Lutheran CORE, or Coalition for Renewal, is a community of
confessing Lutherans spanning several Lutheran church bodies. It ultimately led to the formation of the
North American Lutheran Church
The North American Lutheran Church (NALC) is a Lutheran denomination with over 420 congregations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, counting more than 142,000 baptized members. The NALC believes all doctrines should and must be judged by th ...
, a denomination consisting mostly of congregations who broke away from the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.
History
Lutheran CORE was formed in 2005 as the Lutheran Coalition for Reform. Its efforts were focused on working for reform of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It was influenced by and has connections to
WordAlone, a coalition of groups that focused on responding to and opposing changes in
church polity
Ecclesiastical polity is the operational and governance structure of a church or of a Christian denomination. It also denotes the ministerial structure of a church and the authority relationships between churches. Polity relates closely to e ...
, and statements and teachings on marriage and human sexuality. Lutheran CORE focused on several areas where it opposed changes in ELCA teaching. Those areas are outline in a statement of faith called The Common Confession.
Following decisions by the
ELCA Churchwide Assembly in August 2009 to adopt a social statement on human sexuality that legitimize homosexual relationships and to allow pastors to be in committed same-sex relationships, Lutheran CORE changed its name and focus to Lutheran Coalition for Renewal. The organization no longer focuses on reform of the ELCA but rather on providing an alternate form for church fellowship for Lutherans regardless of church body affiliation.
Lutheran CORE's 2009 Convocation, held on September 25–26 in Fishers, Indiana, asked that a proposal for the "reconfiguration of North American Lutheranism" be prepared and brought to the 2010 Convocation. In November 2009, it was announced that a new church body would be formed, the North American Lutheran Church. The official document "A Vision and Plan for The North American Lutheran Church and Lutheran CORE, a Community of Confessing Lutherans" was released February 18, 2010. Lutheran CORE's 2010 Convocation, on August 26–27 in
Grove City, Ohio, approved the formation of a new church body, the
North American Lutheran Church
The North American Lutheran Church (NALC) is a Lutheran denomination with over 420 congregations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, counting more than 142,000 baptized members. The NALC believes all doctrines should and must be judged by th ...
, and the continuation of Lutheran CORE as a community of confessing Lutherans regardless of church body affiliation.
The North American Lutheran Church and Lutheran CORE, through their Joint Commission an Theology and Doctrine, approved an official
anti-abortion stance in the document "The Lord Is with You" – A Word of Counsel to the Church – The Sanctity of Nascent Life", on December 14, 2012.
"The Lord Is with You" – A Word of Counsel to the Church on the Sanctity of Nascent Life", Joint Commission on Theology and Doctrine of the North American Lutheran Church and Lutheran CORE, December 14, 2012
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See also
*ReconcilingWorks
ReconcilingWorks, initially named Lutherans Concerned for Gay People and subsequently Lutherans Concerned/North America, is an organization of laypeople, pastors, and congregations primarily from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) ...
References
External links
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Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
North American Lutheran Church
Global Confessional and Missional Lutheran Forum members
2005 establishments in the United States