Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Central Asia
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Central Asia | |
|---|---|
Logo of the ELCROS
|
|
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Lutheran |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Leader | Archbishop Dietrich Brauer |
| Associations | LWF, CCE |
| Region | Former Soviet Union |
| Origin | 1999 St. Petersburg |
| Congregations | 400 |
| Members | 70,000 |
| Official website | www |
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Central Asia (Russian: Евангелическо-лютеранская церковь в России, Украине, в Казахстане и Средней Азии), also known as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia and the Other States (ELCROS), is a Lutheran denomination that itself comprises seven regional Lutheran denominations in Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan as well as individual congregations in Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Established in its current form in 1999, ELCROS currently has about 70,000 members in more than 400 congregations within its jurisdiction.
The constituent dioceses of ELCROS were mostly founded as German Lutheran denominations. However, the church now worships extensively in the Russian language with around 30% of its members being ethnically Russian.
The current archbishop of ELCROS is the Most Rev. Dietrich Brauer.
Lutheranism had established itself in the Teutonic states of the Baltics and Ingria in the early years of the Reformation.Ivan the Terrible invited German artisans and professionals to help modernize Russian institutions, bringing Lutherans into Russia proper.
The first church consecrated for Lutheran use in Moscow, St. Michael's Church, was completed in 1576. By the end of the 17th century, German Lutherans were spread throughout Russia, primarily among the military garrisons.
...
Wikipedia