The Christian Church, the Lutheran Reformation and the IELB
The word “church” comes from the Greek word “ekklesia” which means an assembly convened for a special purpose, in principle, a political purpose, but secondarily a religious purpose. So, the Christian Church is the collection of all who were called by God and have gathered together because of Christ. It is, therefore, a union, a communion of believers in Christ, of those who, through faith in him, have been “incorporated” into the Kingdom of God, the family of God, the Church of God. One should distinguish between the “hidden church” (that is, exactly this universal communion as described above) and the “visible church” (which are human organizations).
The beginning of the Christian Church
The beginning of the Christian Church took place when Christ was still visibly here on earth with his first followers (disciples).
Just before his ascent into heaven, he gave is followers the great task of spreading his saving message (=his work) to all the corners of the earth. It was—and is—his will hat all come to believe in him so that they may receive forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life.
At the event of his ascension, about 500 believers were gathered together. A little later, on the day of Pentecost, about 3,000 were added to the Church (Acts 2). Following this, more than 5,000 (Acts 4).
Faithful Christians, the disciples of Christ, took the missionary mandate seriously, to such an extent that in a few decades, there were already Christians spread throughout various regions of Africa, Asia Minor, and Europe. The most notable missionary of this period was the Apostle Paul.
The Development
Christian faithful always took the lead ad the Gospel of Christ was brought to and accepted by many people. In spite of persecutions and the martyrdom of many for their faith, Christianity flowered in many places.
But as the years passed and the church grew, many problems also arose, normally from false or self-interested Christians. Problems arose regarding structural ordering of the church, its policies, and especially, its doctrine. So, through the centuries, various doctrinal deviations entered into the teachings of the church, as it departed from the true Gospel of Christ.
Faithful Christians made various attempts to bring the Church back to the teaching of Christ. Among them were Augustine, Peter Waldo, John Wycliffe, and John Hus. But few succeeded. The errors and the self-interest persisted. It seemed that they just grew more and more.
The Reformation
The situation was at a critical point when a German appeared: Martin Luther. Concerned to be a faithful Christian, Luther soon saw there were two basic problems. The first: he could not find peace through the (false) teaching of salvation by good works. He tried very hard but he could not feel accepted by God. Only then he discovered that the Bible says the exact opposite: “The just will live by faith” (Rom. 1:17). That is, it is sufficient to believe in Christ to be saved and acceptable to God.
The second problem: the Church was practicing a commercial business for the forgiveness of sins. It was saying that through the payment of specific amounts of money the faithful could have their punishments reduced in purgatory. This procedure turned into a lucrative business for the greedy pockets of the Pope and the bishops, who managed to live in growing luxury and power.
Ever based in the Bible, Luther intended to change this decadent and degrading situation. Through various measures, he attempted to bring the church back to following and teaching what the Word of God says. But the greed and accumulation of wealth and power were not easy to overcome. And, attempting to maintain everything as it was, the Roman Church tried to silence Luther by every means possible, although all their attempts were frustrated. The resolute Luther would not yield. He knew he was right. His source was the Bible.
What many feared finally happened in 1521: Luther was expelled from the Roman Church and labeled a heretic.
In truth, Luther did not want this break, but only to restore the promulgation of the pure Word of God. But as the Bible says, “One must obey God rather than men.”
In a short time, the number of followers of Luther increased considerably, including princes, ex-priests and nuns, professors, farmers, people spread across various regions of Germany and, soon, across various countries. This was the definitive birth of the Lutheran Church.
The Lutheran Confessions
In addition to the Apostolic, Nicene and Athanasian Creeds, the Lutheran Church has other confessions written by Luther and his coworkers. These Confessions show what the Lutheran Church teaches in accordance with the Bible. The Confessions are:
The Augsburg Confession (1530), The Apology of the Augsburg Confession (1530), The Smalcald Articles (1537), The Large and Small Catechisms (1529), The Formula of Concord (1577). All these confessions were gathered into one book published in 1580 under the name of “The Book of Concord.”
The Lutheran Church of North America
The growth of the Lutheran Church in the years after the Reformation period was considerable. Between the 16th and 17th centuries, Lutheranism was already present in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, etc.
In the middle of the 19th century (around 1840), a group of German immigrants from Saxony went to North America. As Lutherans, they soon founded a church in the new land. Thus, in 1847 the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod was organized, naming itself after the state of Missouri in the United States where these immigrants arrived in the United States.
This church grew rapidly and soon began missionary activities in other countries: Canada, Mexico, India, Korea, Japan, Nigeria, Brazil, etc.
Lutherans in Brazil
At the end of the 19th century it was common knowledge there were many Lutherans among the German immigrants and their descendants. They needed spiritual care. From 1860 until the end of the century, about 70 German pastors were sent to Brazil, especially to the southernmost region, Rio Grande do Sul. Most of these pastors came from the United Evangelical Church of Germany (a union of Lutheran and Reformed churches).
In 1886 the Riograndense Synod was formed, today’s Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil, having approximately 700,000 baptized members.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil (IELB)
The Missouri Synod sent a pastor to Brazil in 1900, Rev. Broders—to investigate the possibility of missionary activity. He began the work in the area of São Pedro, the city of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul. With the work approved, other missionaries soon arrived. On June 24, 1904, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil (IELB) was founded in today’s city of São Pedro do Sul, 30 kilometers from Sta. Maria, RS.
The IELB developed and increased its activities through all the states of Brazil. Today (2001), it has about 220 thousand baptized members. In addition, the IELB began mission in Paraguai (today a sister-church) and in Portugal (where the mission is still maintained).
IELB's origins - 2
