The Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ( lv, Latviešu evangeliski luteriska Baznica Amerika; LELBA) is a
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
denomination, formed in 1957 as a federation, and reorganized in 1975 as a formal denomination. In 1978
Lauma Lagzdins Zusevics was ordained as the first woman to serve as a full-time minister for the LELBA. In 2014 she became the first female Lutheran bishop in Latvian history, as the
Church of Latvia proper does not recognize
women's ordination
The ordination of women to ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain Christian traditions and most denominations in which "ordin ...
.
As of 2007, 12,000 congregants and 68 congregations of the church were present in the United States. It is headquartered in
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
,
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
.
See also
*
Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad
References
External links
Latvian congregation in Washington D. C. Latvian congregation in New York* l
Latviešu evangeliski luteriska Baznica Amerika}
Lutheran denominations in North America
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Latvian-American history