The ELCA Youth Gathering has a long history, and an even longer lineage, going back to 1902. Do you think that the Youth Gathering will be coming to Minneapolis in 2021 for the first time? Think again. This will be the 14th time that this event will be held in the City of Lakes.
Thanks to John Hulden, who sent us this information. Thanks to David Halaas for requesting the information from the ELCA Archivist. And thanks to Joel Thoreson, the ELCA’s Archivist for Management, Reference, and Technology for keeping track of this great information!
Here’s the history of the Gathering in the ELCA and its predecessor church bodies, including the themes (when available) and any special, notable facts:
ELCA Youth Gatherings (1988-Present)
- 1988 – San Antonio, Texas – “Rejoice in the Lord Always”
- 1991 – Dallas, Texas – “Called to Freedom”
- 1994 – Atlanta, Ga. – “2 Be Alive”
- 1997 – New Orleans, La. – “River of Hope”
- 2000 – St. Louis, Mo. – “Dancing at the Crossroads”
- 2003 – Atlanta, Ga. – “Ubuntu” (Do Life)
- 2006 – San Antonio, Texas – “Cruzando” (Crossing)
- 2009 – New Orleans, La. – “Jesus, Justice, Jazz”
- 2012 – New Orleans, La. – “Citizens with the Saints”
- 2015 – Detroit, Mich. – “Rise Up Together”
- 2018 – Houston, Texas – “This Changes Everything”
- 2021 – Minneapolis, Minnesota – Theme to be announced
The American Lutheran Church (1960-1987)
- 1960 – Milwaukee, Wis. (constituting convention of the ALC Luther League)
- 1961 – Miami Beach, Fla. – “Christ Is Living” – Speaker: Martin Luther King, Jr.
- 1964 – Detroit, Mich. – “Jesus Is Lord”
- 1967 – Seattle, Wash. / Dallas, Texas (split sites) – “We Are a Peculiar People”
- 1970 – New York, N.Y. – “And We Say We Care”
- 1973 – Houston, Texas – “With Eyes Wide Open” – 1st All-Lutheran Youth Gathering (with LCA & LCMS) – music: Johnny Cash, speaker: Fulton J. Sheen
- 1976 – New Orleans, La. – “For All the Saints” – 2nd All-Lutheran Youth Gathering
- 1979 – Kansas City, Mo. – “Called to be Servants” – ALC only
- 1982 – San Antonio, Texas – “In Christ, a New Creation”
- 1985 – Denver, Colo. – “Proclaim Him Lord of All” – speaker: Jimmy Carter
The 1961 ALC Youth Gathering, with speaker: the Rev. Dr., Martin Luther King Jr.
American Lutheran Church (1930-1960)
- 1930 – Lakeside, Ohio (constituting convention of the Luther League)
- 1931 – Long Lake, Ill. – “The Luther League at Work”
- 1933 – Madison, Wis. – “Builders with Christ. For Christ”
- 1935 – Austin, Texas – “Christ Calls”
- 1937 – St. Paul, Minn. – “Christ Our Life”
- 1939 – College Park, Md. – “Under the Banners of the Church”
- 1941 – Greeley, Colo. – “I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes Unto the Hills”
- 1943 – Dubuque, Iowa – “Tell the Story”
- 1946 – Ames, Iowa – “Now Is the Time”
- 1949 – Pullman, Wash. – “Thy Kingdom Come”
- 1951 – East Lansing, Mich. – “Thine Is the Power”
- 1953 – West Lafayette, Ind. – “Live Christ”
- 1955 – College Station, Texas – “God’s Love – My Life”
- 1958 – Ithaca, N.Y. – “United in the Word”
Evangelical Lutheran Church (1917-1960)
(Was known as the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America to 1946)
- 1919 – Red Wing, Minn.
- 1922 – LaCrosse, Wis.
- 1925 – Minneapolis, Minn.
- 1927 – Seattle, Wash.
- 1929 – Duluth, Minn.
- 1931 – Chicago, Ill.
- 1933 – Fargo, N.D.
- 1935 – Sioux Falls, S.D.
- 1937 – Minneapolis, Minn.
- 1939 – Los Angeles, Calif.
- 1941 – Billings, Mont.
- 1947 – Milwaukee, Wis.
- 1949 – Saskatoon, Sask.
- 1951 – Seattle, Wash.
- 1953 – Fargo, N.D.-Moorhead, Minn.
- 1955 – San Francisco, Calif.
- 1957 – Missoula, Mont.
Norwegian Synod (1850-1917)
- Young People’s Association organized 1903
United Norwegian Lutheran Church (1890-1917)
- Young People’s League organized 1908
Hauge Synod (1846-1917)
- Young People’s Federation organized 1911
United (Danish) Evangelical Lutheran Church (1896-1960)
- 1932 – Spencer, Iowa
- 1935 – Medicine Lake, near Minneapolis, Minn.
- 1938 – Cedar Falls, Iowa
- 1941 – Blair, Neb.
