Frequently asked Questions from inquiring Churches
How many churches are currently affiliated with The AALC?
We currently have 57 congregations in TAALC.
Describe the Lutheran roots of your affiliation.
TAALC was formed from congregations of The ALC (1960) and the LCA that did not wish to join in the formation of the ELCA in 1988. TAALC was formed on November 7, 1987 as a Biblical and Lutheran alternative. Concerns about the higher critical methods of Biblical interpretation and the low view of the Lutheran Confessions were the driving force behind the founders of The AALC. Our Association held on to its historic Lutheran roots of the old ALC (1930) as a Confessional Lutheran Church that believed in the inspiration and infallibility of the Holy Scriptures.
Concerns also arose regarding the authoritarian manner in which congregations of the predecessor bodies were being dealt with by the hierarchy. The AALC was founded upon the understanding that the power rests in the local congregation.
What is required to be a member congregation of The AALC?
Article VII
CONGREGATIONAL MEMBERSHIP
07.01.01. The membership of The American Association of Lutheran Churches shall consist of congregations that apply and are received.
Congregations who wish to become members of The AALC must agree to the following:
07.01.01.01. Subscription to the Confession of Faith (Article III) and the Statement of Purpose (Article V).
07.01.01.02. Acceptance of this Constitution and its Bylaws
07.01.01.03. Participation in the programs of activity approved by the Conventions and determined individually by the local Congregations.
Article III
CONFESSION OF FAITH
03.01. The Bible
The American Association of Lutheran Churches accepts all the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments as a whole and in all their parts as the divinely inspired, revealed, and inerrant Word of God, and joyfully submits to this as the only infallible authority in all matters of faith and life.
\
03.02. Faith in the Triune God
The American Association of Lutheran Churches is built upon faith in the ever-living Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as revealed in the Holy Scriptures to Whom be the glory for ever and ever (see the three Ecumenical Creeds).
03.03. God the Father
03.03.01. Almighty God, Creator of the universe, Who formed man in His own image, Who from the beginning loved goodness and hated evil, desires that the children of His creation live in eternal fellowship with Him. We hold to the creation as described in the first chapters of Genesis, not as myth, but as historic facts.
03.03.02. Therefore, the Creator gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16) to be the Savior of the world, that people might be set free from the bondage of sin and become joint heirs with Christ of eternal life.
03.04. Jesus Christ, God's Son and Our Savior
03.04.01. At the heart and center of this faith is confidence in Jesus Christ and love for Him, true God and true man, the eternal Word of God, the only Son of God, and the only Savior of the world.
03.04.02. To proclaim salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ is our reason for being as The American Association of Lutheran Churches.
03.05. Dependence upon the Holy Spirit
We also acknowledge dependence upon the Holy Spirit working solely through the Means of Grace to call unbelievers into saving faith in Jesus Christ to empower believers to grow in faith, to bestow His gifts for the ministry of the Church locally and universally, to inspire love for one another, and to bring glory to the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Head of the Church.
03.06 Symbols: Basic and Required
As brief and true statements of the doctrines of the Word of God, this Association accepts and confesses the following Symbols, subscription to which shall be required of all its members, both congregations and individuals:
03.06.01. The ancient ecumenical Creeds: The Apostolic, The Nicene, and the Athanasian;
03.06.02. The Unaltered Augsburg Confession and Luther's Small Catechism.
3.07. Book of Concord: Normative
As further elaboration of and in accordance with these Lutheran Symbols, this Association also receives the other documents in the Book of Concord of 1580: the Apology, Luther's Large Catechism, the Smalcald Articles, and the Formula of Concord; and recognizes them as normative for its theology.
03.08. Pure Doctrine
The American Association of Lutheran Churches accepts without reservation the symbolic books of the Lutheran Church, not insofar as but because they are the presentation and explanation of the pure doctrine of the Word of God and a summary of the faith of the evangelical Lutheran Church.
Article V
PURPOSE
05.01. Witness to Christian Faith
The American Association of Lutheran Churches, a fellowship of congregations to which the Gospel of reconciliation has been given, seeks to focus and coordinate the purposes and resources of these Congregations to the end that the Triune God may be more fully known among men through a faithful ministry of God's Word and the Sacraments. The American Association of Lutheran Churches dedicates itself to bear witness to the eternal Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in its fullness and purity, and to preserve and extend the unity of that faith as revealed in God's Holy Word.
05.02. Proclamation and Propagation
Through the Means of Grace, The American Association of Lutheran Churches specifically purposes to proclaim and propagate this eternal Gospel to the lost and weary of this world and to provide for daily renewal and sanctification of the members of its congregations.
05.03 Agenda
05.03.01. Establish congregations and missions on the North American continent and throughout the world as centers for the proclamation of God's Word and proper administration of the Sacraments, Christian evangelism, ministries of outreach and mercy, and Christian fellowship and growth.
05.03.02. Train, certify, and discipline an ordained ministry for the administration of the Means of Grace
05.03.03. Assist the congregations in the nurture of the children, youth, and adults in the covenant of their Baptism that they may grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and in their life of loving and obedient faith in Him.
