Who We Are . . . the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations

The Association of Free Lutheran Congregations (AFLC) was organized in October, 1962. Most of the founders were members of the Lutheran Free Church (LFC), which had voted to merge with The American Lutheran Church in 1963.

Five principal reasons for the formation of a new fellowship--

1. Recognizes the Bible as the inspired and inerrant authority in all matters of faith and life;

2. 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;

3. 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;

4. 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;

5. 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.

Convinced of the need for a new conservative evangelical Lutheran fellowship as well as the relevance of its free church heritage, the AFLC determined at its first conference to continue under the Fundamental Principles of the Lutheran Free Church, committed to promoting free and living congregations.

The AFLC is not an incorporated synod, but a free association. Each local congregation is a separate corporation, and five additional corporations are sponsored by them to direct our common endeavors.