LVC’s Affiliation with the Lutheran Church
Founded in 1979 as a ministry of Luther Place Memorial Church, and sustained and nurtured by that congregation, Lutheran Volunteer Corps is a Christian ministry steeped in Lutheran traditions and theology, but open to persons of all faith traditions. It is the intent of Lutheran Volunteer Corps to maintain affiliation with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). On this firm foundation Lutheran Volunteer Corps continues to grow and serve the community. (From LVC Bylaw, Section 5)
LVC is the most religiously diverse faith-based volunteer program in the US. Recently about half of LVC Volunteers are Lutheran and the other half come from a variety of other religious and spiritual traditions, and atheism or agnosticism. LVC is also not under the authority of any particular church organization and is governed by an independent, national board of directors (most of whom are Lutheran and some of whom are not).
The Lutheran staff of LVC have prepared a resource to help explain what Lutheranism is and how LVC's core practices are supported by Lutheran theology and practice. Please find the document "About the 'L' in LVC" here. If you need, we've also provided a basic, brief glossary for your reference.
LVC's Support for Volunteers Exploring Spirituality
A significant component weaved throughout the LVC experience is exploring spirituality. One component of this is our participation in the Volunteers Exploring Vocation project of the Fund for Theological Education. But in a broader sense, we also encourage Volunteers to use this year (and beyond!) to explore their own spirituality in the context of community. The Volunteers receive a guide for their monthly spirituality nights containing ideas for activities and conversation together. In this guide is also an explanation for how LVC understands religion, faith and spirituality. Read an excerpt from the Spirituality Night Guide to learn more.
