Member churches and related diakonia organizations need continual, intensive accompaniment to improve their organizational performance, human resource management, and policy appraisals. In 2012, LAC member churches decided to develop a human and institutional capacity development framework to tackle these issues.

As such, a series of workshops were held in 2016. Workshop participants comprised church leaders, theological educators, diakonia/development practitioners, representatives of women's and youth ministries, and people with disabilities. At the end the workshops, each member church drew up a draft action plan for diakonia projects and programs.

2016 workshops

LAC - Nicaragua 16–18 August, was hosted by the Nicaraguan Lutheran Church of Faith and Hope. Thirty participants from five member churches in Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua) took part.

Africa - Cameroon 11-14 October, was hosted by the two Lutheran churches in Cameroon. Eighteen participants from four member churches in West Africa (Cameroon, Senegal and the Central African Republic) took part.

Asia - Nepal 1-5 November, was hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Nepal. Some 25 participants from four member churches in Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka) took part.

Africa - Kenya 15–18 November, hosted by the two Lutheran churches in Kenya. Thirty participants from eight member churches in East Africa (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda and Tanzania) will take part

Stories:

Expressing God's love through serving the neighbor

Seeking innovative approaches to diaconal service

Churches share best practice in fight against injustice

Statement:

Central and east African churches



 

The LWF Human and Institutional Capacity Development program accompanies and empowers the member churches through facilitating skills oriented workshops and supporting further training of leaders and staff in relevant vocations. HICD Frameworks were developed during the “Strategic Leadership Seminars” in Africa & Asia (2011) and in Latin America and the Caribbean (2012) to serve as guides/tools for developing training plans, improving management of human resources and reviewing/updating relevant policies.

Specific workshops were facilitated by DMD in selected member churches to enhance the dissemination of the Frameworks; focusing on Human Resources Management and Transformative Leadership to deepen diaconal impacts at different levels. The joint review meeting will map specific follow-ups and effects of the HICD Frameworks so far; and seek ways to increase their relevance and adaptabilities for future accompaniment.

Read the revised HICD framework for Latin America and the Caribbean

Access to quality education and health services plays a pivotal role in reducing extreme poverty and boosting economic growth. However, women and children are often left behind.

The workshop uses the perspectives of gender justice and child rights to focus on health and education. The participants will be equipped with contemporary skills to enable churches in Africa to engage more effectively in education and health provision. This especially means ensuring equal access to these basic services and guaranteeing the rights of the vulnerable and marginalized people. Diaconal actors, women, youth and church leaders will be encouraged to work with government and civil society in a meaningful way when it comes to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals focusing on health, education and gender equality.

The event will be in English with whispering interpretation in French.

Hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania.

Download the agenda

First Conviviality Workshop of the New European Diaconal Process 2017-2020

Diaconal actors from 3 European LWF regions discuss convivial living in Europe with particular emphasis on people on the move.

21 participants from 11 European member churches of the Lutheran World Federation will meet in Romania for the 4-day-workshop “People on the Move – Bridges or Walls?”

This workshop is part of the LWF European Diaconal Process “Seeking Conviviality”, organized in cooperation with the International Academy for Diaconia (interdiac). It aims at supporting the work of member churches in the field of diakonia, with particular attention to aspects of identity.

An international think tank of experienced diaconal actors will explore the borders they see in the world and the borders they perceive within themselves, to find a firm theological basis for their efforts to counter populism and xenophobia in their respective countries. The exposure to the local history and context of migration in Romania, the ensuing discussions and exchange of experiences based on the participants’ individual contexts will enable them to build a strong diaconal network among the churches of the three European regions of the LWF.

Global meeting and official launch of an LWF initiative aimed at involving churches with the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The meeting will for the first time bring together different stakeholders involved in the global LWF initiative “Waking the Giant – Churches’ Involvement in the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development”. This includes the National Coordinators from the current four target countries (Liberia, Tanzania, Colombia, United States), representatives of participating churches, and funding partners.

The first day will end with an official public launch of the initiative, which will be attended by UN agencies and leaders from the ecumenical movement, who will jointly reflect on the role that churches play in reaching the SDGs and the potential of strengthened partnerships between faith-based actors, governments and the UN in achieving the Agenda 2030.

Waking the Giant - New Website

Open to the public on 10 October 2018.

The public and media representatives are invited to attend the launch and reception on the 10 October 2018 at the Ecumenical Center (Visser‘t Hooft Hall) from 17-18:30.

