“A defining moment for the church”
The LWF General Secretary’s report to the Council
In the coming years, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) will work to support member churches in their ministry and to strengthen the witness of the church in the world, the LWF General Secretary, Rev. Dr. Martin Junge, outlined in his report to the LWF Council on 29 June in Geneva.
The themes that the General Secretary addressed in his speech were as follows – greater engagement on climate issues, new networks for theological education, the continuation of work on gender justice issues, the involvement of young people, as well as ecumenical relations and dedication to shedding light on the causes of suffering, while continuing to serve the needs of refugees and displaced people.
“We live in a complex time,” said General Secretary Junge. “The development of several events is creating growing polarization and fragmentation in the world and also in the church.” He added that, in this situation, congregations must be voices of hope.
The church has been entrusted with the message of Christ: the message that gives hope and drives out fear, the compassion that challenges indifference, the message of justice that resists oppression, the reconciliation that steadfastly continues to establish peace. – LWF General Secretary Junge to the LWF Council.
“This is truly a defining moment for the church. And yet I cannot imagine a better moment to be church! For the church has been entrusted with the message of Christ: the message that gives hope and drives out fear, the compassion that challenges indifference, the message of justice that resists oppression, the reconciliation that steadfastly continues to establish peace. The church has a message that is so very much needed today,” he said.
Convening and supporting member churches
The LWF is paying ever greater attention to strengthening Lutheran identity and to theological education. “We are aware of our role in bringing together member churches and theological institutions for the purpose of participatory cooperation. This is happening with the help of several regional and local-level initiatives,” said Junge, explaining that a new theological education network has been formed with the aim of “creating opportunities for training that reaches across contexts, as well as fostering conditions for transformative education and formation”.
The LWF will also continue its work on the current direction of ecumenical development and will promote the ongoing dialogue with Catholic, Anglican, Reformed, Mennonite, Pentecostal and Orthodox communities.
In his report, Junge affirmed the LWF’s commitment to standing up for the ordination of women. Referring to the resolution of the 12th Assembly that defended the matter of women’s ordination, he said that the resolution gives us “a clear and strong direction never to allow the matter of women’s ordination to become an object of compromise in negotiations, including in our ecumenical cooperation”.
The General Secretary also encouraged congregations to include young people in decision-making at all levels that affects congregational matters, especially on questions of sustainability and the revitalization of congregations. “No generation should think and work in the congregation with the idea of leaving the work to the next generations, without reflecting together with the next generation,” he said.
He expressed encouragement and support for the initiative of the European churches, which, “by working together, exchange good practice, jointly reflecting on the revitalization of the church”.
The prophetic voice of congregations
Junge acknowledged the difficulties that the current political trends of “polarization and fragmentation” pose for congregations. He encouraged LWF members to avoid the temptation to remain silent in the face of injustice out of fear, or to join populist movements that supposedly seek to defend the Christian identity of a congregation, a country or a region. He asked: “Would God really want to be protected in this way?”
Junge especially praised those member churches that live in conditions of violence, for their ability to keep “raising their voice, calling for peace”.
More strongly than ever, the LWF will turn its attention to questions of climate justice, making it a priority, raising awareness of this issue and supporting congregations in their efforts to cope with the consequences caused by climate change. “I believe that the LWF communion, with its strong theological, diaconal and advocacy commitment, is in a unique position to bring about enormous change at a time when humanity as a family is struggling with the question of climate change and is seeking ways to address this challenge,” he said.
Strengthening international institutions
The LWF General Secretary especially emphasized the work of the LWF’s diaconal arm “World Service” as “an expression of God’s loving outreach to all humanity”. Over the past year, through its engagement, the LWF communion “directly reached and touched the lives of more than three million people, most of whom are refugees and internally displaced persons”. This figure marks a new, yet sad, record, associated with the unprecedented number of persons who have been forcibly displaced.
The LWF not only continues to attend to the victims of human-caused suffering, but also to its root causes. The focus of the coming years will be the strengthening of international initiatives and institutions. Last year, the LWF, as one of the few non-governmental organizations, was invited to participate in the drafting of the United Nations’ “Global Compact” initiative.
Pointing to the appointed time in being church, Junge reminded the Council that “we do not know what the future holds for us, but we know to whom the future belongs”. He encouraged the communion to move forward “with a sense of fulfilment and confidence in the presence of God’s providence”. He urged it to hold firmly to “an unshakeable vision of this communion, which is rooted in Christ, lives and works together for a just, peaceful and reconciled world”.
Source: Lutheran World Federation news