- 1944 – Blair, Neb.
- 1947 – Blair, Neb.
- 1949 – Albert Lea, Minn.
- 1951 – Blair, Neb.
- 1953 – Blair, Neb.
- 1955 – Blair, Neb.
- 1957 – Fresno, Calif.
- 1959 – Blair, Neb.
The 1955 Gathering at Texas A&M. Think lines are a new thing? Not so much.
Lutheran Free Church (1897-1963)
Known as the Young People’s Federation from 1920-1937 and the Luther League Federation from 1937-1963
- 1920 – Minneapolis, Minn.
- 1921 – unknown
- 1922 – Minneapolis, Minn.
- 1923 – Fargo, N.D.
- 1924 – unknown
- 1925 – Fargo, N.D.
- 1926 – Rochester, Minn.
- 1927 – Thief River Falls, Minn.
- 1928 – Minneapolis, Minn.
- 1929 – LaCrosse, Wis.
- 1930 – Northwood, N.D.
- 1931 – Willmar, Minn.
- 1932 – Minneapolis, Minn.
- 1933 – Fargo, N.D.
- 1934 – Marinette, Wis.
- 1935 – Rochester, Minn.
- 1936 – Minot, N.D.
- 1937 – Minneapolis, Minn.
- 1938 – Willmar, Minn.
- 1939 – Northwood, N.D.
- 1940 – Duluth, Minn.
- 1941 – Minneapolis, Minn.
- 1942 – New London, Minn.
- 1943 – Fergus Falls, Minn.
- 1944 – Morris, Minn.
- 1947 – Medicine Lake (Near Minneapolis)
- 1948 – Medicine Lake (Near Minneapolis)
- 1949 – Medicine Lake (Near Minneapolis)
- 1950 – Medicine Lake (Near Minneapolis)
- 1951 – Medicine Lake (Near Minneapolis)
- 1952 – Medicine Lake (Near Minneapolis)
- 1953 – Medicine Lake (Near Minneapolis)
- 1954 – Medicine Lake (Near Minneapolis)
- 1956 – Parkland, Wash. – “Witness to God’s Power”
- 1958 – Green Lake, Wis. – “Let God’s Word Transform”
- 1960 – Northfield, Minn. – “In This Sign Conquer”
- 1962 – Green Lake, Wis. – “Christ’s Kingdom Shall Triumph”
Lutheran Church in America (1962-1987)
(known as the LCA Luther League from 1962-1968, then restructured into the Commission on Youth Ministry)
- 1962 – San Francisco, Calif. (constituting convention of the LCA Luther League)
- 1963 – Selinsgrove, Pa. – “The Fellowship of the Concerned”
- 1964 – Waterloo, Ont. – “’Be My Spirit,’ Says the Lord”
- 1965 – Miami Beach, Fla. – “Follow Me”
- 1966 – Milwaukee, Wis. – “He Gives Peace”
- 1969 – Detroit, Mich. – Youthexpo
- 1973 – Houston, Texas – With Eyes Wide Open – 1st All-Lutheran Youth Gathering
- 1976 – New Orleans, La. – For All the Saints – 2nd All-Lutheran Youth Gathering
- 1981 – West Lafayette, Ind. – Joy for You and Me
- 1985 – West Lafayette, Ind. – Power in the Cross
Augustana Synod (1860-1962)
- 1921 – Rock Island, Ill.
- 1926 – Rock Island, Ill.
- 1929 – Lindsborg, Kan.
- 1931 – St. Peter, Minn.
- 1933 – East Orange, N.J.
- 1935 – Rock Island, Ill. – “Victory Through Christ”
- 1937 – Minneapolis, Minn. – “Christ Our Life”
- 1939 – Omaha, Neb. – “The Open Door”
- 1941 – Rockford, Ill. – “Built on a Rock”
- 1943 – Minneapolis, Minn. – “All Out for Christ”
- 1945 – Jamestown, N.Y. – “Jesus Calls Us”
- 1947 – Los Angeles, Calif. – “Christ Is Able”
- 1949 – Duluth, Minn. – “Christ Above All”
- 1951 – Colorado Springs, Colo. – “Lift Up Your Eyes”
- 1953 – Boston, Mass. – “Christ Makes Men Free”
- 1955 – Calgary, Alb. – “Christ, the Lord of Life”
- 1957 – Chicago, Ill. – “Know, Live, Share Christ”
- 1959 – San Antonio, Texas – “Remember Jesus Christ”
Most the participants came by train to Texas in 1955
United Lutheran Church in America (1918-1962) and predecessors General Synod (1820-1918), General Council (1867-1918) and United Synod in the South (1863-1918)
- 1895 – Pittsburgh, Pa.
- 1896 – Chicago, Ill.
- 1898 – New York, N.Y.
- 1900 – Cincinnati, Ohio
- 1902 – St. Paul, Minn.
- 1904 – Buffalo, N.Y.
