Church / History Unit 5 Lesson 2

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Church / History Lesson 2


This is the first lesson looking at our Lutheran history from Martin Luther to this congregation at Faith Church in Kalispell MT.


Read the brief biography of Martin Luther found in the preface of your Small Catechism.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
History of AFLC Pt. 1 (from aflc.org)
Around the beginning of the 1800s, a Norwegian farmer's son, a layman, began tramping over the mountains and valleys of the country preaching a message of repentance and personal salvation. Hans Nielsen Hauge was immediately branded a troublemaker by the government and the state church, and spent 10 years in prison. The fire the Lord lit through him, however, could not be stifled. 

Hauge's message and ministry reflected the spirit of Lutheran Pietism, a powerful movement of awakening that began among German Lutherans in the late 17th century. The pietistic emphasis on personal faith, godly living and study of Scripture caught fire among the common people, igniting a spiritual and social revolution whose impact is still evident today. Revival fires burned brightly through much of Scandinavia. These evangelical movements shaped the convictions of many of the Lutherans who planted the church in America during the 19th century. They brought their faith and love of education with them, and they wanted to make sure their children had schools where they could be trained in God's Word and useful skills. Many Lutheran colleges and seminaries, which exist today, began at this time. 

Among those institutions was Augsburg College in Minneapolis, which in those days also comprised a preparatory school, an academy and a seminary. Two scholars from prominent Haugean families in Norway came to Augsburg to teach in the 1870s, bringing with them a genuinely radical view of Christian education, centered on Scripture and the simple doctrines of Christianity. Their names were Georg Sverdrup and Sven Oftedal. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
History of AFLC Pt. 2 (from aflc.org)
These two young professors, having witnessed firsthand the opposition of the church hierarchy to the revival movements, had been driven in their frustration to take a fresh look at the New Testament church. Through their study of Scripture, they had some to a stunning conclusion:  "...in the New Testament there is no talk about any bishopric... nor any church council, or synod. ...There is a congregation in each place where there are Christians, and this congregation has its elders or bishops; but there is no  'church ruler-ship' of any sort..." (Sverdrup). 

In other words, the local congregation is the right form of God's kingdom on earth, and no power but God's Word and Spirit may dictate to it. This conviction was not only a matter of church government, but a vision of "living" Christianity. The church they sought to plant in the New World would promote a living Lutheran orthodoxy, served by shepherds who lead rather than overlords who dominate, emphasizing an evangelism that would result in changed lives and encourage lay people to exercise their spiritual gifts. 

In 1897 a group of like-minded congregations committed to these principles established the Lutheran Free Church. This group drafted a set of Fundamental Principles which would guide their operations. Momentum came in the form of a tremendous spiritual revival which swept the Norwegian Lutheran churches during the 1890s. Many students came to Augsburg as a direct result of it, and through the work of pastors who graduated from the seminary the Lutheran Free Church began to expand beyond its initial concentration in eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota to other areas of the U.S. and Canada. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
History of AFLC Pt. 3 (from aflc.org)

In time however the vision grew dim, and a new generation of leadership began to question the future of the Lutheran Free Church. They encouraged participation in a new merger, which produced the American Lutheran Church (1960). After much conflict and litigation, the FLC finally joined the ALC in 1962. 


In October 1962, almost 300 people from seven states and two Canadian provinces gathered in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, to resist the merger and form what would become the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations, founded on the Fundamental Principles of the Lutheran Free Church. 

AFLC Fundamental Principles
1. According to God’s word, the congregation is the right form of the Kingdom of God on

earth.

2. The congregation is made up of believers who follow the direction of God’s Word, use

the means of grace and the spiritual gifts, and seek eternal life and salvation for all.

3. Understanding what is written in the New Testament, the congregation needs to be

organized, have leadership, and communicate time and places for gathering.

4. The people gathering in the organized congregation are not always believers. This can

cause some to have false hope, by simply being associated with a church. This is why it is

the obligation of the congregation to preach God’s word clearly, calling all people to

repentance and life following Jesus.

5. The congregation is under the authority of the Word and Spirit of God, directing its

own affairs, and has no other authority or governing body above itself.

6. A free congregation values and honors all the spiritual gifts which the Lord gives and

encourages their discovery and use for building up the Body of Christ.

7. A free congregation works for the advancement of the Kingdom of God, gladly receiving

the mutual assistance other congregations can give.

8. Other congregations assist with mutual sharing of spiritual gifts for different ministry

events, preaching, teaching, etc. where congregations are mutually built up in ways that a

single congregation would not be able to do on its own.

9. Some of those tasks could be the training of pastors, distributing Bibles, missions work,

caring for the homeless in the community, and other works of mercy.

10. Free congregations do not have the right to demand that another congregation submit

to their opinion, will, judgment, or decision: therefore a majority of congregations

cannot hold domination over a smaller number of congregations.

11. In a Lutheran Free Church, the organizations or groups of individuals that help

congregations work together, cannot impose any restrictions or obligations, or lay any

burden upon an individual congregation. They only have the right to make

recommendations and requests of congregations and individuals.

12. Each individual believer and every free congregation, is constrained by the Spirit of God

and the calling to love and good deeds for the salvation of souls and the quickening of

the spiritual life. Such free spiritual activity is limited neither by parish nor by synodical

boundaries.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Student & Parent Questions (for the student and a parent to discuss and answer together)
 
 
 
 
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