The Lutheran Historical Society of the Mid-Atlantic was formed in 1989 as a reorganization of The Historical Society of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in North America begun in 1952 and of its predecessor organizations, the first of which was founded in 1843.
History of the Lutheran Historical Society of the Mid-Atlantic
The Historical Society of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the United States of North America was first organized in 1843 by Dr. Samuel Simon Schmucker, the first professor of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, Pa. Thus began a collection of significant early Lutheran works from both Europe and America which is presently housed at the Seminary. During the 1950s, the Society became inactive and was declared defunct by the United Lutheran Church in America, the body to which it reported regularly.
In the fall of 1988 interest in the Society surfaced again and a group of 20 persons met to reactivate the organization. That was accomplished during the following year by 48 persons who signed in as Charter Members from among the 57 who attended its first meeting. The group took the name The Lutheran Historical Society, Gettysburg as the successor to the previous Society. Recently the name has changed to the Lutheran Historical Society of the Mid-Atlantic.
LHS/MA’s Purpose
The mission of the Lutheran Historical Society of the Mid-Atlantic is to preserve, to document, and to stir interest in the rich Lutheran traditions which are the foundation of the church. Specifically, the Society intends to foster knowledge and use of Lutheran history in the synods and congregations and among individuals.
The Society carries out its mission by:
- Encouraging the collection and preservation of archival materials;
- Stimulating interest in synodical and congregational history;
- Assisting scholarly research;
- Publishing a newsletter; and
- Maintaining communication with others active in the field of Lutheran church history.