The Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (Latvian: Latviešu evangeliski luteriska Baznica Amerika; LELBA) is a Lutheran denomination, formed in 1957 as a federation, and reorganized in 1975 as a formal denomination. In 1978 Lauma Lagzdins Zusevics was ordained as the first woman to serve as a full-time minister for the LELBA. In 2014 she became the first female Lutheran bishop in Latvian history, as the Church of Latvia proper does not recognize women's ordination.[1]
As of 2007, 12,000 congregants and 68 congregations of the church were present in the United States. It is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
