) 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 Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
denomination based in
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
. It has a total membership of about 420,000.
The ELCRN grew out of work done by the
Rhenish Missionary Society starting in 1842. The denomination was established in 1957 as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in South West Africa (Rheinische Mission). It adopted its present name in 1990, following
Namibian independence.
It joined the
Lutheran World Federation
The Lutheran World Federation (LWF; german: Lutherischer Weltbund) is a global communion of national and regional Lutheran denominations headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish ...
in 1970,
and the
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, most ju ...
in 1992.
Together with the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN) is a Lutheran denomination based in Namibia. It has a total membership of over 772,398, mainly in Northern Namibia. Formerly known as the Evangelical Lutheran Ovambo-Kavango Church (ELOC), it pla ...
, the ELCRN operates
Paulinum Theological Seminary. In 2007, these two denominations. along with the
German-speaking Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia, formed the United Church Council of the Lutheran Churches in Namibia. The aim of this body is ultimately to achieve
church union
Church union is the name given to a merger of two or more Christian denominations. Such unions may take on many forms, including a united church and a federation.
United churches
{{main, United and uniting churches
A united church is the res ...
.
In December 2015, the ELCRN postponed its
synod, which usually meets every six years, "pending the rectification of alleged irregularities regarding administrative procedures."
The synod took place from 30 January – 4 February 2016, but then the election of members to the national church council was "reportedly conducted improperly as some members with voting rights were denied participation in the election process."
The elections were declared null and void and an extraordinary synod was then held in July 2016. No consensus could be reached, however, and the term of the current church council was extended until 31 August 2017.
References
External links
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{{Lutheran World Federation Churches
1957 establishments in South West Africa
Lutheran denominations established in the 20th century
Lutheran World Federation members
Lutheranism in Namibia
Members of the World Council of Churches
National churches
Christian organizations established in 1957