LCC celebrates 25 years

The June 1988 issue of The Canadian Lutheran announces the formation of Lutheran Church–Canada.

Update: to watch video from the 25th Anniversary service, click here.

CANADA – 2013 is a festival year for Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC) as it celebrates the silver anniversary of its founding convention. Twenty-five years have passed since Canadian pastors and congregational representatives of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) gathered in Winnipeg to officially constitute a new church body.

“It’s a healthy thing for us to pause and reflect a bit at this milestone,” commented LCC President Robert Bugbee.  “We really do believe that the Church’s history is ‘His-story’—the story of how Christ accomplished great things through His people, and also the story of how He forgave us our many missed opportunities, sins, and failures.”

While LCC achieved independence in 1988, its history is much older and much richer. The name “Lutheran” reminds us of the theological heritage we have received from Martin Luther and the other Reformers. They have passed down to us what they received from their forebears—the faith of the Apostles recorded in the Scriptures and passed down by the Church throughout the centuries.

The first Lutherans to ever set foot in what would become Canada arrived in 1619, but it would be some years more before Lutherans would become established in Canada. LCC’s owes its own presence to the work of pioneering LCMS missionaries. The first of these, Adam Ernst, arrived in Canada in 1854.

The LCMS founded many congregations in Canada. By the early 1940s, however, Canadian congregations and pastors of the LCMS had begun discussing the possibility of creating a Canadian organization within the LCMS. By 1958, LCC had been born, though not in the form it exists today. LCC was originally constituted as an affiliation of the three Canadian districts of LCMS in 1958, but it maintained its relationship with the LCMS. The new organization would not replace the LCMS, but simply support Canadian LCMS churches as they worked in the Canadian context.

Years later, after much discussion on the subject, LCC officially incorporated as its own church body, but to this day, it still retains its close relationship with the LCMS. It also retains good relations with other confessional Lutheran churches through the work of the International Lutheran Council.

Today, Lutheran Church–Canada has 312 congregations across Canada, in three separate districts: the Alberta-British Columbia District, the Central District (covering Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and North-West Ontario), and the East District. LCC is reaching out with the Good News of Jesus Christ here in Canada as well as around the world, with missions and social ministry projects in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Honduras, Thailand, Cambodia, and Ukraine. Numerous agencies, run by LCC members, support it in this God-given work.

As we celebrate LCC’s 25^th anniversary, Lutherans are again converging on Winnipeg. Nearly 400 youth and leaders are participating in the National Youth Gathering July 5-9. At the same time, LCC—in conjunction with Lutheran Hour Ministries—is hosting Reach Out Canada, a national outreach conference to help individual Lutherans and congregations learn how to better share the Gospel in their communities.

The two events will come together Sunday, July 7 for LCC’s 25^th Anniversary Service, taking place at the University of Manitoba. The service will be broadcast live online and can be viewed here.

A number of local Winnipeg congregations are cancelling services at their own churches to be part of this special celebration. Outside of Winnipeg, Lutherans across Canada are similarly marking this year with special services thanking God for 25 years of faithfulness.

“Though these events come in the midst of an anniversary year, they both have a strong forward thrust,” noted President Bugbee.  “Young people will gather to be equipped for their callings in the Body of Christ in the future, and the adults coming together for ROC are also looking for opportunities to connect people around them to Christ and His Gospel.”

To mark this special occasion, LCC congregations are encouraged to set aside July 7 or another Sunday this year to celebrate the 25^th Anniversary of Lutheran Church–Canada. A downloadable bulletin insert is available here. LCC’s Board of Directors is also encouraging congregations to consider taking a special offering to support the mission work of Lutheran Church–Canada as together we share the Gospel of Jesus Christ at home and abroad.

A special prayer to mark 25th anniversary celebrations has also been composed:

Heavenly Father, as we celebrate 25 years since Lutheran Church–Canada’s founding convention, we turn to You with grateful hearts, thanking You for the blessings You have poured out upon our churches during this time. You have blessed us to be a strong witness to the Gospel of Christ, both here at home and around the world. Continue to empower the ministries of Lutheran Church–Canada. Bless our congregations. Bless our pastors, deacons, and other church-workers. Bless our district and national offices. Equip us by Your Holy Spirit to be daily witnesses to Your Good News—daily witnesses to the saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Your Son. Lord, in your mercy: Hear our prayer.

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For more information on the history of Lutheran Church-Canada, see Rev. Dr. Norman Threinen’s book A Religious-Cultural Mosaic: A History of Lutherans in Canada.

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