- 1906 – Canton, Ohio
- 1908 – Chicago, Ill.
- 1910 – Pittsburgh, Pa.
- 1912 – Albany, N.Y.
- 1914 – Baltimore, Md.
- 1916 – Toledo, Ohio
- 1918 – Buffalo, N.Y.
- 1920 – Fort Wayne, Ind.
- 1922 – York, Pa.
- 1925 – Milwaukee, Wis.
- 1927 – Salisbury, N.C.
- 1929 – Omaha, Neb.
- 1931 – Reading, Pa.
- 1935 – Charleston, S.C.
- 1937 – Springfield, Ohio
- 1939 – Long Beach, Calif.
- 1941 – Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont.
- 1946 – Pittsburgh, Pa.
- 1949 – Roanoke, Va.
- 1951 – Iowa City, Iowa – “Christians Answer Boldly”
- 1953 – Oxford, Ohio – “Armed With His Word”
- 1955 – Ann Arbor, Mich. – “Christ Is Lord”
- 1957 – Lawrence, Kan. – “Here I Stand”
- 1959 – Ithaca, N.Y. – “In This Sign Conquer”
- 1961 – Urbana, Ill. – “Lord I Believe”
American Evangelical Lutheran Church (1894-1962)
(was known as the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church to 1953)
- 1947 – Grand Rapids, Mich.
- 1948 – Des Moines, Iowa
- 1949 – Greenville, Mich.
- 1950 – Des Moines, Iowa
- 1951 – Chicago, Ill.
- 1952 – Des Moines, Iowa
- 1953 – Tyler, Minn.
- 1954 – Des Moines, Iowa
- 1955 – Tyler, Minn.
- 1956 – Cedar Falls, Waterloo, and Fredsville, Iowa
- 1957 – Newell, Iowa
- 1958 – Detroit, Mich.
- 1959 – Nysted, Neb.
- 1960 – Withee, Wis.
- 1961 – Indianola, Iowa
Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church
Known as the Suomi Synod from 1890-1962
- 1947 – Camp Luther, Ashtabula, Ohio
- 1949 – Camp Shaw, Chatham, Mich.
- 1951 – Camp Sigel, Gilbert, Minn.
- 1953 – Camp Luther, Ashtabula, Ohio
- 1955 – Suomi College, Hancock, Mich.
- 1957 – St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn.
- 1959 – Camp Luther, N. Kingsville, Ohio
- 1961 – Suomi College, Hancock, Mich.
Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (1976-1982)
- 1982 – some attended the ALC convention in San Antonio, Texas
Network is a Verb 
Reblogged this on A Place at the Table.
Wow!! Thankful for archivists
!!
Wow! I used to think I had attended a lot of the gatherings. Now I know better… (I do like the photo of Dr Martin Luther King Jr at the 1961 gathering… looks a bit more intimate than what they are like now).
This is an amazing archive and history lesson of our church. Thank you to all who had input into this!
Does anybody have photos from the 1967 ALC Luther League convention in Dallas? I am particularly interested in funding a photo of the band led by John Ylvisaker that played several times during the convention.
I have a hard time believing that reasonably large (over 1,000) gatherings of predominantly young people (under 21) were held by any predecessor to the ELCA prior to 1960. I suspect some of the citations you have made prior to 1960 were neither significantly large nor was the event specifically for youth or attended by youth members. Young people have always been been involved in the life of the Lutheran church, but youth gathering events as we know them today are probably only about 60 old. Please reply.
Thanks for your comment, Michael.
I’m certain that you’re right and that many of those early youth gatherings were small in size. I’m equally confident that some of them were well over 1000. I don’t have the data to confirm that, but based on stories I’ve heard, it would seem to be true.
The Gathering has taken many different forms. I’d argue that the youth gathering “as we know it” has really only been in its current form since 2012, when it took on a much more experiential, service learning/reflection model in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.
I’m not sure that I think the size or the form is what defines the gathering. Rather it is when the people of God gather together in Jesus’ name to learn, grow and to be about the commandment to love God with heart, soul and mind and neighbor as yourself.
That’s the gathering. Not coincidentally, it’s also the church.
Thank you for your prompt reply.
I suppose the point that I was trying to make that even though our predecessor bodies had youth gatherings in the past, our current Youth Gathering is a rather unique and new event in the life of our Lutheran church. Your reply reinforces that point.
And so if you haven’t gone to an ELCA youth gathering in the recent past, you can’t know what its all about!
Again my thanks!
Mike Petresky
Are there any files from the ULCA youth gathering in Urbana in 1961? For example, is there a program listing the agenda and speakers?
I found a 5-inch pink bud vase at an antique shop. Written on the bottom was “Luther League Convention, Milwaukee WI, 6-47” I found this so interesting. I see on your information that the ELC had a Convention there in 1947. Do you have any history on that Convention? Thank you. Connie Reinhard. arniecon@q.com
Who were the most notable speakers and performers at the ALC youth convention in Detroit in 1964