美國福音路德教會

美國福音信義會
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
美國福音信義會; Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
宗派	新教
主義	信義宗
組織	普世教會協會
區域	美國、加勒比地區
總部	伊利諾州芝加哥
起源	1988年
教堂	8894（2020年）
信徒	3142777人（2020年）

美國福音信義會（Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, ELCA），屬於信義宗，教會體制採修訂過的主教制（設有主教，但隸屬堂會保留部份會眾制的權力），總部位於芝加哥。美國福音信義會是主流新教（Oldline Protestant）之一，教會聲稱約有400萬教友^[1]，是美國最大型的信義宗教會^[2]。2018年，教會有3,363,281人受洗的教友 ^[3]。

ELCA的神學觀源自馬丁路德，接受奧斯堡信條和協同書的指導。該教會對自身的描述是「福音的、普世的、合一的」（Evangelical, Catholic and Ecumenical）^[4]。相比保守的密蘇里路德會和威斯康辛福音路德總會（Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod），大多隸屬ELCA的堂會，其神學立場介於溫和到自由派之間，不過也是有偏向保守派的堂會。

美國福音信義會華人事工總會在加州。

ELCA支持女性擔任神職人員，並在2009年通過決議「終身許諾單配偶關係」（committed monogamous relationship）的LGBT人士可擔任神職人員，底下的堂會（Congregations）可自行決定是否要接受此項決議，也可自行決定是否要為同性伴侶關係提供宗教上的祝福儀式^[5]。在墮胎議題上，ELCA描述其自身為「支持生命的社群」（a community supportive of life），鼓勵女性探索墮胎的替代方案，例如收出養；但是ELCA也認為在某些情況下，墮胎是道德上負責任的決定，包括會造成母親生命威脅的時候，違反其中一方性自主意願而懷孕的時候，會導致胎兒早死和嚴重受苦的極端異常狀態的時候。

該教會參與普世教會協會以及世界信義宗聯會（英語：Lutheran World Federation）（Lutheran World Federation），並和美國聖公會、聯合循道會、美國長老教會、美國歸正教會、美國聯合基督教會和美國摩拉維亞弟兄會達成共融^[6]。

世界信義宗聯會（英語：Lutheran World Federation）和羅馬天主教會在1999年發表《關於稱義教義的聯合聲明》，該聯合聲明宣稱雙方教會對「通過對基督的信念，憑藉神的恩典稱義」這一觀點的一致。

歷史

在1988年，The American Lutheran Church (ALC)，the Lutheran Church in America (LCA)，the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches(AELC)合併為ELCA。這些教會分別源自於德國、丹麥、芬蘭、瑞典、挪威、斯洛伐克等地的信義會。

神學院

隸屬於美國福音信義會（Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, ELCA）的神學院：

路德神學院 (Saint Paul, Minnesota)
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
United Lutheran Seminary (Gettysburg and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (Columbia, South Carolina)
Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (Berkeley, California)
Trinity Lutheran Seminary (Columbus, Ohio)
Wartburg Theological Seminary (Dubuque, Iowa)

參考資料

^ About. ELCA.org. [2016-06-17]. （原始內容存檔於2019-06-06）.
^
The 15 Largest Protestant Denominations in the United States. christian post. [2017-11-14]. （原始內容存檔於2017-11-14）. I recently gleaned the top 15 denominations by membership in the United States from their reports：
1. Southern Baptist Convention: 16.2 million members
2. The United Methodist Church: 7.8 million members
3. The Church of God in Christ: 5.5 million members
4. National Baptist Convention: 5.0 million members
5. Evangelical Lutheran Church, U.S.A.: 4.5 million members
^ ELCA Facts. ELCA.org. [2016-07-16]. （原始內容存檔於2017-11-21）.
^ The Vision of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (PDF). [2017-11-19]. （原始內容 (PDF)存檔於2021-04-21）. To be evangelical means to be committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To be catholic means to be committed to the fullness of the apostolic faith and its credal, doctrinal articulation for the entire world. To be ecumenical means to be committed to the oneness to which God calls the world in the saving gift of Jesus Christ. The Confession of Faith of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (Constitution, Chapter 2), may be described as evangelical, catholic, and ecumenical.
^ Same-sex unions accepted by Evangelical Lutherans. 2009 [2017-11-14]. （原始內容存檔於2019-10-25）.
^ Full Communion Partners. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. [2017-11-14]. （原始內容存檔於2017-11-16）.

外部連結

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) （頁面存檔備份，存於網際網路檔案館）

[1] About. ELCA.org. [2016-06-17]. （原始內容存檔於2019-06-06）.

[2] The 15 Largest Protestant Denominations in the United States. christian post. [2017-11-14]. （原始內容存檔於2017-11-14）. I recently gleaned the top 15 denominations by membership in the United States from their reports：
Southern Baptist Convention: 16.2 million members

The United Methodist Church: 7.8 million members

The Church of God in Christ: 5.5 million members

National Baptist Convention: 5.0 million members

Evangelical Lutheran Church, U.S.A.: 4.5 million members

[3] Southern Baptist Convention: 16.2 million members

[4] The United Methodist Church: 7.8 million members

[5] The Church of God in Christ: 5.5 million members

[6] National Baptist Convention: 5.0 million members

[7] Evangelical Lutheran Church, U.S.A.: 4.5 million members

[elca_stats-3] ELCA Facts. ELCA.org. [2016-07-16]. （原始內容存檔於2017-11-21）.

[4] The Vision of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (PDF). [2017-11-19]. （原始內容 (PDF)存檔於2021-04-21）. To be evangelical means to be committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To be catholic means to be committed to the fullness of the apostolic faith and its credal, doctrinal articulation for the entire world. To be ecumenical means to be committed to the oneness to which God calls the world in the saving gift of Jesus Christ. The Confession of Faith of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (Constitution, Chapter 2), may be described as evangelical, catholic, and ecumenical.

[5] Same-sex unions accepted by Evangelical Lutherans. 2009 [2017-11-14]. （原始內容存檔於2019-10-25）.

[6] Full Communion Partners. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. [2017-11-14]. （原始內容存檔於2017-11-16）.

[12] Southern Baptist Convention: 16.2 million members

[13] The United Methodist Church: 7.8 million members

[14] The Church of God in Christ: 5.5 million members

[15] National Baptist Convention: 5.0 million members

[16] Evangelical Lutheran Church, U.S.A.: 4.5 million members

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