Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS)
The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) is a prominent Protestant denomination in the United States, established in 1847 by German immigrants who sought to practice a conservative form of Lutheranism known as confessional Lutheranism. Originally named the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio and Other States, it adopted its current name in 1947 to celebrate its centennial. As one of the main Lutheran bodies in the U.S., the LCMS has approximately 2 million members and over 6,000 congregations, making it the second-largest Lutheran group in the country after the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The LCMS emphasizes adherence to Biblical teachings and the Book of Concord, rejecting doctrines such as purgatory and transubstantiation, and it practices baptism for both infants and adults.
The structure of the LCMS includes a president, who oversees teachings and practices, and is organized into thirty-five districts that gather for decision-making conventions. The church does not ordain women as pastors but allows them to serve in other roles. The LCMS holds conservative views on social issues, advocating for traditional family values and opposing practices such as abortion and same-sex marriage. This denomination is part of the broader International Lutheran Council and engages in various educational and theological initiatives, including managing a significant Protestant parochial school system.
Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS)
The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod is a Protestant denomination in the United States. It was founded in 1847 by German immigrants seeking to practice a conservative type of Lutheranism called confessional Lutheranism. Its original name was the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio and Other States. The name was shortened to the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) in 1947 to mark the church's one-hundredth anniversary. The LCMS is one of the main bodies of the Lutheran Church in the United States. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is the largest Lutheran group in the nation. Other smaller Lutheran bodies exist throughout the United States.
Lutheranism is a Protestant religion that was founded in the sixteenth century, when Martin Luther (1483–1546) began the Protestant Reformation by questioning some of the teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. He and others felt that the Catholics were not being true to Christian beliefs. They broke away from the Catholic Church and called themselves Protestants. Protestantism is one of the three major branches of the Christian religion, along with Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.
Into the mid-2020s, about one-third of all Christians in the world were Protestants. At least 78 million of them are Lutherans, making Lutheranism one of the largest Protestant denominations. The ELCA is the largest Lutheran group in America, consisting of 3.3 million members. By comparison, the LCMS had about 1.7 million members in 2025, according to church estimates.
As of 2025, the LCMS had 5,900 congregations. It also ran two seminaries and six universities, as well as the largest Protestant parochial school system in the United States. Several LCMS-operated universities closed in the first decades of the twenty-first century due to financial difficulties.
The LCMS belongs to the International Lutheran Council, founded in 1993, among other national and international Lutheran organizations.
History
German monk Martin Luther began his protest against the Catholic Church in 1517. Luther believed that the Catholic Church was wrong to sell "indulgences" (penance for sins), and he rejected certain aspects of the faith, such as celibacy for priests and the Latin Bible and liturgy. He gained many followers who supported his beliefs; they were called Lutherans.
Lutheranism spread from Germany to other countries, including Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark. It came to the American colonies in the seventeenth century. Immigrants formed Lutheran congregations, and some of these merged to establish different synods, or church councils.
Groups of German citizens began immigrating to the newly formed United States during the nineteenth century. Some of these immigrants practiced confessional Lutheranism, which was a conservative form of the religion based on Scripture from the Bible and the Book of Concord, which contains Lutheran confessions of faith.
In time, these confessional followers banded together. On April 26, 1847, confessional Lutherans met in Chicago, Illinois, at the First Saint Paul Lutheran Church, where they signed a constitution that formed the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio and Other States. It consisted of twelve pastors who represented fourteen congregations from Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Michigan, New York, and Ohio.
Rev. Dr. C. F. W. Walther (1811–1887), a pastor from Perry County, Missouri, helped form the synod and became its first president. He also served as president of Concordia Seminary and was editor of the confessional Lutheran magazine Der Lutheraner. Walther was later known as the Father of the Missouri Synod.
Beliefs
All Lutherans believe in the Holy Trinity (one God; his son, Jesus Christ; and the Holy Spirit). They accept and follow the teachings of the Bible and the Book of Concord. The LCMS practices confessional Lutheranism and closely adheres to these writings with few exceptions. The ELCA does not follow Scripture as closely.
Lutherans follow canonical Scripture of the Old Testament and the New Testament and accept the statements of the Apostles' Creed, Nicene Creed, and Athanasian Creed, which encourage adherents to confess sins, renounce heresy, and obey church teachings. In addition to rejecting the idea that priests need to be celibate, Lutherans dismiss the Catholic beliefs of purgatory (a state of suffering after death) and transubstantiation (the belief that the bread and wine given at Communion become the body and blood of Jesus Christ when blessed).
They practice the sacrament of baptism in infancy or during adulthood. The LCMS does not accept certain sacraments, such as ordainment or communion performed by other churches. This means that LCMS members can take communion in other Lutheran congregations, but only LCMS members may take communion at LCMS congregations.
The LCMS also has strong beliefs about social and ethical issues, and it does not recognize abortion, cohabitation before marriage, or same-sex relationships and marriage. Concerning these issues—and most other matters—the church encourages members to look to the Bible and the Book of Concord for guidance.
Organization
The LCMS does not ordain women; it allows them to serve as church officers. Beginning in 1989, the LCMS allowed elders within the church to become licensed lay deacons; in 2017, the synod decided that the more than two hundred licensed lay deacons who were preaching and providing communion (that is, serving as de facto pastors, rather than merely assisting) would be required to pursue seminary training, colloquy, or exceptions based on age or special circumstances.
In the LCMS, adults are part of an assembly that votes on decisions on behalf of the entire organization. The church has a synod that is split into thirty-five districts. Delegates make decisions on behalf of the districts at conventions.
The president acts as the theological leader of the church and makes decisions as to what is taught and practiced within the LCMS. The president also advises individual churches. The LCMS Board of Directors acts as the legal counsel of the synod. It has up to fifteen voting members and one nonvoting member selected from various districts. The LCMS also has a Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR), which provides theological resources and guidance for the church.
Bibliography
"About Us." The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, www.lcms.org/aboutus. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
"About Us." Church of the Lutheran Confession, clclutheran.org. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
“District Conventions.” The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, www.lcms.org/district-conventions. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
"Leadership and Structure." Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, www.lcms.org/page.aspx?pid=389. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
"Lutheranism." ReligionFacts, 3 Sept. 2024, www.religionfacts.com/lutheranism. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
"Protestantism?" ReligionFacts, 4 Sept. 2024, www.religionfacts.com/protestantism. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.