Welcome to the homepage of ACLC
The Association of Confessing LCMC Congregations (ACLC) exists to provide a unified voice, a theological anchor, and mutual encouragement for congregations, pastors, and laity within the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ who are dedicated to the absolute authority of Holy Scripture and the unconditioned witness of the Lutheran Confessions.
While celebrating the LCMC’s commitment to congregational freedom and global mission, the ACLC seeks to guard against theological drift, apathy, and the creeping influence of cultural accommodation. We believe that true freedom is always bound to the Word of God, and that our mission is most powerfully sustained when anchored in historic liturgical worship and a rigorous devotion to Word and Sacrament ministry.
Why the ACLC? Why Now?
The Association of Confessing LCMC Congregations (ACLC) exists to strengthen confessional Lutheran identity and faithful Word and Sacrament ministry within Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC). We believe congregational freedom and confessional faithfulness belong together.
Why the ACLC?
We are concerned about the erosion of historic Lutheran teaching, particularly concerning the Sacraments, original sin, and the distinction between Law and Gospel. We seek to preserve the historic liturgy as a vital expression of the Church's faith, reaffirm the pastor's calling as a steward of God's mysteries rather than a corporate manager, and prioritize Gospel proclamation over entertainment, marketing, and numerical growth. We also seek to assist congregations in calling pastors who are thoroughly grounded in and committed to confessional Lutheran theology.
What We Confess
Our fellowship is united around five foundational commitments:
The Word of God: The inspired Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are God's Word, revealing Jesus Christ and creating and sustaining Christian faith.
Confessional Faithfulness: We subscribe unconditionally to the Book of Concord (1580) because its teachings faithfully explain Holy Scripture.
The Absolute Solas: Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ alone. This Gospel governs our preaching, teaching, and pastoral care.
Word and Sacrament: The Holy Spirit creates and sustains faith through the Means of Grace: the preached Word, Holy Baptism, and the Lord's Supper. These are the heart of the Church's life and mission.
Congregational Accountability: We voluntarily unite in mutual encouragement and accountability, helping one another remain faithful to Scripture, the Lutheran Confessions, and historic Lutheran worship.
Our Shared Mission
The ACLC is not another denominational bureaucracy. We are a fellowship of congregations and pastors committed to preserving and strengthening confessional Lutheran faith and practice within the LCMC.
We are not seeking to reinvent the Church. We are seeking to remain faithful to what Christ has entrusted to His Church: the Gospel of Jesus Christ, proclaimed in His Word and delivered through His Sacraments.
