There are Not Quite as Many Kinds of Lutherans as There are Kinds of Cheese.
But it’s close. Grace belongs to a large group of Lutherans called the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. We say “ELCA” for short. Here’s our logo. The colors are the colors for the seasons of the church year. The cross of Jesus is at the center of the logo since Jesus is at the center of our life as a church. The logo looks like the world, because the church is made up of different parts (like Roman Catholics and Pentecostals) from all around the world.
God’s Work. Our Hands.
Our “tag line” is “God’s Work. Our Hands.” It identifies us well. We believe God created us, showed his love for us in Jesus Christ, and inspires us through the Holy Spirit to continue to share God’s love through whatever we do in this world. If we repair cars, we do it well—we want everyone’s care to run safely and efficiently out of love for the people who use those cars. If we’re building or maintaining a road or a street, we do it well—we want every road and street to be safe for travelers. If we work in health care, we do it well—it’s something Jesus did himself out of compassion for people who had no health care at all.
Three Million Strong
There are about 3.3 million members of the ELCA in the United States. We’re organized as 65 “synods,” each covering a different geographical region of the U.S. Synod can be a confusing word, because the Missouri Synod and the Wisconsin Synod are not “synods” in the ELCA. They’re different kinds of Lutherans. Learn more about the ELCA.
Our Synod
Our Synod is the East Central Synod of Wisconsin. It includes about 120 congregations in northeastern Wisconsin. Our Synod, like all the synods, is led by a bishop. Her name is Rev. Anne Edison Albright. ELCA pastors are elected as bishops. Learn more about our Synod.