Evangelical Synod of North America
Encyclopedia : E : EV : EVA : Evangelical Synod of North America
The Evangelical Synod of North America (originally known as the German Evangelical Synod of North America) was a denominational body of Protestant churches in the United States existing from the mid-1800s until its 1934 merger with the Reformed Church in the United States to form the Evangelical and Reformed Church. (The Evangelical and Reformed Church united in 1957 with the Congregational Christian Churches to form the United Church of Christ.) Centered in the Midwest, the denomination was a group of German Protestant congregations of mixed Lutheran and Reformed heritage, reflecting the 1817 union of those traditions in Prussia (and subsequently in other areas of Germany). This union, both in Germany and in the United States, was deeply influenced by Pietism.
The denomination accepted both the Reformed Heidelberg Catechism and the Lutheran Luther's Small Catechism as its confessional documents. They eventually developed their own Evangelical Catechism, reflecting their "united" faith.
The denomination established Eden Theological Seminary for the training of its clergy; today, Eden remains a seminary of the United Church of Christ.
History
Notable People and Congregations
The oldest Evangelical Synod congregation is believed to be Bethlehem Church in Ann Arbor, Michigan, founded in 1833.The oldest Lutheran church in Chicago, Illinois was an Evangelical Synod congregation. The "Deutsche Evangelische Lutherische Sanct Paulus Geminde" (German Evangelical Lutheran St. Pauls Congregation) was founded in 1843 and now known as St. Pauls United Church of Christ. ("St. Pauls" is properly spelled without the apostrophe, reflecting its German heritage--there is no apostrophe in the German language.)
Reinhold Niebuhr and H. Richard Niebuhr were both members of the Evangelical Synod and its successors.
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.