Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | |
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Abbreviation | LELBA |
Classification | Lutheran |
Region | United States |
Origin | 1957/1972 Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
Congregations | 68 (2007) |
Members | 12,000 (2007) |
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Lutheranism in the United States |
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The Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (Latvian: Latviešu evaņģēliski luteriskā baznīca Amerikā; LELBA) is a Lutheran denomination, formed in 1957 as a federation, and reorganized in 1975 as a formal denomination. In 1978 Lauma Lagzdins Zusevics was ordained as the first woman to serve as a full-time minister for the LELBA. In 2014 she became the first female Lutheran bishop in Latvian history, as the Church of Latvia proper does not recognize women's ordination.[1]
As of 2007, 12,000 congregants and 68 congregations of the church were present in the United States. It is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.