Several Lutheran church bodies, including some of the Lutheran churches in Germany and Scandinavia, have active monastic communities. However, other Lutheran churches, including ELCA and LCMS in America, have none.
So, why do some Lutheran churches have monks while others don't? Is there a specific reason for this difference, or a rule prohibiting them in other Lutheran churches? If not, why don't those churches have monks?
In order to sort this question out, it's first of all important to learn what Luther (and thus, Lutherans) actually believe, teach, and confess. One of the official documents of Lutherans is the Augsburg Confession. There is an entire article of faith on Monastic Vows. If you give it a read, you'll find that there are various reasons why the Lutheran Church (everywhere) has moved away from monasticism.
Why are there still some left over seminaries then? That question is answered when we understand better the history of Europe, especially the Prussian Union.. During that time the state took over the church, forcing various church bodies to worship together and change their doctrines so that they would not be offensive to the state government. In that context, finding examples in Europe where the state still pays for and 'keeps up' monasteries (even though, long ago, Lutherans abandoned them for theological reasons) should not surprise us. In Northern Europe, one becomes a Lutheran, not by being baptized, or by going through instruction. Instead, since Lutheranism is the state religion, everyone is Lutheran. And they become Lutheran by being born in that country.
