Hi, Georgia, You are correct that in German the term Evangelische is the overall term used for churches that are not Catholic. However, even in Germany many Protestant churches have the words Ev.-Luth. on their letterheads. There are many historical reasons for this. But basically in the US the Evangelical churches followed the Reformed catechism and the Lutheran churches followed the Dr. Martin Luther's catechism and the Augsburg Confessions. You can learn some of the history by putting "Old Lutherans" into your browser. Remember that in Europe the churches were connected to the state. If your Prince died and the new one professed a faith that was different from yours, you either changed, or worshipped secretly, or moved. In the US the churches that called themselves Evangelical eventually united with the Reformed congregations. Yes, there were congregations that used the word Reformed as part of their name. Then the Ev. and the Reformed, and others, became the United Church of Christ. Evangelical as a word can have various meanings even in the US. I am no Latin scholar but I believe that the root of the word has to do with "Good News". I am familiar with St Mark's on Clayton Road and it has always been a Lutheran congregation, even before it moved there in the 1920s. I believe it was once on or near Kingshighway. Hope this helps. LaVerne