Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference

 

How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! (Psalm 133:1)

Dates and Essayists Selected for the 2026 Convention

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The CELC Planning Committee, in communication with the Lutheran Church of Central Africa—Zambia, has set the dates for the 2026 international convention. God willing, the convention will be held in Lusaka, Zambia, on Friday, May 29, 2026, through Monday, June 1, 2026 (four days). Participants will be encouraged to arrive on Thursday, May 28, and leave on Tuesday, June 2.

The essay topics and essayists have also been selected. God willing, they will be:

  • Exegesis of 1 Corinthians 14 | David Bivens (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod – USA)
  • Baptism | David Kamwata (Lutheran Church of Central Africa – Zambia)
  • Formula of Concord V: Law and Gospel | Kalyan Gollapalli (Lutheran Mission of Salvation – India)
  • Pietism | Holger Weiss (Evangelical Lutheran Free Church – Germany)
  • The Strategy and Success of Academia Cristo | Henry Herrera (Iglesia Cristo WELS Internacional – Colombia)

We invite you to begin making plans for this convention. Each CELC member church is encouraged to send two voting delegates. It would be wonderful if most, if not all, 34 CELC member churches would be represented at this convention, the first to be held in Africa.

More information will be shared as it is available in 2025. If you have immediate questions or concerns, please email the CELC President at president@celc.info. We on the Planning Committee are eagerly looking forward to being together again and enjoying the hospitality of the LCCA in Zambia.

Submitted by the CELC Planning Committee

The Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference

The Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference is a worldwide fellowship of Lutheran church bodies, committed to the teachings of the Lutheran Church found in the Book of Concord of 1580. Established in 1993 with thirteen churches, the CELC has grown by God’s grace to include thirty-four church bodies today.

Every three years, representatives from CELC churches gather for fellowship and theological study at an international convention. Regional meetings are held in alternate years. These gatherings provide spiritual encouragement for confessional Lutherans who often find themselves quite isolated. Visitors are always welcome at these gatherings

Joint work of the CELC includes the writing of The Eternal Word: A Lutheran Confession for the Twenty-First Century, which testifies to the unity of doctrine enjoyed by CELC churches. The CELC also has a commission to help coordinate and improve theological training in CELC churches.

Speaking about the heart and core of the CELC, former President Gaylin Schmeling wrote:  “The CELC stands ready to give answer to the confident hope of salvation in Christ that is within us. It is a refuge for those seeking confessional homes and a beacon shining the light of the Gospel in a sin-darkened world. Here the central truth of the Reformation, justification by faith alone, continues to be proclaimed. We are declared righteous by nothing we do or accomplish, but alone on the basis of Christ’s redemptive work which is counted as ours through faith in the Savior. He accomplished salvation for all on the cross and announced it to all by His resurrection, declaring the whole world righteous in Christ. This treasure is brought to us personally through the means of grace and is received by faith alone in the Savior which is worked through those very means of grace.”

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