05.03.04. Provide theological and parish education and ministry to those involved in higher education.
05.03.05. Study the problems of contemporary life and society in the light provided by the sacred Scriptures in order to bring to bear a Christian understanding of human nature, Law and Gospel, and Dr. Martin Luther's insight concerning the two kingdoms in order to enter effectively into society and government to help in dealing justly and mercifully with such problems.
05.03.06. Develop, produce, and broadcast programs to communicate the Gospel using various communication media such as radio, television, audio and video tapes, motion pictures, etc.
05.03.07. Establish pension, medical, and disability plans in order to provide assistance for the pastors, eligible laity, and their families.
05.03.08. Establish and maintain cooperative relationships and support with other churches, groups of churches, and independent movements, who are in doctrinal agreement, to effectively minister the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the whole world.
When a congregation joins The AALC, does the ownership of the local property remain with the congregation?
All property belongs and remains with the local congregation.
From The AALC Constitution:
06.02.02.02 The American Association of Lutheran Churches has no claim to a local congregation’s property in any way whatsoever, unless the local congregation specifically deeds such property to The American Association of Lutheran Churches.
How independent are the individual congregations within your Association?
According to our TAALC Constitution and By-laws:
06.01.01.01. The jurisdiction of The AAALC over individual congregations or groups of congregations shall be strictly limited to the following:
6.02.02.05.01. To insure faithful adherence to the doctrines as confessed by this Association (see Article III).
Congregations shall call pastors from The AALC Roster of Pastors or, in the case of an interim pastor who is not on The AALC Roster of Pastors, the same must be interviewed by the Regional Pastor and/or someone appointed by him to determine whether the pastor subscribes to the doctrine confessed by the Association (see Article III).1
06.02.02.05.02. To apply discipline when disloyalty to this Association's doctrinal position is evident.
06.02.02.05.03. To enlist wholehearted cooperation with the programs approved by the Conventions of this Association.
What does The AALC believe and profess about the authority of Holy Scripture?
According to the Lutheran Confessions, we believe, teach and confess that
the Bible is the Word of God and that it is the “sole rule and norm of all doctrine.”
Along with this understanding of Scripture, it is uniquely Lutheran to believe, teach
and confess that all doctrine of Scripture is divided into Law and Gospel. In fact, without a proper distinction between Law and Gospel, the Bible remains a closed book.
The AALC believes and confesses that the Bible, as a whole and in all its parts, is
the inspired Word of God. In theological terminology, The American Association of Lutheran Churches believes in the plenary inspiration (full inspiration) of the Scripture. This is based on the Bible’s clear testimony regarding itself (II Timothy 3:16, II Peter 1:20-21, I Corinthians
2:13). Because the Bible is fully inspired, The AALC believes and confesses that
the Bible is inerrant with respect to its nature and infallible as respecting its authority.
What is The AALC’s position on Baptism?
Baptism is one of the Means of Grace (Matthew 28:18-20) through which God
works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death, and gives salvation to all who believe in Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior (Acts 2:38-39, 22:16, 1 Peter 3:21, Titus 3:5-7).
We believe and confess that through Holy Baptism one is adopted into the family of God and can thus regard God as Father and Christ as Brother. Through Holy Baptism God gives to us His holy Name and makes us His own children. Through Holy Baptism we receive the forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38-39, 22:16), we are buried with Christ and raised to new life (Rom 6:3-5), we have received clothing with Christ’s righteousness (Gal 3:25-27) and the true circumcision of Christ (Col 2:11-15). Holy Baptism is indeed a cleansing water that saves the sinner (1 Pet 3:21) and is the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5-7).
What is The AALC’s position on Holy Communion?
The Lords’ Supper is a Means of Grace along with the Word of God and Holy Baptism. It is a precious gift that Christ gives to His Church for the forgiveness of sins, for the strengthening of her faith, and for the joining of His Church to Himself.
In accord with our Lord’s Institution as found in the Gospels (Mt 26:26-28; Mk 14:22-25; Lk 22:14-23) and in St. Paul (1 Cor 11:23-26), we believe and confess that what is received in the Sacrament of Holy communion is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, given to us under the forms of bread and wine to eat and to drink for the forgiveness of our sins. In accord with St. Paul’s explanation of these Words of Institution in 1 Corinthians 10 and 11, we believe and confess that all who come to the altar receive there the true body and blood of Christ, whether or not faith on present. We also believe and confess that only those who come in repentant faith receive the body and blood of Christ to their benefit, whereas the one who comes without repentance and faith received the body and blood of Christ to their judgment, as per St. Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 11:27-29.
We confess also, according to our Lutheran Confessions (Formula of Concord, Epitome, VII 18-20), that there is only one kind of unworthy guest at the Lord’s Table, and that is the unbeliever who refuses to repent of his or her sins. We confess that no true Christian (i.e., one who lives in daily repentance and faith) will receive the Lord’s body and blood to his or her harm. Our worthiness to receive the Holy supper to our benefit is Christ’s own obedience and merit on our behalf, which we have as our own through faith in Christ.
What is The AALC’s Position on the Lutheran Confessions?
