disaster relief, and other services to millions of people in need.
Going forward, the Synod faces challenges in an increasingly secular society. However, its stalwart commitments to biblical authority, confessional Lutheran identity, and missions continue to animate members today. The LCMS strives to faithfully preach Christ crucified and minister His love and mercy to all.