Some of the clergy of the Salvadoran Lutheran Church
Lutheran Church of El Salvador
Some of the clergy of the Salvadoran Lutheran Church
The Lutheran Synod of El Salvador is a young church, but it has already emerged as a leading voice for the protection of the poor, the oppressed, those suffering injustice, children at risk and women. Under the direction of Bishop Medardo Gomez, the church lives out the Biblical mandate to care for all of God's children.
The first Lutheran congregation in El Salvador was founded in 1952 by a Lutheran minister from Wisconsin. Current statistics indicate a baptized membership of just over 62,000 in 130 congregations and preaching stations and a national staff of 200 pastors, evangelists, teachers and lay preachers. The church operates health care ministries with five dispensaries, kindergartens and primary schools. The Lutheran Church in El Salvador also focuses on leadership training, programs of agricultural assistance, and aid to the poor and displaced.
During the civil war from 1982 to 1992, the church operated refugee camps and sought to protect the common people caught between the warring forces on the right and the left. Bishop Gomez was himself detained and tortured by right wing forces and was temporarily forced to flee the country. Today the church continues to work to restore the lives of the people still suffering the effects of the years of war and terror.
The Lutheran church has also been at the forefront of efforts to deal with recent natural disasters such as Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and the devastating earthquakes in January and February 2001.
Learn more:
External Links:
The Salvadoran Lutheran Synod -- information from the web site of the ELCA
Salvadoran Synod Pastoral Support Endowment Fund -- the Salvadoran church is in desperate need for a stable source of funds to pay the salaries of its pastors and lay ministers. The endowment fund is designed to help meet this need. Please contribute.
Sister Parish Program Brochure
InterChurch Committee on Human Rights in Latin America -- El Salvador Page
La obra del buen samaritano (The work of the good samaritan) -- an article about the ministries of the Salvadoran Lutheran church in the poorest neighborhoods of San Salvador (in Spanish).
Grand Jubilee of the Children 2000
For a millennium without violence towards the boys and girls of El Salvador
"Let the children come unto me, because theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven" (Mark 19:14)
Salvadoran Lutheran Church
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