Evangelical Lutheran Church of Argentina
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| Evangelical Lutheran Church of Argentina | |
|---|---|
| Iglesia Evangélica Luterana Argentina | |
| Abbreviation | IELA |
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Lutheran |
| Theology | Confessional Lutheran |
| President | Rev. Arturo Truenow |
| Region | Argentina |
| Headquarters | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Origin | 1986 |
| Branched from | Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod |
| Congregations | 231 |
| Members | 27,890 baptized 20,631 confirmed[1] |
| Ministers | 73 |
| Official website | iela |
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Argentina (Spanish: Iglesia Evangélica Luterana Argentina, IELA) is a conservative, confessional Lutheran synod that holds to the Book of Concord. It has about 27.890 members. The IELA is a member of the International Lutheran Council.
The IELA had its beginnings in November 1905 in Aldea San Juan, Entre Ríos Province in northeastern Argentina, when missionaries from the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) began mission work among the Russian-German immigrants there. In the 1920s, additional work was undertaken in Chaco Province among Russian-German immigrants from the Volga region of Russia.[2]
The work in Argentina was originally part of the Brazilian District of the LCMS, which later became the independent Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil. The congregations in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Chile were placed in a new Argentine District in 1926/1927. The IELA became an independent church body in 1986.[3]