The Association of Free Lutheran Congregations (AFLC) is the sixth largest Lutheran church body in the United States. The AFLC includes congregations from the former Lutheran Free Church in 27 different U.S. states and four Canadian provinces. The AFLC is not an incorporated synod, but a free association. Each local congregation is a separate corporation. Minnesota is the geographic center of the organization, with over 80 congregations and over 12,000 members.[1] There are also numerous congregations in the neighboring states of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.[1] The AFLC headquarters are in Plymouth, Minnesota, where the Association Free Lutheran Bible School and Seminary are also located.
The beliefs of the AFLC are grounded in Pietist Lutheran tradition.[2][3] The AFLC logo consists of an open Bible, ascending dove, and green vine. The open Bible is symbolic of God's word as the foundation of faith and life; the ascending dove is symbolic of the freedom of congregation and the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit; and the green vine is symbolic of the living congregation bearing fruit for God.
The AFLC was formed in 1962 by 40 churches that were members of the former Lutheran Free Church who did not want to join the 1963 merger into The American Lutheran Church (ALC). The ALC had been formed in 1960 by the merger of several ethnic Lutheran denominations. The AFLC was originally called the Lutheran Free Church-not merged, but the ALC filed suit against the group for using the name Lutheran Free Church. The name Association of Free Lutheran Congregations was chosen by 1964. In 2006, the AFLC had 43,360 baptized members in 267 churches[4] and in 2009, the AFLC had 277 pastors, 280 congregations, and 44,473 members.[5]
Doctrine
The AFLC accept and believe in the Holy Bible as the complete written Word of God, preserved by the Holy Spirit for salvation and instruction. The AFLC accepts the ancient ecumenical symbols, namely, the Apostles, the Nicene, and the Athanasian Creeds; Luther's Small Catechism, and the unaltered Augsburg Confession, as the true expression of the Christian faith and life.
There were five principal reasons for the formation of the AFLC:
Recognition of the Bible as the inspired and inerrant authority in all matters of faith and life.
Recognition that the teaching and preaching of God's Word is the main task of the Church, to be conducted in such a way that the saints are built up and unbelievers see their need for salvation.
Belief that the congregation is the right form of the Kingdom of God on earth, with no authority above it but the Word and the Spirit of God;
Belief that Christians are called to be a salt and light, separated from the ways of the world, and that this difference is to be reflected in the life of the congregation as well as in the institutions of the church body.
Unlike most other conservative Lutheran bodies in the United States, the AFLC allows open communion and women's suffrage in congregational voting.[6]
Committees and corporations
The AFLC has five corporations that are sponsored by the AFLC to direct their common endeavors: the Coordinating Committee, the Schools Corporation, the Missions Corporation, the AFLC Foundation, and the Association Retreat Center (ARC. There are two auxiliary corporations in the AFLC: the Women's Missionary Federation (WMF) and Free Lutheran Youth (FLY).
Coordinating Committee
The coordinating committee consists of seven members from the congregations currently part of the AFLC. The main duties of the coordinating committee includes monitoring the pastoral roster, monitoring the congregational roster, and providing guidance for the other ministries of the AFLC, including youth, evangelism, parish education, etc.
Schools Corporation
The schools corporation's main delegation is the election of the board of trustees, that governs the Free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary (FLBCS). This corporation consists of fifty members from the congregations of the AFLC. The AFLC leaders decided to create a Lutheran Bible School patterned after the fundamental teachings of the Lutheran Bible Institute founded in 1919. The school was opened in 1966 with 13 students but grew to 35 the next year. By the 1990s, the school, renamed to Association Free Lutheran Bible Seminary, was averaging 105 students. Today there are approximately 100 students attending the school.
Missions Corporation
The missions corporation consists of one hundred members of the congregations of the AFLC and elects from itself a Home Missions Committee and a World Missions Committee which are involved in the outreach of the AFLC into the United States and several other countries.
AFLC Foundation
Association Retreat Center
The Association Retreat Center (ARC) is a separate organization of the AFLC located near Osceola, Wisconsin, that serves as a retreat center for various activities within the AFLC.
Other committees and corporations
The Women's Missionary Federation (WMF) serves the women of the churches with Bible studies, fellowship, and has an emphasis on missionary services.
The Free Lutheran Youth (FLY) is a youth organization dealing with youth ministry.
Publications
The official publication of the AFLC is The Lutheran Ambassador, with twelve issues per year devoted to Bible-centered articles and news of the churches. Ambassador Publications is the parish education department of the AFLC.
The Ambassador Hymnal is the hymnal published by the AFLC. It contains over 600 hymns as well as a selected order of church services and responsive Bible readings.
Presidents
John P. Strand (1962–1978)
Richard Snipstead (1978–1992)
Robert L. Lee (1992–2007)
Elden K. Nelson (2007–2013)
Lyndon Korhonen (2013–2022)
Micah Hjermstad (2022-Present)
Annual conferences
The AFLC schedules an annual conference to share reports of congregations and other various ministries. The main reason for these conferences is spiritual edification, as the schedules include prayer times, worship hours, and business meetings together. At the conference, suggestions for changes are presented and discussed and the elections for positions in committees/corporations are conducted.
