The LWF delegation advocates ecumenically for climate justice at the UN Climate Change Conference COP23. We raise new climate leaders and support our churches engagement for climate justice.

For the LWF, climate change is a question of justice, peace, the care for creation, and human rights. It is also a question of justice between people, nations, and generations. As a young delegation, and people of faith, the LWF delegation to COP23 focuses on intergenerational responsibility to care for creation and stand in solidarity with our neighbours. 

The delegation of 12 young Lutherans from all over the world will advocate, campaign and bring a faith-voice to the negotiations together with its ecumenical partners (ACT Alliance, WCC, Worldwide YMCA).

Because the LWF wants to be part of the solution, in June 2015, its Council voted not invest in fossil fuels and the LWF Twelfth Assembly in May 2017 “called upon the global communion to strengthen its efforts even more for climate justice".

Find more information on this  subject at:

LWF on Climate Justice

LWF COP Delegations

LWF Assembly Resolution on Climate Change

ACT Alliance: Climate Change Advocacy Framework Position (2016 – 2018)

The event will be in English and German.

The Asian Church Leadership Conference (ACLC) which gathers in Manila, Philippines, brings together church leaders from the 54 member churches in Asia, of the LWF. Mission partners who are active in the Asia region are also invited. The theme of the conference is  "Asia Communion at the Crossroads: Discerning Our Journey Together". Among the topics to be discussed are:

• Thematic priorities and programmatic areas for the Asia region in the next 3 years.
• Situations and needs in the three sub-regions and member churches.
• Collaboration between sub-regions and among member churches.
• Awareness and ownership of the LWF processes in Asia.

This will be done in light of the decisions made at the LWF 12th Assembly in Windhoek, Namibia, as well as a follow-up to the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. The ACLC will be jointly hosted by the local church, the Lutheran Church in the Philippines, and the Lutheran World Federation’s Department for Mission and Development.

The Meeting of Officers is one of the governing bodies of the LWF. It oversees the proper functioning of the LWF between Council meetings. It acts as the LWF Board of Trustees and Personnel Committee. The Meeting of Officers normally convenes twice a year.

More information:

Meeting of Officers

“Freely you have received, freely give.”  (Matthew 10:8, NIV)

This verse from Matthew has been chosen as the Council meeting 2018 theme. This passage invites us to not only recognize the freely given Grace of God but also to commit and walk the path of gifting.

The Lutheran World Federation's annual governance meeting takes place in Geneva, Switzerland, from 28 June to 2 July 2018. On 27 June the LWF Executive Committee will meet and a Pre-Council meeting for women and youth will take place.

The LWF Council meets once a year and is responsible for LWF business between Assemblies. It consists of:

• the President
• the Chairperson of the Finance Committee
• 48 lay or ordained people, from LWF member churches in seven regions.

Members of this Council were appointed at the 2017 Twelfth Assembly.

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LWF Council News

The LWF Strategy in Bahasa Indonesia and Swahili 21 February 2019 GENEVA New LWF member: United Evangelical Church in Cuba Lutheran Synod 23 January 2019 SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba / GENEVA Witnessing through dialogue, education and women’s empowerment in the Holy Land 11 January 2019 JERUSALEM /GENEVA New LWF member: Augustinian Lutheran Church of Guatemala 16 November 2018 GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala/GENEVA

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Resources

Council 2022 documents 25 May 2022 Download exhibits and other Council 2022 related documents Department for Planning and Coordination Council 2021 documents 16 June 2021 Download exhibits and other Council 2021 related documents Department for Planning and Coordination Council 2019 documents 5 June 2019 Download exhibits and other Council 2019 related documents Department for World Service Council 2018 documents 20 June 2018 Download exhibits and other Council 2018 related documents Department for World Service

Let’s go! Lutheran Churches on the Move in Mission

The activity aims at enhancing mutual accompaniment between the MCs and the two regions, deepening theological understanding of their mission work. The activity adds value to cross-regional communion relationships where MC actively learn together and share experiences through the networks: Bishops and Presidents, Youth, Women.

Program points:

• The mission of the churches today – enhancing work by engaging in the mission movement.
• Work in networks to deepen reflection about the 2017 Assembly Resolution and set agenda for the following years.
• Decision to Network for Theological Formation where the MCs and Theological organizations are the main actors.

