Classification Protestant Theology Confessional Lutheran | Orientation Lutheran Headquarters Buffalo, New York | |
Structure National synod and local congregations Region Primarily in the U.S. states of New York and Wisconsin | ||
The Lutheran Synod of Buffalo, founded in 1845 as the Synod of Lutheran Emigrants from Prussia (German: Synode der aus Preussen ausgewanderten lutherischen Kirche), was commonly known from early in its history as the Buffalo Synod. The synod resulted from the efforts of pastor J. A. A. Grabau and members of his Erfurt and other congregations to escape the forced union of Lutheran and Reformed churches in Prussia by immigrating, in 1839, to New York City and Buffalo, New York, and to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with Grabau and the largest group settling in Buffalo. Internal disputes regarding theology and practice led to a major schism in the 1880s. In 1930 it merged with the Ohio Synod and the Iowa Synod to form the first instance of the American Lutheran Church (ALC). The latter body, after further mergers, became part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 1988.
In 1929, just before its merger into the ALC, the Buffalo Synod had 45 pastors, 54 congregations, and 7,981 members.