The Luther Inn

The overture noted in the text that Martin Luther himself consecrated two bishops in his lifetime. It also noted the secular nature of the title "president." This overture is among many pushing for a return to traditional Lutheranism. Photo credit: @KonigDFB

An LCMS overture to rename secular titles of district presidents and Synod president to bishop was struck down by the LCMS Floor Committee, preventing it from coming to a convention vote. Notably, the proposal appears to have greater support among younger members of the LCMS.

On May 15, 2018, a fire tore through Trinity during construction work, collapsing the entire roof and the shorter southern steeple. Behind the altar, paintings of Jesus, his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, were unscathed.

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Built in 1878, Trinity's Victorian Gothic church was founded by a congregation of German settlers seeking freedom to practice their traditional Lutheranism. It belongs to the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod.

Hi Mrs. Cooper, Firstly, we agree! While all three of us who run this account appreciate the leadership of President Harrison, it cannot be understated how influential online ministries such as your husband's have been. All three of us who run the Luther Inn account are converts, and while I can't speak for the others, I know for certain that Dr. Cooper's YouTube channel was extremely helpful in my personal journey to becoming a Lutheran. We were in no way trying to diminish the impact of those who are reaching out to young men through mediums such as YouTube. We only sought to call attention to the steady leadership President Harrison has given the LCMS that has allowed the LCMS to remain solidly confessional in opposition to the state of most mainline Protestant churches in America. But of course this was hardly done alone, and all of us are eternally grateful for the work of Dr. Cooper, Pastor Wolfmueller and many others.

Young men aren’t all “showing up out of the blue,” they’re getting solid, confessional teaching online via YouTube & podcasts from faithful men like @DrJordanBCooper and @bwolfmueller I don’t think Harrison can take much credit for this, but it’s interesting that he’s trying

@upandadam50 Praise God. Amazing to hear.

@TheLuthInn I can not speak as to how things nationally are going. However, the rural LCMS church I attend was down to about 70 attending per week 10 years ago. We are currently at around 130 to 150 per week. Many converts.

The LCMS under President Harrison has maintained one of the highest convert to cradle ratios in American Christianity, with 1 in 3 LCMS members being converts. This number is substantially higher than that of both Baptists and Roman Catholics.

@SlowpokeCon Silence papist. The real Catholics are speaking.

@TheLuthInn Ummm... You guys have decreased by about 1,000,000 members since the year 2000. That's a loss of over a third of your total membership in just 25 years.

@phifer_phillip President Harrison mentioned this figure directly in his speech yesterday. This figure is also substantiated in numerous sources which you can find available online.

@TheLuthInn Where are you getting these numbers

@KonigDFB We might have to make a post on this.

You may be familiar with provincial, rural Catholicism, but are you acquainted with rural Lutheranism?

@vedabenerabilis This is a good point and sloppy wording on our part. Thank you for pointing this out!

“Became Lutheran” is a tricky turn of phrase. The self-understanding of the Augsburg Confession (and of the churches that subscribe to it) is that they are the continuation of the western Catholic Church, purged of its errors, and that Rome is the one who schismed by refusing to be reformed by the Gospel. Another turn of phrase might be “adopted/joined the Reformation,” reflecting the way that it turned away from error and returned to the true faith, but without the disjunctive/schismatic implications contained in “became Lutheran” (i.e.: became something entirely different that it was not previously).

Marktkirche in Hanover, Germany. Marktkirche is Hanover's main Lutheran church. Built in the 14th century, it is dedicated to St. James the Elder and St. George. Originally a Roman church, it became Lutheran during the Reformation, and is apart of the Evangelical Church in Germany.

Today is the 100-year dedication anniversary of Concordia Seminary. Concordia is the chief seminary for the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS). Located on a 72-acre campus within Clayton, the seminary was dedicated in 1926, celebrating its 100-year anniversary today.

When the church was destroyed in World War II, only the outside walls survived. For nearly 30 years, local citizens and historians had a massive, fierce argument over how to rebuild it. Modernists wanted a sleek, contemporary interior, while traditionalists wanted to reconstruct the original 18th-century Baroque look. The traditionalists won, and the fully restored, historically accurate white interior finally reopened in 1975.

Ludwigskirche in Saarbrücken, Germany. The Ludwigskirche is the principal Lutheran church of Saarbrücken. Commissioned in the 18th century by Prince William Henry of Nassau-Saarbrücken, it stands as one of Germany's great Protestant Baroque landmarks and belongs today to the Evangelical Church in Germany.

The main altar was carved of wood around 1480. Its front depicts the Passion of Christ in 21 scenes, while its back shows scenes from the lives of the two patron saints, Saint George and Saint James. Moved to the Aegidienkirche in 1663 to make room for a Baroque altar, the altar was taken to the Welfenmuseum in 1856 and thus spared destruction during World War II when the Aegidienkirche was bombed. It was returned to the rebuilt Marktkirche in 1952.

Bethlehem Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Richmond, Virginia. Bethlehem Lutheran Church was founded in 1852, with its chapel being consecrated in 1854. Originally tied to the Virginia Synod, it transferred to the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in 1856. It remains apart of the LCMS today.

Immanuel was organized in 1847, the same year Saxon and other German immigrants founded the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. The congregation started its school the following fall in a corner of a mill on South Main Street, and it has operated continuously to this day.

Immanuel Lutheran Church (LCMS) in St. Charles, Missouri. Immanuel was founded in 1847, with its current church built in 1867. It was dedicated on October 27, 1867, the 350th anniversary of the Reformation. It is a congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

The church was originally intended as a modest chapel for remote forest settlers, but local builders exceeded the permitted size using timber and resources from ten houses and four tenant farms. This led to a formal rebuke from the diocese, but the structure was eventually consecrated as a full Lutheran parish church in 1787.

Pihlajavesi Old Church in Keuruu, Finland. Pihlajavesi Old Church was built from 1780 to 1783 in the traditional Finnish wooden church style. Originally a chapel for remote forest settlers, it was consecrated as a Lutheran church in 1787. Today it serves as a summer church in the Lutheran Diocese of Lapua.