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| Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | AELC |
| Classification | Lutheran |
| Associations | Lutheran Council in the United States of America |
| Region | United States |
| Origin | December 1976 |
| Separated from | Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod |
| Merged into | Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (1988) |
| Congregations | 250 (1986) |
| Members | 103,263 (1986) |
| Ministers | 672 (1986) |
The Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC) was a U.S. church body that existed from 1976 through the end of 1987. The AELC formed when approximately 250 dissident congregations withdrew from the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) in 1976, and ended as an independent body when it became part of the new Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) on January 1, 1988.
In 1986, just before its merger into the ELCA, the AELC had 672 pastors, 250 congregations, and 103,263 members.[1]
- ^ "Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches". American Denomination Profiles. Association of Religion Data Archives. Retrieved July 28, 2017.