CONGREGATIONS VOTING TO LEAVE ELCA SINCE AUGUST 2009 UPDATE 6/14/10

By our figures and estimates, 450 congregations have voted to leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America since August 2009. Of that number, approximately 185 have successfully completed their second vote and are now out of the ELCA. Approximately 150 other congregations have successfully taken their first vote and are awaiting the 90 day period to take their second vote. Listed here are those congregations known to have been successful in their first and/or second vote. Please inform us of any additions or corrections by email: wordabide@aol.com.

Based on a report out of the ELCA office dated June 3, 2010, 419 congregations have voted to leave the ELCA. Of that number 283 passed. However, those figures likely represent churches that voted prior to May 2010, as reported by various synods. Since that time, however, many more congregations have voted. In fact, throughout the coming weeks and months several congregations are scheduled to vote nearly every Sunday.

Based on the above figures and our list of congregations, we believe we are missing at least 80 congregations that have successfully voted to leave. The names of these congregations are very hard to find as there is no national base to report them. If you know of congregations that have successfully voted, please inform us. The ELCA does not want people to know how many congregations have voted out, including some of their largest congregations. For example, last week the ELCA issued a press release concerning one bishop's question over one vote in one congregations that successfully voted out by a single vote margin. The ELCA has yet to report on the successful and overwhleming votes by several of their largest congregations whose memberships range from 2000-6000.

Based solely on our records of congregations that are known to have taken one or two successful votes, the ELCA has lost or will have lost (when the 2nd votes are taken) approximately 150,000 members since August 2009. Add to that number the 80 or so congregations we are missing, plus the natural losses the ELCA has been reporting annually over the last 20 years, and that number will surely double by August 2010.

We urge members who have left their ELCA congregation and joined another congregation to make certain they remove their letter of membership, or else they will go on being counted as members of the ELCA by congregations, synods and the national church. Local congregations are very slow at correcting their membership statistics. These inflated numbers are what the ELCA reports annually.

Another statistic that is not being reported is the number of clergy that have resigned or who are in the process of resigning from the ELCA. We had a letter recently from a retired pastor who resigned his membership on the ELCA clergy roster.

Still another letter came to us recently from one of our Abiding Word Ministries supporters who informed us that he had made legal arrangements to give $2 million to various ELCA institutions, but has recently informed those institutions that the money will not be coming. He stated: "They are not happy."

Additional information regarding these and other matters is available through The Vine and Branches, the newsletter of Abiding Word Ministries. If you are not on our mailing list, contact us at wordabide@aol.com.

* First Vote ** Second Vote

ARIZONA
** Light of Christ Lutheran Church, Chandler

** Community Church of Joy, Glendale
** Victory Lutheran Church, Mesa
* La Casa de Cristo Lutheran Church, Scottsdale
** Abiding Savior Lutheran Church, Tempe

CALIFORNIA
** Sierra Lutheran Church, Auberry
** Chinese Life Lutheran Church, Alhambra
** Christ the King Lutheran Church, Fallbrook
* El Camino Pines Lutheran Church, Frazier Park
** Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Galt
** Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Irvine
** Concordia Lutheran Church, Kingsburg
** Lutheran Church of the Cross, Laguna Woods
** St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, La Mesa
** Emanuel Lutheran Church, Lodi
* St. John’s Lutheran Church, Los Banos
** Calvary Lutheran Church, Modesto
** Grace Lutheran Church, Redway
*Life Lutheran Church, Richmond
** Grace Lutheran Church, Ridgecrest
**Rancho Penasquitos Lutheran Church, San Diego
** St. Timothy Lutheran Church, San Diego
** St. Luke Lutheran Church, San Diego
* Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, San Jose

COLORADO
* Faith Lutheran Church, Castle Rock
** Bethel Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs
** St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs

FLORIDA
* St. Peter Lutheran Church, Fort Pierce
** Shepherd of the Woods Church, Jacksonville
** Faith Lutheran Church, Lakeland
* Hope Lutheran Church, Miami
** Peace Lutheran Church, Palm Bay

