National Evangelical Lutheran Church

The National Evangelical Lutheran Church (NELC) was a Finnish-American Lutheran church body that was organized in 1898 in Rock Springs, Wyoming as the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran National Church of America.[1] Although its founding had occurred in Wyoming, many of the congregations were located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan , especially around Calumet, as well as the Iron Range of northeastern Minnesota.[2]

National Evangelical Lutheran Church
AbbreviationNELC
ClassificationLutheran
OrientationConfessional Lutheranism
PolityCongregational
RegionMidwest, esp. Upper Peninsula of Michigan and northeastern Minnesota
Origin1898
Rock Springs, Wyoming
Merged intoLutheran Church–Missouri Synod (1964)
Congregations53 (1962)
Members11,142 (1962)
Ministers35 (1962)
Other name(s)Finnish Evangelical Lutheran National Church of America (1898–1946)

The NELC was the smallest of three Finnish-American Lutheran churches in the United States. Several years earlier, in 1890, the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (also known as the Suomi Synod) had been founded in Calumet.[1] The group that formed the NELC had either left the Suomi Synod or had never joined it due to differences in doctrine and issues of congregational freedom and autonomy.[2] The other Finnish-American body was the Apostolic Lutheran Church of America, founded in 1872, also in Calumet, as the Solomon Korteniemi Lutheran Society.[1]

Due to financial issues soon after 1900, the NELC sought a possible merger with the Suomi Synod. Because that synod would not accept the lay-trained pastors of the NELC, the latter opened a seminary of in Ironwood, Michigan.[2] Overtures to the Suomi Synod subsequently ceased, and the NELC instead established fellowship with the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) in 1923.[2] By 1931 the NELC had closed its seminary and was using the Missouri Synod's Concordia Theological Seminary, located at that time in Springfield, Illinois, for its pastoral training.[1][3] In 1938 a member of the NELC was appointed professor and head of the Finnish department at the seminary.[2]

The denomination changed its name to the National Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1946.[1] Eighteen years later, on January 1, 1964, the NELC merged with the LCMS.[1] However, several congregations did not join in the merger. One joined the Lutheran Churches of the Reformation, and three others (Hebron in Toronto, Bethany in New York City, and National in Calumet, Michigan) became independent congregations.[2]

Presidents

The presidents of the NELC were:[1]

  • J. W. Eloheimo (1898–1900)
  • Wilhelm Adrian Mandellöf 1900–1905
  • William Williamson 1905–1908
  • Karl Gustaf Rissanen 1908–1913
  • Peter Wuori 1913–1918
  • Arne Wasunta 1918–1922
  • Karl E. Salonen 1922–1923
  • Matti Wiskari 1923–1931
  • Gustaf A. Aho 1931–1953
  • Jalo E. Nopola 1953–1959
  • Emil A. Heino 1959-1963
  • Vilho V. Latvala 1963–1964

Membership statistics
NECL Membership Statistics[4]
YearPastorsCongregationsMembers
192516605,000
192915654,625
193514597,904
1937-69-
1940-656,275
1942-725,928
1947-656,559
195022717,147
195123717,530
195226606,768
195325607,148
195427587,906
195526587,282
195633597,561
195725578,428
195833579,195
195934549,772
1960295510,146
1961355610,545
1962355311,142

References
  1. Erwin L. Lueker; Luther Poellot; Paul Jackson, eds. (2000). "Finnish Lutherans in America". Christian Cyclopedia. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  2. Steinbrenner, Ethan (1989). "A Brief Overview of the Influx of a Substantial Finnish Minority in the WELS". Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. pp. 8–11. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 16, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  3. G. A. Aho (1932). "The Finnish Evangelical Lutheran National Church of America". The Lutheran World Almanac and Encyclopedia, 1931-1933. New York. pp. 61–62. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  4. "National Evangelical Lutheran Church (Finnish)". American Denomination Profiles. Association of Religion Data Archives. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
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