The Lutheran Journey Begins in a Land of Freedom

Another aspect of the American concept of the separation of church and state is that the state does not pay the salaries of the clergy as the rulers in Europe did. (Luther himself was on the Elector's payroll, not the payroll of the church.) New immigrants not only had to contend with the perils of frontier life, but in establishing congregations and directly supporting a pastor. Stewardship became a more personal matter.

The lack of clergy in early days led to variances among synods in an age-old American Lutheran debate-the roles of church and ministry. In essence the debate breaks down to whether the Lutheran group believes the ministry of keys and the Sacraments were given to the Church or to the clergy. If given to the church, then the congregation can call who it pleases to dispense the sacraments, preach, give the Absolution of sins, and deliver the benediction. The other side insists that one must be an ordained member of the clergy to carry out those duties. Needless to say this reverence for the ministry has lifted the called clergy to an elite status in Lutheran circles and the reverence the people had for that setup led to some poor habits. At one time the average Lutheran attended communion four times a year-about as often as circuit preachers visited many congregations, especially west of the Mississippi River.

A Melting Pot

Another aspect of the American culture that is reflected in the Lutheran church is the diversity of nationalities that make up the American nation. In a sense the United States is rare that disparate groups of people can live together peacefully under a government that is not totalitarian.

Many of the synods reflect this growing diversity. Several "state" synods used "German" in their name. There was the Norwegion Synod of the Lutheran Church in America and the Slovak Synod and the Finnish (or Suomi) Synod and the Synod of the Lutheran Church Emigrated from Prussia (Buffalo Synod) and the Danish Lutheran Church. For the most part these names reflect the immigrants that came to America and brought their Bibles, catechisms, and hymnals with them.

As a melting pot of peoples, America has struggled with the issue of language and assimilating diverse peoples into one nation with one language. The Lutheran Church likewise struggles. A few weeks ago I wrote about my late grandmother and her journey among Lutheran congregations based on language and marriage and

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