«The heart overflows with joy, jumps and dances for the joy it has found in God. In this experience the Holy Spirit is active and has taught us in an instant the profound secret of joy. You will have as much joy and laughter in life as you will have faith in God.” These are the words of Martin Luther, the man who founded the Lutheran Church which soon led to the creation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. The Church was officially incorporated on January 1, 1988, and was a combination of three branches of the Lutheran religion: the American Lutheran Church, the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, and the Lutheran Church in America. As of 2012, the ELCA had 3,950,924 baptized members. Today it is the seventh largest religious body and the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States. Luther, born in 1483, was a German monk and priest of the Catholic Church. While working in the Church, he saw many problems and became determined to solve them. At the time, the Catholic Church sold indulgences, which are grants of remission of temporal punishment in purgatory. This was one of Luther's major tribulations with the Church and he sought to reform the issue. Luther did this by writing 95 points in which he exposed the problems he saw in the Church. He then took and nailed these points, which later became known as the 95 theses, to the door of Wittenburg Castle Church. Luther was subsequently excommunicated by Pope Leo However, Luther continued his reform which became known as Lutheranism. These beliefs began to spread from Germany and soon reached the United States, where the ELCA was born. June 25, 1520 was the day the Lutheran beliefs were formed...... middle of paper ..... . and teachings, are accepted as brothers in Christ. The ELCA's differences are simply alterations of the teachings of the Catholic Church. Looking at the foundations of each church, it is clear that both are Christian religions that share the same core beliefs. Works Cited “Christians Respond to ELCA Actions, Beliefs, and Policies.” ELCA Today. Np, nd Web. April 30, 2014. <>."ELCA." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, April 18, 2014. Web. April 30, 2014. <>."Exposing the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America." Expose the ELCA. Np, nd Web. April 30, 2014. <>."Home - Evangelical Lutheran Church in America." Home - Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Np, nd Web. 30 April 2014. <>.The editors of the Encyclopædia Britannica. “Augsburg Confession (Lutheran Confession).” Encyclopedia Britannica online. Encyclopedia Britannica, nd Web. 30 April. 2014. <>.