 | ||
Similar Augustana Catholic Church, Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church, Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America | ||
The American Evangelical Lutheran Church (AELC) was one of the many denominations formed when Lutherans immigrated to America. Originally known as the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (DELCA), the predominantly Danish-American church was informally known as "the Danish Church."
In 1872 Grundtvigian pastors and lay people from Denmark formed a Church Mission Society. The Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in America was started in 1874 and formally organized as a synod in Neenah, Wisconsin, in 1878. The church's official founder was Adam Dan, the grandfather of American historian Henry Steele Commager. A constitution was accepted in 1879, and the present name was adopted in 1954. In 1962 the AELC–with about 24,000 members–joined the Lutheran Church in America.
The AELC established Grand View College and Seminary in 1896.