Denominational Profile

History

Augustana Synod (1860)

merged intoLutheran Church in America (1962)

The Augustana Synod originated in 1851 when the Synod of Illinois was established by Lutheran immigrants in the Midwest. Around 1860 the Swedish and Norwegian elements in the Illinois Synod withdrew and formed the Scandinavian Augustana Synod.

Membership Data

Year	Clergy	Churches	Members
1925	792	1,204	215,705
1929	805	1,185	228,818
1935	846	1,163	333,367
1939	-	1,189	340,171
1941	-	1,126	352,571
1943	-	1,123	373,163
1946	-	1,121	408,565
1947	-	1,121	408,565
1949	982	1,136	440,244
1951	982	1,121	465,062
1952	1,033	1,131	479,510
1953	1,049	1,196	493,085
1954	1,127	1,158	510,116
1955	1,157	1,169	529,602
1956	1,196	1,177	549,604
1957	1,231	1,242	576,189
1958	1,275	1,186	582,560
1959	1,296	1,200	596,147
1960	1,333	1,207	608,289
1961	1,353	1,219	619,040

Data were taken from the National Council of Churches' Historic Archive CD and recent editions of the Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. Denomination descriptions provided by Dr. J. Gordon Melton, Director, Institute for the Study of American Religion (ISAR). [More information on data sources]