Check.Church

Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod

Lutheran · 1847 · United States

Confessional Lutherans who refused the Prussian crown's forced Lutheran-Reformed union emigrated and, under C. F. W. Walther, organized a synod bound unconditionally to the Book of Concord — the conservative pole of American Lutheranism ever since.

Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod was formed in 1847. Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod continues today. Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod's institutional line runs back through Lutheran, Roman Catholicism to the post-apostolic church. No body on this tree is the assembly of Acts 2; where a body claims that, the claim appears in the claimed-lineage layer.

Between the post-apostolic church and Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod stand 3 divisions along the institutional line, counting separations and disputed forks, not mergers, renewals or national organizations.

At a glance

Formed
In 1847
Family
Lutheran
Region
United States
Key figures
C. F. W. Walther, Martin Stephan, F. C. D. Wyneken
Cause tags
Doctrine, Politics
Also known as
Missouri Synod; German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States (founding name)

What it separated from

  • Separated from Lutheran. Confessional emigrants from the European state churches organizing independently in America.

Bodies organized out of it or separated from it: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

On the tree

Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and its institutional line back to the post-apostolic churchAD 33The church at Pentecost: On divine groundThe church at Pentecost: on divine groundtoday1004244314511054151718471988The post-apostolic church (The spine)The post-apostolicchurchDepartureChurch of the East (Church of the East)Church of the EastChurch of the EastThe conciliar church (The spine)The conciliar churchDepartureThe Chalcedonian church (The spine)The Chalcedonian churchDepartureOriental Orthodoxy (Oriental Orthodox)Oriental OrthodoxyOriental OrthodoxEastern Orthodoxy (Eastern Orthodox)Eastern OrthodoxyEastern OrthodoxRoman Catholicism (Catholic)Roman CatholicismNot gatheredLutheran (Lutheran)LutheranLutheranLutheran Church–Missouri Synod (Lutheran)Lutheran Church–MissouriSynodLutheranEvangelical Lutheran Church in America (Lutheran)Evangelical LutheranChurch in AmericaLutheran

Solid lines are separations and unions; dashed lines are renewals that began inside a body; dotted gray lines are national organizations of one communion; a diamond marks a fork event where neither side is drawn as the one that left. Every line runs back to the post-apostolic church; no body descends from the assembly of Acts 2. Dashed gray boxes mark the institutional line after the apostles, shown as departure; no line of descent is drawn from Pentecost. A verdict appears on a box once its section is published.

Adherents

About 1,700,000 adherents (official census, as of 2024).

Source: Wikipedia (baptized members, 2024)

Sources

Research compiled July 2026. Page data built 2026-10-31.