History of the Lutheran Student Association of America (1921-1968)

In 1921 a strong interest emerged among Lutheran student groups and individuals to hold a national meeting, an effort to move the Lutheran church bodies into greater cooperation and greater unity. The Lutheran Student Association of America (LSAA) began in 1922 after gathering 39 students from 26 campuses in Toledo, Ohio, thanks to a grant from Lutheran Brotherhood of America. Fredrik Schiotz was elected the first president of the LSAA, later becoming president of the American Lutheran Church (ALC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). On the historical formation of the LSAA, Schiotz commented, "These students knew what they wanted. Rather than student centers they chose an intersynodical national fellowship of students." Membership was open to all Lutheran students.

This new fellowship was then recognized as the student organization of the American Lutheran Church (ALC) and the Lutheran Church in America (LCA). Though specifically recognized by these church bodies, the LSAA aimed to be a pan-Lutheran association, a move dissented by various church leaders.

The LSAA's first constituting convention took place at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, April 1923. The convention adopted a constitution designating the LSAA as an independent student organization. The students of this early convention and its national expression distributed resources on Bible study, global issues, social issues, and other student matters. LSAA held conventions every year except between 1927 to 1936 because of the Great Depression.

Conventions resumed in 1937 under the name Ashram, a Hindi word meaning "corporate spiritual quest." These conventions were usually held in the summer. Business meetings, also called plenary sessions, became a popular vessel for students to take time for "inspiration, study, and reflection." LSAA became involved in more global affairs by working with worldwide organizations such as the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF); in 1939 LSAA became the first U.S. denominational student group to join WSCF. In 1949, Ashram attendance hit an all time high of 950 students. In 1954, the constitution was expanded to include all students not only Lutheran students. In 1968, the LSAA held its last Ashram.

History of Gamma Delta (1928-1968)

In 1964, LSAA held its first joint conference with Gamma Delta. The history of Gamma Delta, the fraternal expression of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), is less well known. The organization's full name was Gamma Delta, International Association of Lutheran Students. Gamma Delta was founded in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois, by Walter Arthur Maier. The Greek letters gamma and delta stand for gnosis ("knowledge") and diakonia ("service"). These terms reflected the origin of the association; succeeding the Student District of the Walther League (with its program of Christian knowledge and service), which had been formed 1928. Gamma Delta's goals were:

1. to foster thorough study of the Bible and to disseminate the Scriptural philosophy of life;
2. to train Lutheran students for Christian service to God and their fellow men;
3. to increase Lutheran consciousness on the campus; and
4. to increase local and intercampus fellowship among students of our faith.

Unlike LSAA, Gamma Delta was more decentralized, placing emphasis on chapter and regional activities. At the formation of LSM-USA in 1969, Gamma Delta chapters were asked to disband their local groups in support of the new movement. However, five of the fifteen regions voted against disbanding. Some chapters later became Beta Sigma Psi chapters, another fraternity LCMS had started in 1925. Gamma Delta as a national organization now no longer exists.

Formation and Early Years of the Lutheran Student Movement in the United States of America (1969-1987)

LSM-USA was voted into existence by former members of the LSAA and Gamma Delta at the 1969 national gathering in Fort Collins, Colorado. The new Lutheran student group consisted of members from the LSAA and Gamma Delta. The new movement of students, in keeping with the tradition of the LSAA, made pan-Lutheran identity a primary focus. Despite opposition from the previously mentioned Gamma Delta regions, 39 of 109 students present identified with the LCMS.

The concept of organization was set aside in favor of a movement model that was more reflective of representation, rather than concentrated power. Prior to the formation of LSM-USA, Kent Knutson, later president of the ALC, identified two characteristics of a student Christian movement: the first, an "autonomous nature of a student Christian movement," not necessarily a "declaration of independence" but one that gave the group "creative freedom"; the second "open membership." He further writes, "The movement must welcome not only those students who are able to make a full declaration of faith but also those students who are searching to 'discover the full implications of such a declaration.'"

Keeping with the Ashram tradition, LSM-USA held annual national gatherings. Sue Rothmeyer, Director for Campus Ministry (ELCA), describes a unique excitement present these gatherings: "Plenary debate and legislation at the annual assemblies assumed an important role, perhaps reflecting the call of the 70s for a student voice in the church as well as academia." Leadership training, including "leadership development workshops," emerged as a primary component of these gatherings in the late 70s. Leadership training expanded outside of the yearly conferences to regional and local retreats and workshops.

In the 1981 assembly evaluations, worship was indicated to be the "single most important ingredient" of the national assemblies. Rothmeyer marks 1985 as a "memorable year" for LSM-USA because of the revision and publishing of LSM-USA's own worship liturgy, OREMUS II, and the election of its first African-American president, Kerry Riley. Shortly after in 1987, the national conference was moved from August to December to better fit students' schedules.

