LUTHERAN CHURCHES.—Lutheran churches resulted directly from
the reforms initiated by Martin Luther who emphasized “justification by
faith alone” but retained a formal liturgy. In 1619, a Lutheran Christmas
service on the American continent was held at Hudson Bay. By 1649, a
Lutheran congregation was worshipping in New Amsterdam. In the 19th-
century, the Lutheran church in America expanded rapidly due to the
massive influx of Lutheran immigrants coming into America from the
predominantly Lutheran countries of Northern Europe. At the end of 1973,
Lutheran membership in the United States was approaching 9 million.
Currently, there are ten major Lutheran bodies within the United States.
In America, Lutheran churches have conventions which elect presidents
who have limited terms and authority. Each Lutheran congregation owns its
own building and property and is self-governing. The congregation is usually
administered between its annual meetings by a church council—the pastor
and elected lay officers who are called elders, deacons, and trustees.
Congregations are united in synods (conferences or districts) which may be
national or international.
In most Lutheran churches the emphasis of regular worship has shifted
from the altar to the pulpit. The stress laid upon the Bible and preaching by
many Lutheran groups has contributed markedly to this shift to make non-
eucharistic worship both popular and standard in many American Lutheran
churches. Other Lutheran groups, however, retain the older liturgical
Lutheran worship form centered on the altar. There is then, a shifting
emphasis between the pulpit and the altar in American Lutheranism which
has yet to be resolved. The two Lutheran sacraments, Baptism and the
Lord’s Supper, are considered not merely as signs or memorials by
Lutherans but as channels through which God bestows His empowering and
forgiving grace. Lutherans believe in the real presence of Christ in commun-
ion bread and wine. Lutheran Eucharistic elements may be subject to special
handling requirements.
METHODIST CHURCHES.—The Methodist church was born in the
Church of England through the work of John Wesley, Its name arose from
the “methodical” habits of the club which John Wesley, and his brother
Charles, founded at Oxford University. John and Charles Wesley came to
Georgia in 1736, the former as a missionary to the Indians. The Methodist
church was flourishing at the time the United States Constitution was
adopted.
The organization of the Methodist church in America parallels in many
ways the pattern of American government. The executive branch of the
church consists of a Council of Bishops, whose members are elected. The
legislative power of the Methodist church is vested in a General Conference,
which meets every 4 years and is composed of both clergy and laity. The
supreme judicial power of the church rests with a Judicial Council, whose
makeup and qualifications are determined by the General Conference of the
church which is presided over by a bishop.
The Methodist church retains, to a considerable degree, the theology of
the Anglican church from which it sprang. Methodist worship and liturgy are
strongly influenced by the English Book of Common Prayer and many
Methodist churches preserve much of the Anglican liturgical tradition. Yet
some Methodist churches may have worship services which are quite
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