We regard the Lutheran Confessions, those documents found in the 1580 Book of Concord, as accurate expositions of Holy Scripture. Therefore, The AALC holds and requires a quia subscription to the Lutheran Confessions, that is, we subscribe to the teachings of the Lutheran Confessions because they are accurate expositions of God’s Holy Word.
Describe the governance structure of your Association.
One of the four pillars of The AALC is the authority of the local congregation to
govern itself with respect to internal polity and ministry within the parameters of
the common confession of faith of the Association. The congregations are not
completely autonomous, but they govern themselves and have their own
constitutions. The Congregational constitutions are reviewed by The AALC to ensure that they are doctrinally in harmony with the national body.
Along those lines, TAALC is a voluntary Association but it is not a loose federation of churches. Article VI of our Constitution states that “member congregations in associating themselves with The American Association of Lutheran Churches delegate to it the authority and power essential to carry out the Purpose of the Association.” This purpose includes the training, certification, and discipline of ordained ministers in TAALC.
TAALC has no financial oversight over the local congregation. Neither does it own the property of its member congregations. However, a church associating with TAALC gives the authority to
the national body to ensure the faithful adherence to the doctrines as confessed by
The AALC. TAALC is responsible for making sure the clergy roster is loyal to our Statement of Faith and that our churches participate in TAALC programs.
The highest authority in The AALC is our General Convention, which meets
biennially. Each congregation is represented at the Convention and given one delegate per every fifty baptized members, in addition to her pastor.
In between Conventions our Association is governed by the Joint Council, made up of clergy and lay members from each region of TAALC. The decisions of the Convention and Joint Council meetings as well as the day-to-day operations of The AALC are carried out by our Presiding pastor and his Executive Committee, along with the Regional Pastors of our Association, and
the staff of both the national office and the seminary (ALTS). TAALC intends to be a bottom-up organization not a top-down hierarchy.
How do individual congregations of The AALC find pastors?
The AALC maintains a roster of clergy who have been examined for Lutheran theology, doctrine and practice.
The normal process for searching for and calling a pastor goes through the National Office. The congregation will form a Call Committee, who will fill out all required forms for an internal assessment (congregational study) which is then submitted to the National Office.
After review (usually by our Presiding Pastor) the process continues by looking at the needs of the congregation and search the roster of pastors whose particular skills or strengths may fit those needs. A candidate (and his file) will be presented to the Call Committee for consideration.
After reviewing the candidates file, the congregation may desire to pursue this candidate. It is recommended that a phone interview be conducted.
The Call Committee may then recommend to the congregation to invite this candidate for a weekend to preach, teach, and meet with members, etc. for assessment and suitability.
After the visit, the Call Committee may recommend to the congregation to call that man as their pastor.
If approved by vote of the congregation, the Call Committee will prepare call documents including salary and total compensation and present it to the Presiding Pastor of The AALC.
The National Office will forward the call documents to the candidate for his consideration.
At this point, in order to protect the call process between the congregation and the candidate, all communication between the congregation and the candidate should take place through the Presiding Pastor of The AALC. (Often negotiation between the congregation and the candidate may take place when reviewing the call document, and the Presiding Pastor, working as an intermediary, has proven very helpful to that part of the process.)
The pastor, after prayer and consultation, determines whether to accept or decline the call.
Upon acceptance, the pastor arranges with the congregation and National Office as to when the installation will take place.
All our Clergy on our Roster have been thoroughly interviewed and vetted to ensure each Pastor is properly trained and qualified for Call.
Does The AALC have a Pension Plan for Clergy?
Yes. The AALC offers a complete Pension Program through the Pinnacle Planning Group (http://the pinnacleplanninggroup.com) of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Each congregation is urged to offer this package to its pastor as part of his compensation. Reciprocal agreements with most other church bodies are in effect for pastors and churches that transfer into The AALC.
Caring for Those who Care for You [https://www.taalc.org/congregation-resources] Compensation Guide] - Updated June 2021
Does The AALC have a healthcare Plan for Pastors?
No. Since the start of Obamacare the underwriters who once served The AALC and provided healthcare insurance terminated all healthcare plans. Pastors are encouraged to seek healthcare insurance through private insurers or the HeathCare.gov marketplace.
Does your Association ordain women?
No. The American Association of Lutheran Churches believes and confess in accordance with Holy Scripture and our Lutheran Confessions that the Office of the Holy Ministry (Word and Sacrament, Pastoral Office) is restricted to certain qualified men who have been properly called into Word and Sacrament Ministry. (1 Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Tim 2:11-15; 1 Cor 14:33-40; Augsburg Confession, XIV)
In what offices or capacity can women serve?
Women may serve in positions (not the pastoral office) such as Deaconess
or Director of Christian Education, as well as in any elected lay congregational offices.
Is The AALC affiliated with other Lutheran church bodies or organizations?
The AALC recognizes altar-and-pulpit fellowship with the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LC-MS), The Lutheran Church of Norway and Iceland (Den Lutherske Kirke i Norge og Island–LKNI), and the Independent Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Germany (Selbständige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche–SELK). The AALC is also a member of the International Lutheran Council (ILC, https://ilcouncil.org/)