Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lithuania
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The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lithuania dates back to the Reformation, when Kaunas, a large town in Lithuania, accepted the Augsburg Confession in 1550. The Reformation brought to Lithuania the first printed book in the Lithuanian language, the Lutheran Catechism (1547), and later (1590) the first Lithuanian Bible, which was not printed before the 18th century, however. The Counter-Reformation reduced the number of Protestants in Lithuania. However, by the World War II era there were 80 Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lithuania (ELCL) congregations, and 72 pastors were serving about 120,000 members. During the changes of World War II, many congregation members emigrated, were exiled, or were killed. The churches that remained without pastors were closed and used for other purposes or were destroyed. During Soviet occupation from 1940 to 1990, religious instruction was forbidden and church membership brought public penalties.
With Lithuanian independence in 1990, the ELCL began to receive back church buildings and properties that in Soviet times were nationalized and used for various purposes. Churches and property were returned throughout the 1990s.
In 2006 the ELCL reported having 21,000 active members, 52 congregations, and 15 pastors.
The ELCL is a member of the Porvoo Communion. Reflecting its conservative confessional Lutheran stance, in 2000, the ELCL declared itself in full fellowship with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (U.S.).
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