| Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Lutheran |
| Scripture | Bible |
| Theology | High church Lutheranism Confessional Lutheranism |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Primate | Rinalds Grants,Archbishop of Riga |
| Altar and pulpit fellowship | Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod |
| Associations | |
| Region | Latvia |
| Origin | 1922[1] |
| Separated from | Catholic Church |
| Congregations | 293 |
| Members | 250,000 |
| Official website | http://www.lelb.lv/ |
TheEvangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia (Latvian:Latvijas Evaņģēliski luteriskā baznīca, orLELB) is aLutheranProtestant church inLatvia. Latvia's Lutheran heritage dates back to theReformation. The church reports having 250,000 members according to theLutheran World Federation.[2]
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia (ELCL) sees itself as being in a continuous tradition of Christian life since the earliest recorded Christian missionary work in the area, in the 12th century.[3] Latvia was highly influenced by theReformation and the style of Lutheran church which emerged followed the more Protestant German-type Lutheranism. Riga became one of the first cities to actively support Luther's ideas. The spiritual renewal touched only the German-speaking ruling minority (almost all the pastors were German). The Latvian-speaking majority remained largely alienated from the church up to the beginning of the 18th century when the pietistic movement of Moravian (Herrnhut) Brethren reached Latvia. But the German domination of the Lutheran Church continued throughout the 19th century.[4]. However, following the establishment of the Republic of Latvia (1918) the church moved towards a more historical catholic polity, and accepted consecration of bishops by the Church of Sweden. Both theNazi andcommunist regimes persecuted the church harshly before religious freedom returned to Latvia in 1988. In contrast to Estonia, wherestate atheism reduced the once 80% Lutheran majority to barely 10% by 2011, the Latvian Lutheran church saw its membership drop to around 20% but has recovered and now includes approximately 30% of the population. Along with the Church of Sweden, the ELCL now claims fullapostolic succession. In 1975 the church, despite heavy opposition, decided to ordain women as pastors,[citation needed] but since 1993, under the leadership of ArchbishopJānis Vanags, it no longer does so. This position was confirmed in 2016 by a synodical resolution that only men may be ordained as priests. The resolution required asupermajority of at least 75% to pass, which it achieved with a 77% vote in favor.[5]
Since the fall of communism, the church has experienced massive growth and expansion. A special Synod in April 1989, following the return to post-communist independence, established a network of revived congregations, and put in place an almost entirely new leadership.[6]
The Church is episcopal and synodical. This means that it is led by a Council of Bishops and governed by a Synod composed of clergy and laity. The Synod elects aConsistory which has a smaller membership and meets more frequently, to carry on the work of Synod between its formal meetings.[7]
The Church is composed of threedioceses:
| Diocese | Cathedral | Founded | Current bishop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archdiocese of Riga | Riga Cathedral | 1186 | Rinalds Grants(Primate of Latvia) |
| Diocese of Liepāja | Holy Trinity Cathedral, Liepāja | Hanss Martins Jönsson | |
| Diocese of Daugavpils | Martin Luther Cathedral, Daugavpils | Einārs Alpe |
Within each diocese there are, in addition to the bishop, a number of senior clergy known asDeans. One is Dean of the Cathedral, and the others serve as Area Deans supervising clergy within a defined district. There are 16 such Deaneries within Latvia.[8] The church does not have the historic three-fold ministry of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons. In the place of Deacon is the ministry of Evangelist who work in programmes of social care and outreach.
TheArchbishop serves as the president of the Council of Bishops, the Synod, and the Consistory. Following the death of ArchbishopKārlis Gailītis in 1992, a special Synod was convened in 1993 to elect a new Archbishop of Riga. ArchbishopJānis Vanags was elected and duly consecrated on 29 August 1993, by Henrik Svenungsson, the Bishop of Stockholm.
The medieval archbishops are listed atArchbishopric of Riga.
The following is a list of office holders since the restoration of the office.[9] The first, Kārlis Irbe, was bishop in charge; the others have all been titled Archbishop of Riga.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia is known for its theological conservatism and sinceJānis Vanags' consecration as archbishop in 1993, it has opposed women's ordination. The highest governing body of the church amended the church rules in 2016. The proposal that only men may be ordained required asupermajority of 75%, which it has achieved with a 77% voting in favour.[5] The decision received criticism from theProtestant Church in Germany, theProtestant Church of the Augsburg Confession in Austria and theAssociation of Protestant Churches in Europe (GEKE); however, ELCL is not part of GEKE and has broken communion with both the German and Austrian Churches due to theological differences.[10]
The church disapproves of active homosexuality and rejects same-sex unions. The church is also opposed to abortion and euthanasia.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia reports that there are 136 pastors and 86 evangelists serving its 300 congregations. In 2013, the estimated baptized membership was 250,000.[11] In comparison, the independentLatvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Worldwide has 25,020 baptized members.[12][13][clarification needed]
The ELCL is a member of theLutheran World Federation, theWorld Council of Churches, theConference of European Churches, and theInternational Lutheran Council.[14][15]
The ELCL is not in full church fellowship with those LWF member church bodies who practise ordinations and marriages of homosexuals, looking on LWF more as a forum of discussions for Lutherans. It holds observer status in thePorvoo Communion, which unites episcopal Lutheran churches and Anglican churches in northern Europe.
ELCL is in full fellowship with theLutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS), of theUnited States.
| Europe |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Africa | ||
