About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America was born from a union of three North American Lutheran church bodies: The American Lutheran Church, the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches and the Lutheran Church in America. The ELCA constituting convention was held April 30 – May 3, 1987.

The ELCA is made up of:

Baptized Members: 4,850,776
Communing and Contributing Members: 2,256,700
Congregations: 10,549
Synods: 65 in nine geographic regions
Non-Caucasian Ethnic Groups:
   • African-American/Black: 54,354
   • American Indian/Alaska Native: 7,095
   • Arab/Middle Eastern: 1,779
   • Asian/Pacific Islander: 21,950
   • Latino/Hispanic: 39,157
   • Multiethnic: 12,261
   • Other: 11,096

Leaders:

Clergy: 17,694 (3,140 female; 570 people of color)
Associates in Ministry: 1,082 (867 female; 215 male; 18 people of color)
Diaconal Ministers: 105
Deaconesses: 62
Missionaries: approx. 270 adult missionaries serving in over 48 countries, of which 79 are self-funded volunteers
Campus Pastors and Ministries: 185 campus ministry sites supported by synod and/or churchwide funds
Federal Chaplains: Approximately 706 (383 Retired Military, 96 Armed Forces Active Duty, 183 Reservists, 37 Veterans Affairs, 7 Federal Bureau of Prisons)
Chaplaincy, Pastoral Counseling and Clinical Education: Approximately 965 ecclesiastically endorsed ordained and lay rostered people serve in the areas such as general health care, correctional, substance abuse, long term care chaplaincy and clinical education ministry.

Instituitions:

Theological Seminaries and Deaconess Community:
   • 8 Seminaries
   • 2 Seminary Extension Centers
   • 1 Deaconess Community
   • Colleges and Universities: 28

Schools:
   • 14 High Schools
   • 296 Elementary Schools
   • 1573 Early Childhood Programs

Social Ministry Organizations:
   • 280 parent corporations, providing service to 6 million people in 3,000 communities,
   • and serving one in 50 Americans every year
   • Camps and Retreat Centers: 145, serving 450,000 yearly (summer programs 175,000,
   • retreats and conferences 275,000)

(All statistics as of December 31, 2005)

ELCA.org links:

ELCA Web Site >>

View St. Luke page on ELCA Site >>

View St. Luke Trend Report >>