The Ceylon Evangelical Lutheran Church (CELC), formerly known as Lanka Lutheran Church, 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 ...

body in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. It is a denomination of around 5000 members and has been in fellowship 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 ...

(LCMS) since 2001. It is a full member of the

International Lutheran Council The International Lutheran Council (ILC) is a worldwide association of confessional Lutheran denominations. Member bodies of the ILC hold "an unconditional commitment to the Holy Scriptures as the inspired and infallible Word of God and to the Lu ...

History

In the 1927, the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod began missionary work in what was then known as Ceylon as an outgrowth of its work in India. The work was centered on the Tamil-speaking Hindus in the tea estate region central Sri Lanka. In 1978, the churches were registered with the Sri Lankan government. In 1998, the LCMS resident missionaries were withdrawn from the country. The name Lanka Lutheran Church was adopted in about the year 2000. In 2001, the Lanka Lutheran Church became a partner church of the LCMS and joined the International Lutheran Council. It also 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 ...

, reporting a membership of 1,200. The church lost its government registration in about 2006. By 2009 it reported having 5,324

baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

members. In 2013, LCMS missionaries returned and worked to revive the church body. In September 2017, the first convocation of the Ceylon Evangelical Lutheran Church adopted a new constitution; previous constitutions had merely been copies of those of the

India Evangelical Lutheran Church India Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELC) is a Christian denomination in India. Its headquarters is in Tamil Nadu. It belongs to the International Lutheran Council and the Lutheran World Federation. It has four synods named Ambur Synod, Nagercoil ...

. The new name of the church was chosen to show that the Lutheran church had been in the country since at least the 1920s. The convocation also ordained a new pastor for the first time in ten years and established the Ceylon Evangelical Lutheran Publishing House. On October 9 2022, the Ceylon Evangelical Lutheran Church (CELC) consecrated its first Bishop, Rev. Arumanayagam Arulchelvan. The consecration was conducted by Archbishop

Joseph Omolo Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

of the

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya ( sw, Kanisa la Kiinjili la Kilutheri Katika Kenya) is a Lutheran denomination in Kenya. It is a member of the Global Confessional and Missional Lutheran Forum, the Lutheran World Federation (which it join ...

(ELCK), joined also by ELCK Bishops Kispin and Titus.

Statistics

The CELC has 16 congregations, of which 5 have their own church buildings. Most of the congregations are located in the Central Province, with one each in the

Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

, Sabaragamuwa,

Uva UVA most often refers to: * Ultraviolet A, a type of ultraviolet radiation * University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States Uva or UVA may also refer to: Places * Uva, Missouri, an unincorpora ...

, and Western provinces. The CELC is served by four pastors and five evangelists. Given that there are fewer pastors than congregations, the pastors attempt to visit each congregation at least once a month to administer

Holy Communion The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted ...

References

External links

* International Lutheran Council members Lutheran World Federation members Protestantism in Sri Lanka Lutheranism in Asia {{Lutheran-stub

History

Statistics

See also

References

External links