 In 1960, the American Lutheran Church merged with other Lutheran churches to form The American Lutheran Church (ALC), the second denomination with that name.With the growing closeness and theological friendships during the mid-20th century between major American Lutheran traditions, the decision was made in 1974 that the Evangelical Lutheran Theological Seminary and nearby Hamma Divinity School should consolidate.Hamma dated to 1845 as the Theological Department of Wittenberg College, in Springfield, Ohio, and was associated with the regional Ohio Synod jurisdiction of the General Synod.