Association of Free Lutheran Congregations is the 4th largest Lutheran church body in the United States. The AFLC includes congregations in 27 different states as well as 3 Canadian provinces. The AFLC is not an incorporated synod, but a free association. Each local congregation is a separate corporation.
The AFLC was formed by 40 congregations in 1962. The churches that formed the AFLC were members of the Free Lutheran Church, who did not wish to join the American Luther Church. The AFLC has more than 230 congregations currently.
The AFLC headquarters are in Plymouth, Minnesota along with a seminary and Bible School.
Five principal reasons for the formation of a new fellowship. From AFLC website
- Recognizes the Bible as the inspired and inerrant authority in all matters of faith and life.
- Recognizes that the teaching and preaching of God's Word is the main task of the Church, to be conducted in such a way that the saints are built up and unbelievers see their need for salvation.
- Believes that the congregation is the right form of the Kingdom of God on earth, with no authority above it but the Word and the Spirit of God;
- Believes that Christian unity is a spiritual concept, not a man-made organization such as the World Council of Churches or the National Council of Churches .
- Believes that Christians are called to be a salt and light, separated from the ways of the world, and that this difference is to be reflected in the life of the congregation as well as in the institutions of the church body.
