Can someone tell me about the LCMC?

Korah said:

The ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), the most liberal Lutheran body in the U. S., was (is) big enough that two sets of breakaway churches have recently split off without affecting ELCA's status as the largest Lutheran denomination. LCMS (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod) is still the second-largest (and the second most conservative), "well" ahead of WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod) which is third and the most conservative. ELCA was large enough that the two breakaway groups are the 4th largest , LCMC (Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ) and the 5th largest NALC (North American Lutheran Church). The latter formed in 2011 (a little slow in the uptake) after ELCA in 2009 dethroned the Bible, approved gay priests (and now has a gay bishop), and now has a female Presiding Bishop. At least they have bishops, which is more than can be said for LCMC which was apparently too low-church for the tastes of those who must have negotiated with but by-passed the 2001 breakaway association (not a denomination, they say) LCMC, and formed their own slightly different NALC. I talked to a pastor here in northern California who said LCMC also avoids the word "Catholic" in the Athanasian Creed and substitutes "Christian" (as is commonly done among Lutherans who by confession accept the Athanasian Creed). To me the best part about the Athanasian Creed IS the word "Catholic" in it, to remind us good Lutherans that we are not really "Protestant" like everyone types us, but fully a part of the "Universal" Church. (I would be able to accept "Universal" as a weak-kneed) substitute for "Catholic" in the Creed. Saying "Christian" seems to imply we don't regard Roman Catholics as Christians.)
That priest is just over an hour from me, so considering doctrinal issues I dislike, I will continue for the present in the ELCA (until LCMC or NALC gets a parish in my neighborhood, like in Sacramento) in ELCA where I read, assist at Communion, sing in the choir, and count collections. I do really like NALC which does have a bishop, though I have minor quibbles. They only have Communion twice a month, say the old-fashioned Lord's Prayer with "trespasses" instead of "sins", and say a different mass than is in the Green Book they nevertheless keep in the pews.

Ironically enough there is a parish in my small home-town of the sixth-largest Lutheran body in the U. S., the Association of Free Lutherans, that was founded back in 1962 before ELCA itself was formed in 1988. I attended it for a while, but saw no future in a parish that had no priest and was led by a layman in his high eighties. I'm too High-Church to be comfortable taking Communion consecrated by a layman who was fiercely proud of not bowing to episcopal or priestly domination.

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