The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (elca.org) or “ELCA” is the fifth largest church body in the United States. It has a baptized membership about 4.8 million Christians who belong to over 11,000 congregations throughout the United States and the Caribbean. Its church wide headquarters is in Chicago, and it is led by a presiding bishop, Bishop Mark S. Hanson.
The congregations of the ELCA are divided into 65 different geographical areas called “synods.” Emmanuel in Elyria is part of the Northeastern Ohio Synod (NEO Synod) (www.neos-elca.org) which has its offices in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The NEO Synod is ably ministered to and led by Bishop Elizabeth “Liz” Eaton.
Synods are grouped together by regions. The NEO Synod is part of Region Six, which includes all of the state of Ohio and parts of Michigan and Kentucky.
The ELCA is respected throughout the United States and the world for its:
- Global Mission: 455 missionaries in 53 foreign countries.
- Social Ministry Organizations: which serve hundreds of thousands of people from infants to seniors and form one of the largest nonprofit service networks in the United States including the greater Cleveland area's own Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry.
- Nationally Acclaimed Schools, Colleges, Universities and Seminaries:including Messiah School in Fairview Park, Lutheran East and Lutheran West High Schools, Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, Capital University in Columbus, Ohio and Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio.
- Immigration and Refugee Placement Services.
- Disaster Relief Work.
- Partnership with other Church Bodies: including full communion with the Episcopalian, Moravian, Presbyterian, Reformed, and United Church of Christ communities and interim communion with the United Methodist Church.
- Campus Ministry and Chaplaincy Work: with 143 campus pastors, 900 chaplains in the armed forces and many hospital chaplains including those provided through Lutheran Chaplaincy Service in the greater Cleveland area.
- Award Winning Magazine: The Lutheran
- Outstanding Radio Ministry: Grace Matters