^ ab"2000 Religious Congregations and Membership Study". Glenmary Research Center. Retrieved 2009-12-04.
^Kurian, George Thomas; Lamport, Mark A. (10 November 2016). Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 151. ISBN978-1-4422-4432-0. Headquartered in Plymouth, Minnesota, the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations (AFLC) is a non-hierarchical network of conservative Lutheran congregations, rooted in the Scandinavian pietist tradition.
^David Lau, Nathanael Mayhew. "A Brief Study of the Lutheran Churches in America" (PDF). Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church. p. 2. Retrieved 27 April 2021. The AFLC stresses pietism, allows women's suffrage, millennialism, open communion, and the idea of free will in the doctrine of conversion.
^"2008 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches". The National Council of Churches. Retrieved 2009-12-04.
^(PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-11-21. Retrieved 2010-03-28.
February 08, 2023
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The Association of Free Lutheran Congregations AFLC is the sixth largest Lutheran church body in the United States The AFLC includes congregations from the former Lutheran Free Church in 27 different U S states and four Canadian provinces The AFLC is not an incorporated synod but a free association Each local congregation is a separate corporation Minnesota is the geographic center of the organization with over 80 congregations and over 12 000 members 1 There are also numerous congregations in the neighboring states of North Dakota South Dakota and Wisconsin 1 The AFLC headquarters are in Plymouth Minnesota where the Association Free Lutheran Bible School and Seminary are also located Association of Free Lutheran CongregationsAbbreviationAFLCClassificationProtestantOrientationLutheranPresidentMicah HjermstadRegionUnited States and CanadaHeadquarters3110 East Medicine Lake Blvd Plymouth Minnesota 55441Origin1962Separated fromLutheran Free ChurchCongregations280 2009 Members44 473 2009 Ministers277 2009 PublicationsThe Lutheran AmbassadorOfficial websitewww wbr aflc wbr orgThe beliefs of the AFLC are grounded in Pietist Lutheran tradition 2 3 The AFLC logo consists of an open Bible ascending dove and green vine The open Bible is symbolic of God s word as the foundation of faith and life the ascending dove is symbolic of the freedom of congregation and the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit and the green vine is symbolic of the living congregation bearing fruit for God Contents 1 History 2 Doctrine 3 Committees and corporations 3 1 Coordinating Committee 3 2 Schools Corporation 3 3 Missions Corporation 3 4 AFLC Foundation 3 5 Association Retreat Center 3 6 Other committees and corporations 4 Publications 5 Presidents 6 Annual conferences 7 See also 8 ReferencesHistory EditThe AFLC was formed in 1962 by 40 churches that were members of the former Lutheran Free Church who did not want to join the 1963 merger into The American Lutheran Church ALC The ALC had been formed in 1960 by the merger of several ethnic Lutheran denominations The AFLC was originally called the Lutheran Free Church not merged but the ALC filed suit against the group for using the name Lutheran Free Church The name Association of Free Lutheran Congregations was chosen by 1964 In 2006 the AFLC had 43 360 baptized members in 267 churches 4 and in 2009 the AFLC had 277 pastors 280 congregations and 44 473 members 5 Doctrine EditThe AFLC accept and believe in the Holy Bible as the complete written Word of God preserved by the Holy Spirit for salvation and instruction The AFLC accepts the ancient ecumenical symbols namely the Apostles the Nicene and the Athanasian Creeds Luther s Small Catechism and the unaltered Augsburg Confession as the true expression of the Christian faith and life There were five principal reasons for the formation of the AFLC Recognition of the Bible as the inspired and inerrant authority in all matters of faith and life Recognition that the teaching and preaching of God s Word is the main task of the Church to be conducted in such a way that the saints are built up and unbelievers see their need for salvation Belief that the congregation is the right form of the Kingdom of God on earth with no authority above it but the Word and the Spirit of God Belief that Christian unity is a spiritual concept not a man made organization such as the World Council of Churches or the National Council of Churches Belief that Christians are called to be a salt and light separated from the ways of the world and that this difference is to be reflected in the life of the congregation as well as in the institutions of the church body Unlike most other conservative Lutheran bodies in the United States the AFLC allows open communion and women s suffrage in congregational voting 6 Committees and corporations EditThe AFLC has five corporations that are sponsored by the AFLC to direct their common endeavors the Coordinating Committee the Schools Corporation the Missions Corporation the AFLC Foundation and the Association Retreat Center ARC There are two auxiliary corporations in the AFLC the Women s Missionary Federation WMF and Free Lutheran Youth FLY Coordinating Committee Edit The coordinating committee consists of seven members from the congregations currently part of the AFLC The main duties of the coordinating committee includes monitoring the pastoral roster monitoring the