American Lutheran Theological Seminary

05/27/2026

Learn about how our model of education cares for our students.

Learn about how our model cares for our students.Check out our we...

05/27/2026

Please pray for both church bodies and know we are praying for you.checkout our website: www.taalc.org

05/21/2026

Is ALTS Accredited? This is a commonly asked question and an often misunderstood topic. So we put together a video explaining it.

Answering a commonly asked question!

05/13/2026

Check out our latest episode of The End of Christianity as We Know It, the podcast of American Lutheran Theological Seminary.

Here, Dr. Leins, Dr. Caughey, and Vicar Austin discuss catechesis and developing church leaders.

Available now on YouTube or on your favorite podcast platform!

04/26/2026

Beyond the larger and more widely recognized Lutheran synods, there are also smaller confessional bodies that continue to play an important role in the American Lutheran landscape. Two such examples are the American Association of Lutheran Churches (AALC) and the Evangelical Lutheran Conference and Ministerium (ELCM).

The AALC was formed in 1987–1988 by congregations that chose not to enter the merger that created the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Instead, these churches sought to retain a confessional Lutheran identity rooted in the authority of Holy Scripture and a strong subscription to the Lutheran Confessions. In doctrine, the AALC has historically been regarded as quite close to the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, particularly in its view of Scripture, the pastoral office, and the Lutheran Symbols. In fact, the AALC and LCMS entered into altar and pulpit fellowship in 2007, reflecting that doctrinal closeness. 

The ELCM, by contrast, is a much smaller and more mission-oriented confessional body. It arose largely from clergy and congregations with roots in the former Lutheran Church in America and later the ELCA who sought a return to a more historic and confessional Lutheran witness. Its focus has often been strongly pastoral and missional, with an emphasis on church planting, evangelism, and confessional identity in a smaller and more flexible ecclesial structure. 

What is important to note is that smaller size does not necessarily mean lesser theological seriousness. In many cases, these bodies exist precisely because their founders believed confessional fidelity required a smaller and more focused institutional framework.

This is one of the striking features of American Lutheranism: alongside the larger synods, there remains a constellation of smaller confessionally serious bodies seeking to preserve and proclaim the faith once delivered to the saints.

04/03/2026

07/31/2025

Forgiveness leads to participation in God ...