In 1987, on the eve of the birth of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the movement's hopes for Lutheran unity Kurt A. Reichardt, National Advisor to LSM-USA, reflected on LSM-USA's contribution to Lutheran unity throughout its history:

Unlike LSAA or Gamma Delta, there is no local chapter organization for LSM. Rather, the movement has drawn on the Lutheran campus ministry organization itself. Individuals affiliate with LSM even if there is no Lutheran campus ministry at their university...In this way, LSM "membership" predates the new Lutheran church designation for membership as "all of the baptized."

The Lutheran Student Movement has been a worthy successor to LSAA in this unbroken line of an autonomous student movement that stretches 66 years into the new Lutheran church. The student movement continues to provide vital future leadership for the church... One could almost say that, "if a student movement didn't exist for the new church, we would need to invent it."

The movement did continue as a partner in ministry to the emerging new Lutheran church body, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and its campus ministry.

History of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (1906-1987)

Prior to inception of the LSAA, Lutheranism in the United States was primarily reflected in the immigrant traditions: the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America (NLCA) and the (German) United Lutheran Church in America (ULCA). In response to the onset of World War I and the drafting of servicemen, the National Lutheran Commission and Lutheran Brotherhood were formed. The ELCA historical record states:

The various Lutheran churches continued to work together closely, but were limited to soldiers' and sailors' welfare efforts. There was a growing need to provide missionaries to America's expanding industrial centers and to render aid to Lutherans in Europe, and by September 1918 the National Lutheran Council (NLC) was formed to meet those needs. Representation on the council was proportionate, based on membership figures of participating church bodies.

The NLC focused on overseas relief but after the onset of World War II, focused more on domestic programs.

The (German) American Lutheran Church (ALC) formed in 1930 after the merger of three German-based church bodies. The ALC had become a member of the NLC, along with the ULCA. Despite resistance to mergers in the 1950s, church bodies search for commonalities with each other and found ways to be in "essential agreement.": In the 1960s the American Lutheran Church (German), United Evangelical Lutheran Church (Danish) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church (Norwegian) and the Lutheran Free Church (Norwegian) merged to form a new non-ethnic based church body keeping the name, the American Lutheran Church (ALC). The Lutheran Church in America (LCA) was formed in 1962 out of the ULCA (German, Slovak and Icelandic), the Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church (Swedish), Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church, and American Evangelical Lutheran Church (Danish). In 1967 the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) joined the Lutheran Council in the USA (LCUSA), previously formed from members of the NLC and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).

A new Lutheran church body emerged in the 1970s as another predecessor to the ELCA. In 1974, an LCMS synodical president challenged the historical criticism of the Bible studied by professors and students of Concordia Seminary (LCMS) in St. Louis, Missouri. Concordia's president, as well as many seminarians and faculty members, were suspended and left Concordia to start a "seminary in exile," otherwise known as "Seminex." In 1976, as a result of the Seminex movement, approximately 300 congregations and 110,000 people created a new church body separate from LCMS called the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC). This new group began with the goal of promoting unity with the ALC and LCA. In 1977, Lutheran unity looked even more bleak as the LCMS officially declared itself to be in a state of "protesting fellowship" with the American Lutheran Church (ALC), with which it has been in fellowship since 1969. The ALC at that time was the only church body with which the LCMS had been in fellowship.

Over the next ten years, resolutions were passed and studies conducted to form a new Lutheran church. The LCMS, however, remained opposed to future mergers with the three remaining large church bodies: (1) the ALC, (2) the LCA, and (3) the AELC. Despite the LCMS' lack of commitment to the merger, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) was finally born at its constituting convention on April 30-May 3, 1987, in Columbus, Ohio.

History of Lutheran Campus Ministry (1906-Present)

Lutheran Campus Ministry (LCM) formally began in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1906 when a group of Lutheran students joined together to form an official Lutheran congregation. In 1907, the first campus pastor was called to begin work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After 1907, LCMs began to emerge across the U.S., and church bodies began to provide staff persons to serve at different university and college sites.

It was after WWII that campus ministry also took a new turn. Foundations to receive monies, pay staff wages, and secure facilities were established. To serve as a "home away from home," large houses on the edge of campus were purchased, and in some cases religious student centers were built.

After the formation of the ELCA, campus ministry was placed under the Division for Education (later the Division of Higher Education and Schools) in the churchwide expression. Lutheran Campus Ministry became, for the first time in its history, the mission outreach of one single Lutheran church body. The future of inter-Lutheran agencies and cooperative understandings between Lutheran bodies appeared to be an outdated model. For Lutheran Campus Ministry, however, new cooperative agreements with other church bodies (primary Episcopalians) enabled the continuation of campus ministry for the future.