The Lutheran Women's Caucus (LWC) was organized by women in the

Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

in the 1960s and opened up to other synods in the 1970s, during the second wave of

American feminism Feminism is aimed at defining, establishing, and defending a state of equal political, economic, cultural, and social rights for women. It has had a massive influence on American politics. Feminism in the United States is often divided chron ...

.The Encyclopedia of Women and Religion in North America
by Rosemary Skinner Keller, Rosemary Radford Ruether, Marie Cantlon The purpose of the LWC was to support the ordination of women in the

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

church. The

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant church headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA was officially formed on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three Lutheran church bodies. As of December 31, 2023, it ...

(ELCA) soon began to ordain women in the 1970s, leaving the primary cause of feminists who were within both the Women's Caucus and ELCA without a primary focus for members, though caucus members of the Missouri Synod continued to be active. Since the mid-1980s, about 64% of American and Canadian Lutherans are members of the ELCA or ELCIC. Today, the Lutheran Women's Caucus supports

abortion rights Abortion-rights movements, also self-styled as pro-choice movements, are movements that advocate for legal access to induced abortion services, including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their p ...

, and is a member of the

Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) is an abortion rights organization founded in 1973 by clergy and lay leaders from mainline denominations and faith traditions to create an interfaith organization following ''Roe v. Wade'', t ...

.RCRC.org

References

External links

Newsletters of the LWC

Puget Sound LWC Meetings
Feminist organizations in the United States Lutheran organizations Protestant feminism 1960s establishments in the United States {{christian-org-stub