United Kingdom

Lutheran Church in Great Britain

Who is the Lutheran Church in Great Britain and what are its ministries?

The Lutheran Church in Great Britain (LCIGB), a member of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), consists of Lutheran congregations using English for worship. Given the international character of London and Great Britain, there have always been Lutheran congregations worshipping in the United Kingdom since the 16th century. Many of these congregations worshipped in the language of its congregants’ homeland, which remains true to this day, too.

There are many Lutheran Churches in Britain. The LCIGB along with Lutherans of other language traditions in Britain are part of the Lutheran Council of Great Britain. Together the LCiGB and the churches of the Lutheran Council of Great Britain strive to proclaim the gospel of Christ faithfully in word and sacrament in the communities that they serve.

Young adults participate in the UK-based ecumenical program, Time for God, in conjunction with the ELCA's Young Adults in Global Mission program, that places ELCA participants throughout England and Scotland.

This relationship is deepened and extended by the LCIGB's relationship, through the ELCA's Companion Synods program, with the ELCA Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod.

United Kingdom: the context in which the Lutheran Church in Great Britain serves

The country is officially known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and is a constitutional monarchy. Over 60 million people live in the United Kingdom. The predominant language is English, with small numbers speaking Welsh and Scottish Gaelic. The population of the United Kingdom is made up of four constituent countries: England, which contains 84% of the population; Scotland (9%); Wales (5%); and Northern Ireland (3%). Religions practiced include: Christian (72% - Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist); Muslim (3%); and Hindu (1%).

The UK is one of the world's great trading powers and financial centers. Its economy ranks among the four largest in Western Europe. Government efforts to reduce public ownership and contain the growth of social welfare have been successful. Agriculture accounts for nearly 60% of food needs and employs less than 1% of the labor force. The economy is doing well. Meantime, the government has been speeding up the improvement of education, transport, and health services, at a cost in higher taxes and a widening public deficit. Some of the main environmental concerns facing Britons are the contribution of sulfur dioxide emissions to air pollution and the disposal of solid wastes and recycling. They are moving toward a better-than-Kyoto-Protocol target of a 20% reduction in emissions by 2010, 85% reduction of industrial landfill by 2005; and composting or recycling 33% of home wastes by 2015.