Lutheran leader to speak in Sioux Falls about crisis in ELCA and about new Lutheran church body

The Rev. Mark Chavez, General Secretary of the North American Lutheran Church, will be leading a workshop in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Saturday, Dec. 10, for individuals and congregations who are interested in learning more about the new church body.

Pastor Chavez will be speaking at 1 p.m. at Sioux Falls Seminary. His presentation will include information on the crisis of teaching in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and an explanation of why the North American Lutheran Church (NALC) was created as an alternative for Lutheran congregations.

Following Pastor Chavez’s presentation, there will be an panel discussion including Pastor Chavez; the Rev. Rich Merkouris of King of Glory Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls; the Rev. Tom Walker of Heritage Lutheran Church in Brandon; the Rev. Sandra Soye of Heritage Lutheran Church in Brandon; and the Rev. Randy Eisenbeisz of Hayti, S.D., who is the NALC’s dean for its Eastern South Dakota Mission District.

Pastor Chavez, who lives in Landisville, Pa., became the General Secretary of the NALC in September. He has a long history in efforts to reform the ELCA. He served as the director of Lutheran CORE (Coalition for Renewal) six years and as vice president and director of the WordAlone Network for 10 years.

Lutheran CORE is a coalition of renewal movements. It began in November 2005 as a “coalition for reform” in efforts to maintain Biblical teaching in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The WordAlone Network was one of the reform movements that founded and made up Lutheran CORE. As the ELCA continued to move away from traditional Christian teaching, Lutheran CORE’s focus moved to a “coalition for renewal,” seeking to unite confessional Lutherans regardless of their church body affiliation. The NALC is one of three church bodies that are members of Lutheran CORE.

Pastor Chavez is in the area to speak to a local ELCA congregation that is exploring its options concerning the changing theological Lutheran landscape.

The North American Lutheran Church was constituted Aug. 26-27, 2010, in Grove City,
Ohio. The NALC has been growing rapidly since then. Nearly 300 congregations, representing more than 100,000 Lutherans, have joined the NALC in its first year.

The NALC embodies the theological center of Lutheranism in North America. It is a church body committed to the authority of the Bible as the inspired Word of God and the authoritative source and norm of its proclamation, faith, and life. The NALC believes all doctrines should and must be judged by the teaching of Scripture.

The NALC is committed to shaping its life around four core values: Christ-Centered, Mission-Driven, Traditionally-Grounded, and Congregationally-Focused.”

The NALC is a church body committed to shaping its life by the teaching of the Bible and to carry out Christ’s Great Commission to make disciples of all nations.

Most NALC congregations and members left the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America because they believe the ELCA no longer uses the Bible as the sole basis of its faith and life.

The ELCA lost hundreds of congregations and more than 300,000 members in 2009 and
2010, according to statistics released by the ELCA in August. Many more congregations have left the ELCA in 2011 and even more congregations are expected to leave.

All individuals and congregations who are interested in learning more about the crisis in the ELCA or about the NALC are welcome. Information about the NALC is available online at www.thenalc.org.