Here Rev. Dr. Martin Junge, Lutheran World Federation General Secretary, speaks of the LWF and the contemporary Canadian connections - how service, mission, theology and unity are the foundational pillars still shaping the Church today. This address was given at the 2019 ELCIC National Convention.
Risto R. Lehtonen, “World Mission Opportunities for Lutherans Today,” Consensus, 8 No. 2 (1982), Article 1.
This article is written from a global LWF perspective, but it is also helpful in helping Lutherans in Canada define and understand the opportunities and pitfalls of “world mission” in the middle of the 20th century. As you read it, evaluate how the LWF understanding of mission has changed since then.
Allen G. Jorgenson and Margaret Loewen Reimer, eds., Healing Memories, Reconciling in Christ: A Lutheran-Mennonite Study Guide for Congregations. Winnipeg: ELCIC and MCC, 2010. This Bible Study was written for the Lutheran and Mennonite churches in Canada, providing opportunities to explore the history and the future of the relationship between Mennonites and Lutherans.
Gordon A. Jensen The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification: A Document of Healing?” Consensus,29 No. 1 (2003), 63-84.
This article was written in preparation for the LWF Assembly held in Winnipeg in the summer of 2003. The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) had been signed in 1999, which was meant to emphasize the commonalities the Roman Catholics and Lutherans have regarding justification, but also how the document further alienated the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod from the LWF members.
If I start by looking at our Lutheran communion, there have been major, far-reaching changes. When the LWF was established in 1947, it had forty-seven member churches almost exclusively from countries of the North Atlantic region. Today the figure has almost tripled with 136 member churches from seventy-six countries. And we can observe that this considerable extension of the global network of the LWF essentially comprises churches and countries in the southern hemisphere. This tendency is growing year by year. Behind these bare figures, there is a shift in emphasis from the North to the South which has considerable consequences theologically, ecclesiologically and substantially that go far beyond size as such. I should like to try and illustrate that briefly on two levels. In the North Atlantic region, there is growing interest in strengthening the Christian world communions and in developing forms of ecumenical cooperation and community between them. With the exception of the JDDJ between the worldwide Roman Catholic Church and the LWF, the most important agreements along these lines have been based exclusively in the North Atlantic area and their validity is limited to that region—be it Leuenberg, Porvoo or Meissen for Europe, or the developments in Canada and the USA. Naturally, we must welcome the fact that the churches of the Reformation have found the way to new forms of communion among themselves and with the Anglican Church and others. But all of that seems only marginally to affect the reality and life of the churches in the South. It rather seems to mean dealing with the European history of theology and the church in order to improve and extend the ecumenical capacity of the North. The same applies to the often painstaking struggle to find forms of spiritual communion with the Orthodox churches. It is hard to tell at present what consequences these ecumenical processes will have at the North Atlantic level for the historical churches and confessional families. Will there be a missionary upsurge? The massive effects of secularization and of the religious and ideological vacuums left after the political changes of 1989/90 call urgently for a reshaping of the church at all levels. But some of the old churches have become tired and are revolving around their shrinking size. The developments at present in our member churches and among Christians in general in the southern part of the world are totally different. Instead of shrinking membership like in many parts of the North, here we can often observe considerable growth. The explosion of numbers relates first and foremost to charismatic, spirit-filled congregations and communities. In the place of a parochial focus with its institutions and organizational structures, they comprise very diverse expressions of spiritual movements. Whether it be in the favelas of Latin America or the townships of South Africa, among the nearly 200 million Dalits, those without caste or rights throughout India, or among the so-called “shepherds” in the impoverished urban and rural areas of Madagascar—everywhere, and usually in situations of abject poverty, people are celebrating their communion in Christ, allowing themselves to be carried by the power of God’s spirit into dimensions of hope and salvation in places where otherwise hopelessness and brokenness set the tone. Expressions of spirituality lived out in this way have long since also reached the historical churches in the regions of the South. That also applies to the Lutherans. The tremendous growth of the Lutheran church in Madagascar would be unthinkable without its considerable success in integrating the “shepherds,” the popular charismatic movement. My last visit abroad before this Assembly was to the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY). I have had close contacts with this church since the early 1970s. At that time, it had about 700,000 members and was thus approximately as big as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick where I was bishop until recently. Whereas the latter now has close to 420,000 members, meaning it has shrunk by about 40 percent, since that time the EECMY has just topped four million. When I emphasized church leadership for their great missionary success, I also found myself looking into worried faces among my Ethiopian brothers and sisters. “We are growing beyond control.” Things are getting out of hand. Normal administrative structures are not sufficient to manage, and funds are running out on all fronts, while they are badly needed to create an organizational structure that reaches everyone, and to have enough theologically trained workers.
