Are there different kinds of Lutheran Churches?
Yes. Even within a certain association of congregations, one will encounter much diversity in thought and expression. The largest association of Lutheran congregations in the U.S.A. is called the “Evangelical Lutheran Church in America” (ELCA) with about five million members in, roughly, ten thousand congregations. Other associations of Lutheran congregations (denominations) are, for example, “The Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod” (LCMS), and the “Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod” (WELS). Most Lutheran churches around the world (including the ELCA) belong to the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), an association of Lutheran denominations worldwide.
