A Rich Mix of Lutheran Synods, or district organizations, are to be found the world over, from Angola to Zimbabwe. The Lutheran World Federation, in Geneva, coordinates the majority of activities for most of the Lutheran church bodies in the world. German, Scandinavian, and Dutch Lutherans began immigrating to the American colonies in the late 18th century, and continued steadily until the early 20th century. The largest synod in the United States of America is the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), headquartered in Chicago. Also well known are the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LC-MS) and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS).
But all the varied expressions of Lutheranism find their source in a 16th century German monk, who stood up for what he believed in.
Martin Luther was born into a peasant family in 1483 in Eisleben, Germany. Upon graduating from the University of Erfurt, he entered law school in 1505. After a brush with death in a thunderstorm, he vowed to become a monk, and entered the monastery at Erfurt. Ordained in 1507, he continued his Bible studies, and in 1511 earned a doctorate in theology.
