The Lutherans

Families of churches

Discover the Lutheran churches: grace, the Word, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, organisation and presence in France.

Read the page See the contents

Families of churches · convictions, congregational life and present-day diversity

Portrait of Martin Luther

The Lutherans — receiving grace, hearing the Word

  • Lutheran churchesToday
  • Augsburg Confession1530
  • Luther in Wittenberg1517
In a Lutheran congregation, worship gathers people around a promise: God welcomes and forgives in Jesus Christ. Preaching, baptism and the Lord’s Supper give this trust a concrete place in the life of the congregation. The faith received continues in the service of one’s neighbour.
This heritage is shared by churches established on several continents. They do not form a single organisation: their languages, liturgical practices and forms of government may differ. The Augsburg Confession remains a shared reference point for expressing their faith.
Key point · Lutheranism is a living family, present on several continents, with diverse histories and organisations.

Convictions and church life

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

Baptism is given to children as well as to adults. In the Lord’s Supper, Christ truly gives himself with the bread and the wine: it is not a mere remembrance.

Leading the church

Pastors, councils and synods share the responsibilities. Some churches have bishops; not all Lutheran churches follow the same model.

In France

Lutheran heritages live on notably in Alsace and in the Montbéliard area. The EPUdF and the UEPAL bring together Lutheran and Reformed traditions in two distinct structures.

Further reading: Regards protestants — The Lutherans (in French) · Lutheran World Federation — Lutheran identity · Musée protestant — The Lutheran and Reformed union in France (in French).

Online guide · church families and key points · 2026 edition23 / 49

Sources and key references

Bibliography of the journey

  • Sébastien Fath, Une autre manière d’être chrétien en France. Socio-histoire de l’implantation baptiste (1810-1950) [Another way of being Christian in France: a social history of the establishment of Baptist churches in France, 1810–1950], Labor et Fides.
  • Sébastien Fath and Jean-Paul Willaime (eds.), La nouvelle France protestante. Essor et recomposition au XXIe siècle [The new Protestant France: growth and reconfiguration in the 21st century], Labor et Fides.
  • André Encrevé (ed.), Les protestants [The Protestants] (Dictionnaire du monde religieux dans la France contemporaine), Beauchesne.
  • Patrick Cabanel, Histoire des protestants en France, XVIe-XXIe siècle [A history of Protestants in France, 16th–21st century], Fayard.
  • Jean Baubérot, Histoire du protestantisme [A history of Protestantism], PUF, “Que sais-je ?”.
  • Musée virtuel du protestantisme (Virtual Museum of Protestantism) — thematic and biographical entries (in French).

See all the sources of the journey