The Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference (CELC) is an international fellowship of 34 Confessional Lutheran church bodies.
The CELC was founded in 1993 in Oberwesel, Germany with an initial thirteen church bodies. Plenary sessions are held every three years. To date there have been ten plenary meetings (1993, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2021), with regional meetings held in the intervening years.[1]
After the decline and dissolution of the Synodical Conference in the 1950s and 1960s, there was renewed interest for fellowship with other Lutheran church bodies. The Rev. Edgar Hoenecke called for a worldwide fellowship of Lutheran church bodies in the late 1960s.
Over the years, many people advocated for an international Lutheran organization and did much to help bring it about. However, three people are noted as having some of the biggest influence in helping to bring about a new international Lutheran organization: Pres. Gerhard Wilde of the Evangelisch-Lutherische Freikirche (ELFK), Pres. George Orvick of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS), and Prof. Wilbert Gawrisch of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS).
On April 27–29, 1993, the CELC was formed in Oberwesel, Germany with Lutheran church bodies from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America.
Today, the CELC consists of thirty-four Lutheran church bodies worldwide.[2]
Membership
Dark Green - countries with a full member of the CELC
Bright Green - countries with an associate member of the CELC
Light Green - countries with an observer member of the CELC
Member church bodies confess "the canonical books of the Old and New Testament as the verbally inspired and inerrant Word of God and submit to this Word of God as the only infallible rule and authority in all matters of doctrine, faith, and life."[3] They also accept "the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church contained in the Book of Concord of 1580, not in so far as, but because they are a correct exposition of the pure doctrine of the Word of God."[4]
Members cannot be in fellowship with church bodies whose doctrine or practice deviate from the confessional standard of the CELC.[5]
Member church bodies sorted by country/region in alphabetical order:
Albania
Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Church of Albania
Australia
Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Australia
Bulgaria
Bulgarian Lutheran Church
Cameroon
Lutheran Church of Cameroon
Canada
WELS-Canada (Part of Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod)
Chile
Christian Church of the Lutheran Reformation of Chile
The CELC holds a triennial convention in various countries around the world. The CELC conducts official business at these conventions. Representatives from all CELC member synods attend these conventions. The conventions center around a main doctrinal theme and include worship and Scripture-based essays.[6]