GEORGIA
** Laurel Hill Lutheran Church, Clyo
** Wingard Memorial Lutheran Church, Clyo
* Christ the King Lutheran Church, Evans
** Mt. Pilgrim Lutheran Church, Haralson
** Faith Lutheran Church, Hartwell
** Bethel Lutheran Church, Springfield
** Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Springfield

IDAHO
** Zion Lutheran Church, Deary
** Faith Lutheran Church, Pierce
* First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Idaho Falls

ILLINOIS
** Joyful Harvest Lutheran Church, Johnsburg
* Messiah Lutheran Church, Joliet
* First Lutheran Church, Kirkland
** Calvary Lutheran Church, Lee
** St. Mark Lutheran Church, Lindenhurst
** Faith Lutheran Church, Moline
** St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Oregon
* Luther Memorial Lutheran Church, Quincy
* Hosanna Lutheran Church, St. Charles
* Calvary Lutheran Church, Rockford
* Prince of Peace, Rockton, IL

INDIANA
** St. James Lutheran Church, Holland
* St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Stendal
** St. Mark Lutheran Church, St. Joe

IOWA
** St. Olaf Lutheran Church, Bode
* Zion Lutheran Church, Clear Lake
** Zion Lutheran Church, Des Moines
* Evangelical Lutheran Church, Eagle Grove
** Samuel Lutheran Church, Eagle Grove
** Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Fontanelle
** Zion Lutheran Church, Hudson
* Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Inwood
* St. Paul Lutheran Church, Irwin
* Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Jacksonville
** Bethany Lutheran Church, Kelley
** Skien Lutheran Church, Sloan
** Immanuel Lutheran Church, Story City
* Immanuel Lutheran Church, Strawberry Point
* Ulensvang Lutheran Church, Thor
* Immanuel Lutheran Church, Waukee

KANSAS
** Christ the King Lutheran Church, Dodge City

KENTUCKY
** Hopeful Lutheran Church, Florence
** Hebron Lutheran Church, Hebron

MARYLAND
** Trinity Lutheran Church, Joppa

MICHIGAN
** Zion Lutheran Church, Felch
** Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Iron Mountain
** Christ Lutheran Church, Reese
** Christ Lutheran Church, Shingleton

MINNESOTA
** Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Afton
* Trefoldighed Lutheran Church, Battle Lake
** Lutheran Church of the Master, Brooklyn Center
** Wangen Prairie Lutheran Church, Cannon Falls
* Immanuel Lutheran Church, Crosby
* Lund Lutheran Church, Detroit Lakes
** Central Lutheran Church, Elk River
* Grace Lutheran Church, Erskine
** Rodnes Lutheran Church, Erskine
** Redeemer Lutheran Church, Fridley
* Calvary Lutheran, Golden Valley
* St. Paul Lutheran Church, Hanover
** Singaas Lutheran Church, Hendricks
* St. John’s Lutheran Church, Howard Lake
** Christ the King Lutheran Church, Hutchinson
** Faith Lutheran Church, Hutchinson
* South Zumbro Lutheran Church, Kasson
** Hosanna Lutheran Church, Lakeville
** American Lutheran Church, Long Prairie
** Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Maple Lake
* Christ Lutheran Church, Maple Plain
** St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Minneapolis
** Faith Lutheran Church, Monticello
** Rejoice Lutheran Renewal Church, Northfield
** Christ Lutheran Church, Otsego
* Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Ramsey
** Community Church of Hope, Rosemount
** Sychar Lutheran Church, Silver Bay
** Bethlehem/West Elbow Lake Lutheran Church

* Zoar Lutheran Church, Tofte

MONTANA
** Peace Lutheran Church, Belgrade
** Bethany Lutheran Church, Bigfork
* Little Missouri Lutheran Church, Capitol
** Golden West Lutheran Church, Conrad
** Pondera Valley Lutheran Church, Conrad
** Calvary Lutheran Church, Evergreen
* Faith Lutheran Church, Great Falls
** Scobey Lutheran Church, Scobey
** Christ Lutheran Church, Whitefish

