Lutheran Church in Great Britain

Lutheran Church in Great Britain
Classification	Protestant
Orientation	Lutheranism
Polity	Episcopal
Distinct fellowships	The Lutheran Council of Great Britain Churches Together in Britain and Ireland
Associations	World Council of Churches Lutheran World Federation Porvoo Communion
Region	Great Britain
Origin	1961 (as the United Lutheran Synod) London
Members	179,300
Official website	http://www.lutheranchurch.co.uk/

Part of a series on
Lutheranism
Luther's rose
Book of Concord Apostles' Creed Nicene Creed Athanasian Creed Augsburg Confession Apology of the Augsburg Confession Luther's Small / Large Catechism Smalcald Articles Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope Formula of Concord
Theology Justification Law and Gospel Sola gratia Sola scriptura Christology Sanctification Two kingdoms Priesthood of all believers Divine Providence Marian theology Theology of the Cross Sacramental Union Homosexuality
Sacraments Rites Baptism Eucharist Confession Confirmation Matrimony Anointing of the Sick Holy Orders
Organization Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference International Lutheran Council Lutheran World Federation Denominations Lutheranism by region
History Protestant Reformation (start) Lutheran orthodoxy Gnesio-Lutherans Pietists Haugeans Laestadians Finnish Awakening Old Lutherans Neo-Lutherans High Church Lutherans Confessional Lutheranism
Missionaries John Campanius Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg Hans Egede Johann Heinrich Callenberg Johann Phillip Fabricius Paul Henkel John Christian Frederick Heyer Karl Graul Martti Rautanen Wilhelm Sihler F. C. D. Wyneken Hans Paludan Smith Schreuder Lars Olsen Skrefsrud Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen Onesimos Nesib Paul Olaf Bodding Johann Flierl Christian Keyser
Bible translators Martin Luther Casiodoro de Reina Kjell Magne Yri Onesimos Nesib Aster Ganno Jurij Dalmatin Kristian Osvald Viderø Jákup Dahl Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg Johann Phillip Fabricius William Tyndale John Rogers George Constantine Jozef Roháček Johannes Avetaranian Guðbrandur Þorláksson Ludvig Olsen Fossum Hans Egede / Paul Egede Otto Fabricius Nils Vibe Stockfleth Olaus Petri / Laurentius Petri Martti Rautanen Primož Trubar Jurij Dalmatin Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen Joachim Stegmann Primož Trubar Sebastian Krelj Mikael Agricola Norwegian Bible Society Samuel Ludwik Zasadius Stanislovas Rapalionis Victor Danielsen Jákup Dahl Laurentius Andreae Hans Tausen Olaf M. Norlie Jonas Bretkūnas Hans Paludan Smith Schreuder Antonio Brucioli Mikołaj Jakubica Matthias Bel Johann Ernst Glück William F. Beck
Theologians Martin Luther / Katharina von Bora Philip Melanchthon Johannes Bugenhagen Johannes Brenz Justus Jonas Lucas Cranach the Elder Hans Tausen Laurentius Petri Olaus Petri Mikael Agricola Matthias Flacius Martin Chemnitz Johann Gerhard Abraham Calovius Johannes Andreas Quenstedt Johann Wilhelm Baier David Hollaz Henry Muhlenberg Lars Levi Laestadius Charles Porterfield Krauth C. F. W. Walther Dietrich Bonhoeffer Paul Tillich
Lutheranism portal

The Lutheran Church in Great Britain (LCiGB) is a small Lutheran denomination in the United Kingdom. The LCiGB is a member church of the Lutheran World Federation and of the Lutheran Council of Great Britain, the umbrella organization for Lutheran churches in Britain, many of which are missions of national Lutheran churches in the Nordic countries, Germany, and the Baltics. The LCiGB is also a member of the Porvoo Communion of Anglican and Lutheran churches in Europe. It is, in common with many Lutheran Churches, led by a Bishop and a Council elected at its Annual Synod. The Right Revd Dr Martin Lind, former Bishop of the Diocese of Linköping in the Church of Sweden, was received as the third Bishop of LCiGB on 11 January 2014.

History

Lutherans have lived in Great Britain since the English Reformation, originally as foreign merchants. The first officially sanctioned Lutheran congregation received a Royal Charter in 1672 from Charles II. The charter gave this mostly German congregation the site of the former church of Holy Trinity the Less in the City of London which was destroyed in 1666 in the Great Fire of London. The foundation stone of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church was laid on 21 November 1672 and the completed building was dedicated one year later on Advent Sunday 1673. The church was usually known as the Hamburg Lutheran Church because many of its original members were sea merchants associated with the Hanseatic League from Hamburg, Germany. The church survived until 1871 when it was demolished to make way for the Mansion House underground station. The congregation then moved to Dalston which at the time had a large German immigrant community. It remained there until it closed in 1969 and merged with other congregations of the German-speaking Protestant Synod of Great Britain (Die Evangelische Synode Deutscher Sprache in Großbritannien), an overseas mission of the Evangelical Church of Germany.

All Lutheran congregations in Britain were originally ethnic churches that worshipped in various national languages and most that remain still function on ethnic-linguistic lines. These churches relate to one another through The Lutheran Council of Great Britain. The LCiGB was founded as the English-speaking United Lutheran Synod in April 1961 by four congregations in London, High Wycombe, Corby, and Hothorpe Hall. These congregations were founded by European immigrants, but now worshipped in English. In 1978, it changed its name to the Lutheran Church in Great Britain - United Synod. In 1988, the words 'United Synod' were dropped from its name. From 1961-2000, the LCiGB was led by a Dean. In 2000, it adopted an episcopal polity when the Right Revd Walter Jagucki was consecrated as the first Bishop. In 2013, the LCiGB was accepted by the Presiding Bishops of the Porvoo Communion for full membership, and it was admitted into the Communion when Bishop Martin Lind signed the Porvoo Declaration in September 2014.

Congregations

Although the LCiGB originated as an English-speaking church, it now holds services in several languages. Services are conducted in English (in Birmingham, Bradford, Corby, Edinburgh, Harrogate, Leeds, London, Manchester and Nottingham), Chinese (in London), Polish (in Edinburgh, High Wycombe, London and Reading), Swahili (in London and Reading), with a Nordic congregation in Liverpool worshipping in Swedish, Norwegian and occasionally Finnish and Danish. In addition, the LCiGB is active in university chaplaincy at Leeds Universities, the chaplaincy at Leicester University (University of Leicester Chaplaincy) and Birmingham University (University of Birmingham Chaplaincy).

Bishops

• Walter Jagucki: 2000-2009
• Jāna Jēruma-Grīnberga: 2009 to 2013
• Martin Lind: since 2014

See also

• Evangelical Lutheran Church of England
• Lutheran Church in Ireland
• Church of Sweden
• Porvoo Communion

External links

• Lutheran Church in Great Britain
• Lutheran Council of Great Britain
• Churches Together in England
• Churches Together in Britain and Ireland
• Porvoo Communion
• Lutheran World Federation

Parish Websites

• Nordic Church Liverpool
• St Anne's Lutheran Church in London
• St Luke's Lutheran Church, Leeds
• Trinity Lutheran Church, Nottingham
• St Mark's, Birmingham