(As of 2005) Reformation Lutheran Church is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the largest denomination of Lutherans in the US, with nearly 5 million members. The presiding Bishop is Reverend Mark S. Hanson, and the headquarters are in Chicago. The ELCA, in addition to its over 10,000 congregations, supports 8 seminaries (including the Mt. Airy Seminary); 29 colleges; the largest social service network of any church denomination in the US; and more than 400 missionaries involved in evangelism, witness, justice, service, relief, and development programs in 45 countries of the world.

Around the world, Lutherans are the largest Protestant denomination, with large numbers of members in Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, the US, Tanzania, Nigeria, Namibia, and Indonesia.

The ELCA is divided into 65 Synods; Reformation belongs to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, which includes 180 churches in the five-county (Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Philadelphia) region. Our Bishop is Roy Almquist. He has four assistants: Janet Corpus and Susan Ericsson (both are members of Reformation), Lawrence Hand, and Richard Stephens.  The Synod is governed by a Council, with elected representatives. The Synod's Vice President is Reformation's Patricia Robinson. Reformation is a member of the North West Philadelphia/Olney conference (a division of the Synod).

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod has a network of social service agencies, including retirement and nursing homes: Artman in Ambler; Paul's Run on Bustleton Avenue; Mary J. Drexel in Bala Cynwyd; Lutheran Knolls in Boothwyn; Ken Crest Centers (mental retardation facilities); Lutheran Children and Family Service; Silver Springs Martin Luther School (children from this facility attend church at Reformation); and, the Lutheran Social Mission Society (with a settlement house in Frankford). These efforts are supported annually through the Lutheran Charities appeal.

There is a national African American Lutheran Association with a Philadelphia Chapter. It provides networking and activities for persons interested in the Lutheran ministry among African Americans.

Reformation is part of a large family which extends around the world.

ELCA FACTS (2005)

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America resulted from a union of three North American Lutheran church bodies: The American Lutheran Church, the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches and the Lutheran Church in America.

The three churches agreed to unite in 1982. They formed a 70-member Commission for a New Lutheran Church, which planned the merger. The plan was approved by church conventions in 1986, and the ELCA constituting convention was held April 30-May 3, 1987, with the church actually beginning operations on January 1, 1988.

The ELCA meets in assembly every two years; at its 2001 Churchwide Assembly it elected its third bishop, The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, who will be eligible for re-election at the 2007 Churchwide Assembly.

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MEMBERS: Baptized Members: 5,038,006 (down 61,871 from previous year) Communing and Contributing Members: 2,394,585 Members of Color or Whose Primary Language is Other Than English: 128,135 (2.6 percent) Included are African-Americans, 53,564; Latinos, 39,249; Asians and Pacific Islanders, 22,898; American Indian and Alaska Native People, 7,273; other, 15,151 Average Worship Attendance Each Week: 1,537,043 (30.5 percent). Congregations: 10,721 Synods: 65 in nine geographic regions

LEADERS: Clergy: 17,703 (2,760 female; 494 people of color) Associates in Ministry: 1,193 (955 female, 238 male; 15 people of color) Diaconal Ministers: 72 Deaconesses: 67 Missionaries: approx. 300 adult missionaries, of which some 78 self-funded volunteers, serving in over 50 countries Campus Pastors and Ministries: 195 campus ministry sites supported by synod and/or churchwide funds Federal Chaplains: Approximately 800 (125 active duty armed forces, 180 reservists, 390 retired military, 50 Veterans Affairs, 44 Civil Air Patrol, 7 Federal Bureau of Prisons). Chaplaincy, Counseling and Clinical Education: Approximately 800 ordained and lay rostered people serving in 12 specialized ministries such as correctional, health care, CPE, substance abuse, police, etc.

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