Department: Department for Mission and Development

Language: Spanish with translation into English

Though many are one body

Under the theme “Though many are one body” (I Cor. 12:12), the meeting aims to strengthen collaboration and relationships among member churches in the region and in the communion. This includes finding mechanisms to boost the Africa regional and sub-regional expressions.

Program points:

• discuss and follow-up issues from the 2017 LWF Assembly, especially those pertinent to the region and the communion
• deliberate on preparations for the 2019 regional leadership consultation
• discuss issues in preparation for the LWF 2018 Council meeting
• agree strategies to implement common activities, including Confronting Poverty and Economic Injustice in Africa, the program through which the region’s churches engage communities living in poverty in initiatives that seek grassroots solutions to overcome marginalization 

Host Church: The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana

Departments: Department for Mission and Development

Language: English with French interpretation

Historically, women of the LWF Council have gathered to build a platform to engage and share wisdom with the Communion work related to women’s network and gender justice.

This is a first meeting of the full new Council (2017-2023), therefore the aim is to share with the participants the achievements and challenges related to the participation of women in leadership and in the ordained ministry; efforts to overcome gender discrimination and gender-based violence and tools for women in leadership positions in the member churches

The Pre-council women will discuss relevant Resolutions made at the Twelfth Assembly, providing some guidance on ways to move forward. The council women are key actors in building bridges between the women in the networks and the decision making body, namely, the LWF Council. A panel open also to men in the Council, will close this program on June 27.

Departments: Department for Theology and Public Witness with the Office of the General Secretary

Program: Women in Church and Society

LWF Women in Church and Society

Twelfth Assembly: Public Statements and Resolution

Council 2018

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Resources

Women Advocacy Handbook 3 April 2019 A composition of articles that aims to strengthen the churches and FBOs capacity to advocate for women’s human rights from a faith perspective. The Participation of Women in the Ordained Ministry and Leadership in LWF Member Churches 29 March 2017 A baseline assessment among LWF member churches carried forward in 2016 on the proportion of women in decision-making positions and in the ordained ministry. Department for Theology and Public Witness (until 2019) LWF Gender Justice Policy 15 February 2017 An LWF framework for inclusive and sustainable communities, churches and programs throughout the global communion Department for Theology and Public Witness (until 2019) Women on the Move postcards 14 March 2016 Series of six postcards shining the spotlight on the female heros of the Reformation movement Department for Theology and Public Witness (until 2019)

Lutheran church leaders discern together about leadership and learn from each other

Bishops and presidents from LWF’s regions discern and learn together about the communion’s work, the role of individual church leaders and how to support one another.

The 2018 retreat of recently-elected leaders brings together heads of churches—bishops and presidents—from across the LWF regions, and is the fourth in a series that begun in 2015. Through presentations, group discussions and visits to other organizations in Geneva and Wittenberg, the participating heads of churches, synods or dioceses will discern together and learn about:

• The role of individual church leaders in a global communion
• How to support one another
• How to re-think the Reformation for today
• What it means to be a member of the LWF

LWF staff will talk about programmatic work based in Geneva and Wittenberg.

Locations:

• 18 to 22 November - GENEVA, Switzerland

• 23 to 27 November - WITTENBERG, Germany

To mobilize the voices of religious leaders for the protection and promotion of civil society space

The overarching goal of this workshop is to harness the prophetic voice of the Church for the promotion and defence of an enabling civil society space at all levels – nationally, regionally and internationally. Specific objectives are:

1. To discuss the theological foundations pertinent to religious leaders’ role in public space and their relations with the State and other stakeholders.
2. To identify principles for best practices and enabling factors for an effective religious leaders’ engagement on promoting civil society space.
3. To contemplate on the most restricted human rights themes or issues and the role that religious institutions can play to mitigate those restrictions.
4. To discuss partnership with relevant stakeholders (national, regional and international) to defend and promote civil society space.

Language: English

Department: Department for Theology and Public Witness

The Executive Committee is one of the governing bodies of the LWF. It oversees the proper functioning of the LWF between Council meetings. The Executive Committee shall normally meet semiannually, with one meeting in conjunction with the Council meeting.

More information:

Executive Committee

Note: As of May 2018, the Meeting of Officers is called Executive Committee.