The

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant Lutheran church headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA was officially formed on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three Lutheran church bodies. , it has approxim ...

consists of 65

synods A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin word mea ...

which are configured into nine regional offices. Each of the synods of the ELCA elects one

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

and three synod council officers at its

Synod Assembly A synod assembly is an event in which nominated representatives of congregations in one of the regional synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant Lutheran c ...

to oversee the spiritual and organizational activities of its member congregations.

Region 1

Region 2

Region 3

Region 4

Region 5

Region 6

Region 7

Region 8

Region 9

Notes

Some ELCA synods are named a specific way to avoid being confused with distinct, unrelated Lutheran denominations: * To avoid confusion with the

Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), also known as the Missouri Synod, is a traditional, confessional Lutheran denomination in the United States. With 1.8 million members, it is the second-largest Lutheran body in the United States. The LC ...

, the synod containing the states of Kansas and Missouri is called the "Central States Synod" as to not contain the phrase "Missouri Synod". * To avoid confusion with the

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as theologically conservative, it was founded in 1850 in Milwaukee ...

, several synods in Wisconsin (the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin, East-Central Synod of Wisconsin, and South-Central Synod of Wisconsin) are named so as to not contain the phrase "Wisconsin Synod".

External links

ELCA: Regions and Synods

References

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