The CLC is a representative and enabling body for Lutheran member churches in Great Britain, united in bearing witness to all of God’s grace as revealed through Jesus Christ.
Founded in 1948 after World War II, the Council was established to unite and support isolated Lutheran refugee clergy. Through mutual encouragement, coordination, and shared resources, it worked to strengthen and expand the ministry, particularly among exiled Lutherans scattered across UK camps. Over the decades, the CLC has been involved in youth ministry, providing accommodation for pastors, publishing news and theological essays, running a guesthouse and retreat centre, supporting student chaplaincy, owning student housing in London, and engaging in theological education and ecumenical activities.
1. External focus: Represent our members and share their voice with the wider community.
2. Ecumenical focus: Work alongside similar groups and organisations to build connections and cooperation.
3. Internal focus: Provide support, training, and services for our members, including helping with chaplaincy work in our churches.
To enable Lutherans to follow God’s calling in Britain by living the Gospel and serving our neighbour.
We help our churches create a welcoming community and provide practical resources for their ministry. We support Lutherans in the UK to be more visible and have a strong voice on social issues. By working together with churches and communities, we encourage dialogue and unity.
Our mission is based on our 3 priority areas.
We will enable our member churches to:
a) Share the Gospel through proclamation, liturgy and diaconia.
b) Support a culture of ‘home away from home’ i.e. Danes meeting other Danes away from Denmark.
c) Support people who no longer feel at home in the UK (or those whose transient status makes them feel vulnerable) to enable them to flourish.
d) Reach out to new communities and respond to the needs in society.
We will directly empower our churches and their pastors through:
e) Provision of grants, especially for clergy whose ‘sending bodies’ are unable to provide adequate resources.
f) Provision of / signposting to, administrative services and policy guidance (where required in order to achieve/maintain legal compliance and best-practice and the church/pastor is unable to source or fund). To include:
- Governance
- HR
- Visas and immigration
- Safeguarding
- Business planning
- Accountancy
- Facilities and buildings management
- Legal advice
g) Providing certification and quality control of policy and operational practice on legal compliance topics, as a requirement of membership of the Council.
h) Providing training and workshops for employees of member churches, to enable them to start strongly and flourish in the longer term.
i) Creating opportunities for clergy & lay people to meet to reflect on spiritual and theological issues.
j) Provision of peripatetic pastors/chaplains where needed.
k) Encouraging Diaconal work and building lay leadership capability.
l) Sharing information with member churches
m) Co-ordinatingandsupportingchaplaincy.Wewillenablememberchurchestoreachoutto young people with Christian ministry by:
- Developing and maintaining a national plan for student chaplaincy
- Activity co-ordination
- Provision of central resources and materials
- Thought leadership.
We will engage in outward focussed activity that will:
a) Amplify Lutheran voices – enabling the Council to speak out on key social issues, representing our unique international position in the UK.
b) Celebrate the Lutheran identity and celebrate our diversity.
c) Act as a public voice of Lutheranism in the UK.
d) Use effective communication channels and methods to make Lutherans in the UK visible.
e) Organise public conferences, seminars and cultural events.
f) Arrange roundtable ‘table-talk’ seminars, informed by our public talks.
g) Create a culture of effective safeguarding and provide ‘thought-leader’ level support and advice.
h) Develop or support Lutheran missions, chaplaincies and diaconal work where needed and able.
We will co-operate and seek fellowship with others through:
a) Provision of a strong Lutheran voice in the UK ecumenical environment.
b) Constructing a bold vision for wider ecumenism.
c) Providing brokerage and building links between faith communities in the UK and worldwide.
d) Provide a link between our Churches so our congregations can worship more ecumenically.
e) Enabling networking with other Lutherans and other denominations in UK.
f) Joint public affairs work with other faith communities and organisations.