NEBRASKA
** Thanksgiving Lutheran Church, Bellevue
*Bethel Lutheran Church, Holdrege
** Christ the Servant Lutheran Church, Norfolk
* Faith Lutheran Church, Seward
** Hope Lutheran Church, Smithfield

NEW YORK
** St. Nicodemus Lutheran Church, Aurora
** Advent Lutheran Church, Elmont
* Evangelical Lutheran Church, Gallupville
* St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Middleburgh
** St. James Lutheran Church, Niagara Falls
** St James Lutheran Church, Stewart Manor

NORTH CAROLINA
** Well of Hope Lutheran Church, Charlotte
* New Jerusalem Lutheran Church, Hickory
* Christiana Lutheran Church, Salisbury
* Union Lutheran Church, Salisbury
** St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Salisbury
** Mt. Hermon Lutheran Church, Statesville
** Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church, Weddington

NORTH DAKOTA
* Anselm Trinity Lutheran Church, Enderlin
* Peace Lutheran Church, Hazen

OHIO
* First Lutheran Church, Barberton
* Upper Arlington Lutheran Church, Columbus
* Zion Lutheran Church, Columbus (Obetz)
** First English Lutheran Church, Mansfield
** St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Maumee

OREGON
* Trinity Lutheran Church, Hermiston

PENNSYLVANIA
* Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Abington
* Christ Lutheran Church, Dallastown

* Dunmyer Lutheran Church, Johnstown
* St. Paul Lutheran Church, Sarver
** St. Paul Lutheran Church, West Manchester
St. Paul Lutheran Church, McConnellsburg *
St. Paul Lutheran Church, Big Cove Tannery *
Mt. Zion Lutheran Church, Little Cove *
(* These last three congregation did not actually vote, they were kicked out of the ELCA.)

SOUTH CAROLINA

** Christ the Servant Lutheran Church, Conway

** Abiding Presence Lutheran Church, York

SOUTH DAKOTA
** East Lake Andes Lutheran Church, Armour
** American Lutheran Church, Castlewood
* Hope Lutheran Church, Delmont
** Lands Lutheran Church, Hudson
** Trinity Lutheran Church, Hudson
* Ladner Lutheran Church, Ladner
* Our Savior Lutheran Church, Long Valley
* Deep Creek Lutheran Church, Midland
* Trinity Lutheran Church, Midland
* First Lutheran Church, Philip
** Bethlehem Lutheran, Pierpont
**Trinity Lutheran Church, Platt
** First American Lutheran, Tripp

TEXAS
** St. John’s Lutheran, Boerne
* Zion Lutheran Church, Castroville
* Holy Ghost Lutheran, Fredricksburg
** Martin Luther Lutheran Church, Giddings
* Living Word Lutheran Church, Grapevine
* Zion Lutheran of Mission Valley, Victoria
** St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Braunfels
* First Lutheran Church, Orange Grove
* Peace Lutheran Church, Rosenberg
** St. Paul Lutheran Church, Taylor
** Immanuel Lutheran Church, Taylor
** Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Taylor
* St. John Lutheran Church, Thrall
* St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, Weesatche
** Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Yoakum

UTAH
* Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Roy

VIRGINIA
* Apostles Lutheran Church, Chesapeake
** Morning Star Lutheran Church, Mt. Jackson
** St. John’s Lutheran Church, Roanoke

WASHINGTON
** Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Chimacum
* Emmanuel Lutheran, Longview
** Christ Lutheran Church, Odessa
** Richland Lutheran Church, Richland
** St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Rochester
* Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Walla Walla

WISCONSIN
** St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Big Falls
** Christus Lutheran Church, Clintonville
** St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Dupont
* Peace Lutheran Church, Edgar
** St. John’s Lutheran Church, Gillett
** Northland Lutheran Church, Iola
* Hitterdahl Lutheran Church, Iola
** Olivet Lutheran Church, LaCrosse
** Zion Lutheran Church, Manawa
** First Lutheran Church, Ogdensburg
** Grace Lutheran Church Oconto Falls
* Trinity Lutheran Church, Pell Lake
* Bethlehem Lutheran Church, (Pella) Marion
** Stanfold Lutheran Church, Rice Lake