One thing seems clear to me: the future of the Christian community in the world and its effect on the destiny of humankind will mainly depend on whether and how the historical confessional churches can be successfully integrated with the diverse charismatic congregations and movements, or if it is at least possible to hold them together in an ecumenical alliance. In this, the WCC, above all, will have a key role. Do we already know how and whether we are able to pray and work together at all? Shall we stand up together for common concerns? And who will integrate whom? Finally, what does charismatic expression here and wellordered establishment there imply for the cohesion of a Christian world communion which believes itself on the way to a communio, to a committed global communion? Will the theological heart in the proclamation of the gospel dry up here in the face of indifference and individual arbitrariness or a non-committal discourse about general values, and will it be swept away there by speaking in tongues, spiritfilled healing worship and ecstasy? These questions are still absolutely open. They are extremely serious because, at the same time, they raise the question of how the Christians in the world, and with them the international Lutheran community, will be able to meet the special challenges of the twenty-first century. In what follows, I should like in all brevity to try and take this up in order, as I hope also to contribute a few ideas to the discussions of the next few days on the future shape of the LWF and its programs.
Churches for the Healing of the World’s Wounds Our Christian faith is grounded in a paradox: the image and reality of the crucified Messiah. The divine healing power of the almighty God is expressed in suffering, sacrifice, woundedness and vulnerability. Through baptism and the Eucharist we are united with Christ, and as the body of Christ in the world the church must bear the marks of Christ’s healing sacrifice. Its life must show forth Christ’s devotion to the other, even unto death. The church must be ready to confront the powers and principalities in our global village that deny human dignity. Within the complexity of this world, the church is gathered to be a communion (koinonia): a dynamic reality, a fellowship of God’s people from every tribe, tongue and nation, marked by a life of unity in diversity, sharing in the apostolic faith. This Assembly is itself one visible representation of the church. We who are here, from seventy-three countries, have been called together in the unity we share in our faith, despite many differences of culture, tradition and spirituality. We have come together as we are, carrying the wounds of our people and churches, as well as our own personal wounds. Our differences and woundedness are not to be covered up. We are here to listen and be open to the cries of one another, to say: “Your cry is my cry. Your joy is my joy.” In gathering the communion, God rejects the forces of alienation, fragmentation and divisions based on race, color, gender, age, culture, descent, social or economic status. As part of its contribution to the struggle against the many forms of social exclusion, the LWF has continued to advocate against racism, notably at the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance; and, it has helped to place on the international agenda the special category of dehumanizing discrimination faced by the Dalits of South Asia In this world, we increasingly experience the politics of brute force and naked self-interest, yet the healing power of God is not the power of dominance. Communion with the Triune God and with each other determines a new relationship among the faithful. It is a divine gift, the meaning of which goes far beyond what we normally understand by the term “partnership.” This term is often used in the commercial environment, where the quality of partnership depends on the contribution one is able to bring into the relationship. You are either a senior or junior partner. If the relationship breaks down, one is free to walk away from the agreement. However, the notion of communion from a theological/biblical perspective describes an entirely different type of relationship: mutual participation in common faith and life among members of a body. Life in communion is not based on a partial commitment of Christ but on the total emptying of Christ for our sake. Applied to the LWF, the concept of communion designates the common life of member churches as a confessional community placed organically within the universal church. Built on our declared altar and pulpit fellowship, the communion of the LWF is an ecclesial fellowship and as such is operative as an instrument for common witness and service. The member churches of the LWF are institutionally and legally autonomous with their own structures of ministry and governing bodies. The nature of the LWF as a communion is characterized by the interaction of the autonomous member churches in view of the common good, both within the Lutheran communion and ecumenically. Baptism with water in the name of the Triune God is recognized ecumenically, and calls us to seek comprehensive eucharistic fellowship and mutual recognition of ministries. Ordination to the ministry, in the Lutheran understanding, is not carried out simply for the particular church in which it takes place. Ordination is, in principle, an ecumenical act, since it is an authorization to preach the gospel and administer the sacraments, which are gifts given to the universal church. From this perspective, no church is autonomous in the sense of being independent from other churches. As churches confessing the one apostolic church, we belong together. We are interdependent ecumenically, and the members of the Lutheran communion express and serve this interdependence in concrete and committed ways.
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From Canada Lutheran June 2021:When You Picture a Lutheran, What Do You See? Do you see an older White gentleman reading the first lesson with a slight German accent? Do you see a young Black man volunteering at Vacation Bible School in jeans and a hoodie. Perhaps you picture an Indian woman proudly dressed in a sari ready to lead her church in the prayers of the people. Or do you see a Black pastor standing at the altar ready to lead their congregation in the service of Word and Sacrament. These are all portraits of Lutherans.
By God’s grace, may our efforts bring lasting change to racism and white supremacy and racial injustices in our world and within the ELCIC. Through these relationships, may we let go of narratives that no longer serve us and embrace multifaceted stories that make room for all to belong and flourish in their full, God-given self-expression.