congregational roster and providing guidance for the other ministries of the AFLC including youth evangelism parish education etc Schools Corporation Edit The schools corporation s main delegation is the election of the board of trustees that governs the Free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary FLBCS This corporation consists of fifty members from the congregations of the AFLC The AFLC leaders decided to create a Lutheran Bible School patterned after the fundamental teachings of the Lutheran Bible Institute founded in 1919 The school was opened in 1966 with 13 students but grew to 35 the next year By the 1990s the school renamed to Association Free Lutheran Bible Seminary was averaging 105 students Today there are approximately 100 students attending the school Missions Corporation Edit The missions corporation consists of one hundred members of the congregations of the AFLC and elects from itself a Home Missions Committee and a World Missions Committee which are involved in the outreach of the AFLC into the United States and several other countries AFLC Foundation Edit Association Retreat Center Edit The Association Retreat Center ARC is a separate organization of the AFLC located near Osceola Wisconsin that serves as a retreat center for various activities within the AFLC Other committees and corporations Edit The Women s Missionary Federation WMF serves the women of the churches with Bible studies fellowship and has an emphasis on missionary services The Free Lutheran Youth FLY is a youth organization dealing with youth ministry Publications EditThe official publication of the AFLC is The Lutheran Ambassador with twelve issues per year devoted to Bible centered articles and news of the churches Ambassador Publications is the parish education department of the AFLC The Ambassador Hymnal is the hymnal published by the AFLC It contains over 600 hymns as well as a selected order of church services and responsive Bible readings Presidents EditJohn P Strand 1962 1978 Richard Snipstead 1978 1992 Robert L Lee 1992 2007 Elden K Nelson 2007 2013 Lyndon Korhonen 2013 2022 Micah Hjermstad 2022 Present Annual conferences EditThe AFLC schedules an annual conference to share reports of congregations and other various ministries The main reason for these conferences is spiritual edification as the schedules include prayer times worship hours and business meetings together At the conference suggestions for changes are presented and discussed and the elections for positions in committees corporations are conducted 1963 Fargo North Dakota 1964 Valley City North Dakota 1965 Minneapolis Minnesota 1966 Thief River Falls Minnesota 1967 Fargo North Dakota 1968 Cloquet Minnesota 1969 Minneapolis Minnesota 1970 Valley City North Dakota 1971 Cloquet Minnesota 1972 Minneapolis Minnesota 1973 Ferndale Washington 1974 Thief River Falls Minnesota 1975 Minneapolis Minnesota 1976 Hancock Minnesota 1977 Fargo North Dakota 1978 Minneapolis Minnesota 1979 Whitefish Montana 1980 Valley City North Dakota 1981 Minneapolis Minnesota 1982 Dickinson North Dakota 1983 Osceola Wisconsin 1984 Minneapolis Minnesota 1985 Osceola Wisconsin 1986 Warm Beach Washington 1987 Thief River Falls Minnesota 1988 DeKalb Illinois 1989 Minot North Dakota 1990 Bloomington Minnesota 1991 Osceola Wisconsin 1992 Osceola Wisconsin 1993 DeKalb Illinois 1994 Valley City North Dakota 1995 Osceola Wisconsin 1996 Stanwood Washington 1997 Thief River Falls Minnesota 1998 Red Wing Minnesota 1999 Fergus Falls Minnesota 2000 Osceola Wisconsin 2001 Williston North Dakota 2002 El Campo Texas 2003 Brookings South Dakota 2004 Osceola Wisconsin 2005 Valley City North Dakota 2006 Stanwood Washington 2007 Sioux Falls South Dakota 2008 Oklahoma City Oklahoma 2009 Fergus Falls Minnesota 2010 Plymouth Minnesota 2011 Sioux Falls South Dakota 2012 Thief River Falls Minnesota 2013 Osceola Wisconsin 2014 Valley City North Dakota 2015 Stanwood Washington 2016 Osceola Wisconsin 2017 Plymouth Minnesota 2018 Dickinson North Dakota 2019 Canadensis Pennsylvania 2020 Osceola Wisconsin 2021 Plymouth Minnesota 2022 Osceola WisconsinSee also Edit Christianity portalList of Lutheran denominationsReferences Edit a b 2000 Religious Congregations and Membership Study Glenmary Research Center Retrieved 2009 12 04 Kurian George Thomas Lamport Mark A 10 November 2016 Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States Rowman amp Littlefield p 151 ISBN 978 1 4422 4432 0 Headquartered in Plymouth Minnesota the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations AFLC is a non hierarchical network of conservative Lutheran congregations rooted in the Scandinavian pietist tradition David Lau Nathanael Mayhew A Brief Study of the Lutheran Churches in America PDF Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church p 2 Retrieved 27 April 2021 The AFLC stresses pietism allows women s suffrage millennialism open communion and the idea of free will in the doctrine of conversion 2008 Yearbook of American amp Canadian Churches The National Council of Churches Retrieved 2009 12 04 Lutheran Free Church American Denomination Profiles Association of Religion Data Archives Retrieved July 27 2017 A Brief Study of the Lutheran Churches in America PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2010 11 21 Retrieved 2010 03 28 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Association of Free Lutheran Congregations amp oldid 1105324790, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