Speakers

• Rev. Dr Martin Junge, General Secretary, LWF
• Nadia Isler, Director SDG Lab, UNOG

Panel discussion on the role which churches play in reaching the SDGs and the potential of partnerships between faith-based actors, governments and the UN in achieving the Agenda 2030

• Mikka McCracken, Director, World Hunger Planning and Engagement, ELCA
• H.E. James Alex Msekela, Ambassador, Permanent Mission to the UNOG, Tanzania
• Rev Christopher Wleh Toe I, General Secretary, Liberia Council of Churches
• Alfonso Barragues, Deputy Director, UNFPA Geneva Office

Visit the Website

LUCCEA member churches Capacity building workshop

This is a Training of Trainers (TOT) workshop that seeks to realize increased capacity among church diaconal actors to initiate and implement inclusive community resilience (ICR) projects by communities utilizing innovative skills.

The main challenge to be addressed is ensuring that advocacy engagements become more collaborative and well networked to ensure sustainability. In view of improving specific skills for diaconal engagement the training shall focus on specific and selected topics: “Building ICR”, “Embracing Diversity in ICR”, “Promoting Learning and Innovation” and “Characteristics of Resilience”.  ICR link to Sustainable Development Goals and the Framework on Overcoming Poverty shall be demonstrated and the revised program implementation strategy rolled out.

Language: English and French

Department: Department for Mission and Development

Churches and sustainable development

Workshop on the UN Agenda 2030 for churches from Colombia and Latin America

The LWF Department for Mission and Development, together with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Colombia (IELCO) and the Fundación Camino de Emaús, is planning a workshop on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for LWF member churches from the Latin American and Caribbean region. They will be joined by representatives of Colombian churches that participate in the ‘Waking the Giant’ initiative.

The purpose of the workshop is to:

• Raise awareness on SDGs and their relevance to the work of the churches
• Gather existing experience on working with SDGs from the region
• Provide churches with tools for relating their work to SDGs (by introducing ‘Waking the Giant’ SDG self-assessment tool)
• Promote the ‘Waking the Giant’ initiative within the region
• Further plan implementation of the ‘Waking the Giant’ initiative in Colombia.

Waking the Giant

UN Commission on the Status of Women – Parallel event

How do communities of faith promote dignity, justice, and social protection?

Join us for conversation with churches from Colombia, Liberia, Tanzania and the United States as we raise awareness and partner together for positive change.

“Waking the Giant” is a global ecumenical initiative designed to build the capacity of churches to contribute effectively to the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Preliminary program:

• What is Waking the Giant? Introduction to the global initiative
• Agenda 2030 as an opportunity for convening Churches to jointly promote dignity, justice and service – the examples of Colombia and Liberia
• Churches working together to achieve SDG5 – the example of Tanzania
• Churches and Agenda 2030 in the Global North – the example of the United States
• Questions and answers

Waking the Giant

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Germany: “17 Weeks, 17 Goals” online campaign on the UN Sustainable Development Goals 17 January 2022 NEUENDETTELSAU, Germany/GENEVA New SDGs training manual for faith-based actors 24 August 2021 GENEVA, Switzerland Churches are key partners for UN’s 2030 Agenda 7 July 2021 GENEVA, Switzerland Peacebuilding a priority for post-pandemic world 21 September 2020 GENEVA, Switzerland

Second Conviviality Workshop in the LWF European Diaconal Process

Participants will continue to reflect on the concept of conviviality defined as “the art and practice of living together” in the context of growing cultural change in Europe. The background of this workshop is a need to respond to growing mobility, migration and refugee movements.

Through visiting several diaconal programs, participants will get an impression of the huge diversity present in Amsterdam, and at the same time connect to the local Lutheran community.

Their task will be to seek conviviality in practice by reflecting on their personal, congregational and civil society experience and by creating a safe space for mutual learning. They will work on a convivial theology and on a convivial pedagogy for pastoral and diaconal work with different groups.

The aim of the workshop is to enhance advocacy and sharing, to promote conviviality as a key concept and to create interregional links within the LWF and with other partners and processes.

European Diaconal Process

A diaconal workshop including selected churches from Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines

The workshop aims to equip participating churches with the knowledge and skills to implement their diaconal work more effectively and sustainably. It provides space for participants to share challenges and lessons learned from their diaconal work in their specific contexts so that they can inspire and learn from each other.

The training will focus on overall strategic planning, human and institutional capacity development, as well as project planning, monitoring, evaluation and reporting.

The workshop is hosted by the Lutheran Church in the Philippines.

Capacity for Diakonia

Human & Institutional Capacity Development