The January-February 2021 issue of Canada Lutheran zeros in on the heightened focus of systemic racism towards BIPOC peoples in relation to The Lutheran Church. In celebrating February as Black History Month, Canada Lutheran aims to look at life through a variety of Black lenses.
The Power of Words: The Impact of Worship Language on the Marginalized April 29 and 30, 2021. This video is a presentation delivered by Rev. Dr Kayko Driedger Hesslein (PhD) during the first day of the 2021 Dubrick Summer Institute for Ministry at Martin Luther IUniversity College. She has been a rostered pastor with the ELCIC since 2002. She holds the position of Schmieder Fellow at the Lutheran Theological Seminary, Saskatoon, where she teaches systematic and constructive theologies, and publishes in the area of post-colonial Lutheran theology. She lives and works in Treaty 7 territory.
The Power of Words: The Impact of Worship Language on the Marginalized April 29 and 30, 2021. This video is a recording of the presentation delivered by El Jones. Jones is a spoken word poet, an educator, journalist, and community activist living in African Nova Scotia. She was the fifth poet laureate of Halifax. In 2016, El was a recipient of the Burnley "Rocky" Jones human rights award for her community work and work in prison justice. She is a co-founder of the Black Power Hour, a live radio show with incarcerated people on CKDU. Her book Live from the Afrikan Resistance! was published in 2014. Here El Jones is introduced by Rev. Dr. Kimber McNabb, Sessional Professor at the Atlantic School of Theology.
The Power of Words: The Impact of Worship Language on the Marginalized April 29 and 30, 2021. This video is a recording of a panel discussion, facilitated by Dr. Mary (Joy) Philip, and Q&A with participants El Jones and Kayko Driedger Hesslein (credentials above).
Brian Gobbett, “Mission Christianity in Canada and the ‘Problem’ of Indigenous Christianity,” Direction, 43 no 2 (Fall 2014), 166-179. This explores the challenges and problems of the missional mindset among Canadian churches in relationship to the Indigenous peoples.
Our identity as Lutherans is rooted in the Bible and our history. Our member church contexts continue to shape our faith, theology and understanding of God’s mission.
To be Lutheran is to be
While the central convictions of the Lutheran tradition are not uniquely ours, its distinctive patterns and emphases shape the way in which we respond to the challenges and questions we face today.
The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) was founded in 1947. Since 1990 it defines itself as a communion of churches, united in pulpit and altar fellowship. The LWF confesses the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church, and is resolved to serve Christian unity throughout the world. LWF and its member churches have been, and remain, active partners in the ecumenical movement through dialogues, where they seek to make specific theological contributions. On behalf of its member churches, the LWF signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification by Faith with the Catholic Church in 1999, in the city of Augsburg, one of the main historic sites of Lutheranism.
Until the first half of the 20th century, Lutheran churches were most heavily concentrated in Germany, the Nordic and Baltic countries and the USA. Since the foundation of the LWF, the gravitation centre of worldwide Lutheranism has shifted to the global South, with sizeable churches in Africa, Latin America and Asia. The diaconal agenda of the Lutheran churches has increasingly emphasized challenges related to justice and peace, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and dialogue with other faiths, including indigenous spiritualities. The LWF has also contributed by dialogue to improved understanding of the relations between the church and the Jewish people.
The LWF attaches great importance to the relationships between its member churches in the regions. In Africa a Lutheran Conference was formed in 1955, and three sub-regional groupings have been set up: the Lutheran Communion in Central and Eastern Africa (LUCCEA), the Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa (LUCSA), and the Lutheran Communion in Western Africa (LUCWA). In 2005, a Lutheran Council in Africa was established. Asia is also divided into three subregions: the North East Asian Lutheran Communion (NEALUC), the West and South Asian Lutheran Communion (WeSALUC), and the South East Asian Lutheran Communion (SEALUC). In Europe a regional office for the expression of communion in the Region of Central Eastern Europe (ROCEE) was opened in Bratislava (Slovakia) in 2003. The other regions in Europe are Central Western Europe, and the Nordic Region, where the Lutheran family meets regularly. The Latin American and Caribbean Region includes 13 LWF member churches in Latin America and two in the Caribbean.
A regional office exists also for the North America Region.
The World Council of Churches website indicates that the LWF has 140 member churches in 79 countries, representing some 68 million Christians in the world; 73 of its member churches are also members of the WCC (directly or indirectly).
The office of the LWF is located in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva.
International Lutheran Council is a growing worldwide association of established confessional Lutheran church bodies which proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the basis of an unconditional commitment to the Holy Scriptures as the inspired and infallible Word of God and to the Lutheran Confessions contained in the Book of Concord as the true and faithful exposition of the Word of God.
http://www.ilc-online.org/ and anniversary article describing the founding of the ILC at https://ilc-online.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/ILC-History-Sept-2018.pdf
The World Council of Churches website indicates that the International Lutheran Council has 30 member churches representing 3.3 million Christians in the world. The office of the ILC is located in St. Louis, Missouri (USA).
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