On October 23-24, 2025, the XXXVII Synod of the Church of Ingria was held in Koltushi (Leningrad region).

One of the main topics was the adoption of a draft of amendments to the Church Charter. As part of the discussion on the Charter, the issue of renaming the Church was considered.

The first step in the voting was to decide on the necessity of a name change. Of the 22 Synod members present, 21 voted in favor of changing the name, and one abstained.

Following this, three name options were put to a vote:
— Russian Lutheran Church (RLC);
— Russian Evangelical Lutheran Church (RELC);
— Lutheran Church of the Russian Federation.

The majority of the Synod members present (18 out of 22) supported the name “Russian Lutheran Church” (RLC). Four other participants voted for the option “Russian Evangelical Lutheran Church” (RELC).

Prior to the vote, a discussion was held with participation from bishop Ivan Laptev, bishop emeritus Arri Kugappi, dean of the St. Petersburg Deanery pastor Ivan Hutter, pastor Olav Panchu who presented the opinion of the Southern Deanery congregations, Church Assessor pastor Dmitry Rozet, rector of the Theological Institute pastor Konstantin Subbotin, head of the Church’s Media Department Kristina Shilova, as well as lay members and ministers from the congregations of all the eight Deaneries.

As a result of the Synod, a decision was made on the new name for the Church—the Russian Lutheran Church (RLC). The new version of the Charter, together with the changed name, must now be approved by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation.