North American Lutheran Church
| North American Lutheran Church | |
|---|---|
Official logo of the North American Lutheran Church | |
| Abbreviation | NALC |
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Confessional Lutheran (self-described) |
| Scripture | Bible (Old and New Testaments; Apocrypha used liturgically) |
| Theology | Lutheran |
| Polity | Episcopal–congregational |
| Governance | Mixed episcopal oversight and congregational accountability |
| Bishop | Dan Selbo |
| General Secretary | Amy Little |
| Associations | Global Confessional and Missional Lutheran Forum |
| Region | United States, Canada, and Mexico |
| Language | English; Spanish; Chinese; Amharic; Oromo; Korean; German; Arabic |
| Liturgy | Lutheran |
| Headquarters | Bedford, Texas (continental office) |
| Origin | August 27, 2010 Grove City, Ohio, United States |
| Branched from | Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada |
| Congregations | 557 (self-reported, 2025) |
| Members | 125,000 baptized members (self-reported, 2025) |
| Official website | Official website |
| Part of a series on |
| Lutheranism in the United States |
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The North American Lutheran Church (NALC) is a Christian Lutheran denomination in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It was constituted in 2010 amid debates within North American Lutheranism—particularly in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC)—concerning the authority of Scripture (see Sola scriptura), confessional identity, church governance, and questions related to ordination and sexuality.
The NALC has described its theological stance as occupying what it considers the “center” of Lutheranism in North America, with an emphasis on continuity with historic Christian teachings. It has stated an intention to avoid alignment with either liberal or conservative political or ideological categories. The denomination summarizes its mission through four internally articulated values: “Christ Centered,” “Mission Driven,” “Traditionally Grounded,” and “Congregationally Focused.” These reflect the organization’s self-identification and theological priorities.
In denominational reporting for 2025, the NALC stated that it included 557 congregations and approximately 125,000 baptized members. Independent reporting varies by reference year; the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA), drawing on U.S. Religion Census reporting streams, lists 457 congregations in the United States for 2020.