What does it mean to be an “independent” Lutheran church?
Grace Lutheran Church is independent in the sense that it is not a member of a Lutheran synod. We are independent not by choice but by necessity. The land at the corner of Bonnie Brae and Division streets, where our church stands, was purchased in 1927 from the school now known as Concordia University. At that time Grace Lutheran Church was a member of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS). The terms of the deed of sale stipulate that if Grace Lutheran Church ever left the LCMS and joined another church body, the synod would have the right to buy back the property. The terms of the deed remain in force for 100 years. After controversies in the LCMS during the late 1960s and 1970s led to the congregation’s decision in 1978 to leave the synod, Grace Lutheran Church, by necessity, became an independent Lutheran church. Being independent provides the opportunity for us to be very intentional about our Lutheran identity. We seek to be faithful in mission and ministry in accord with the
