LWF/DWS director Rev. Eberhard Hitzler (left) and newly appointed DMD director Rev. Dr Carlos Bock © LWF/S. Gallay
Compilation of 2013 Council Actions
(LWI) Following the decision of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Council to hold the Twelfth LWF Assembly in 2017 in Windhoek, Namibia, the governing body appointed an eight-person Assembly Planning Committee (APC) to guide preparations for the next meeting of LWF’s highest decision-making body.
At its meeting in Geneva, 13-18 June, the Council accepted an invitation to host the assembly from the bishops of the three LWF member churches in Namibia—Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN), Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia (ELCRN) and the German-speaking Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN-GELC).
The APC comprises representatives from each of the seven LWF regions, and ensures generational and gender balances. In addition, it has two consultants to support the assembly planning process.
Africa is represented by two members; ELCRN Bishop Dr Zephania Kameeta and youth Council member Ms Mami Brunah Aro Sandaniaina from the Malagasy Lutheran Church in Madagascar. Other committee members include Bishop Dr Nicolas Tai, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong (Asia); Rev. Dr Gloria Rojas Vargas, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chile (Latin America and the Caribbean); youth Council member Ms Mikka McCracken, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (North America); Rev. Agnes Pángyánszky, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary (Central Eastern Europe); Rev. Dr Kjell Nordstokke, Church of Norway (Nordic Countries); and Superintendent Oliver Dantine, Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Austria (Central Western Europe).
The two consultants, Rev. Dr Chandran Paul Martin, Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church (India) and Rev. Klaus Rieth, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Württemberg (Germany), served as coordinators of the 2010 LWF Eleventh Assembly for the Communion Office and host church respectively.
Nordstokke, a former director of the LWF Department for Mission and Development, will serve as chairperson of the 2017 APC.
142 LWF Member Churches
Approving recommendations presented by the Standing Committee for Constitution and Membership, the Council noted with joy the merger of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad into the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, and affirmed the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church as a founding member of the LWF. The Council also welcomed the United Protestant Church of France into LWF membership following the merger of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of France with the Reformed Church of France.
With these changes, the LWF now has 142 member churches.
Commitment to Ecumenical Dialogues
From recommendations by the Committee for Theology and Ecumenical Relations, the Council received the report of the Lutheran–Roman Catholic Commission on Unity, “From Conflict to Communion,” with appreciation and thanked the commission for its work. The Council noted the committee’s emphasis on the need to translate the document into local languages; develop accompanying popular study material to facilitate its accessibility to grassroots communities; and wide dissemination to theological faculties and institutions.
The Council received the report of the Institute for Ecumenical Research in Strasbourg, France, and expressed its appreciation for the Institute’s continued support and substantial contributions towards the bilateral dialogues, and its assistance to the LWF Office for Ecumenical Relations.
The Council reaffirmed LWF’s strong commitment to the ecumenical research work to which the Institute is devoted.
World Service
Receiving the report of the Committee for World Service, the Council heard that more than 1 million people in Angola and Namibia are currently affected by the most severe drought in three decades, and are lacking access to sufficient food and water.
The Council urged the LWF member churches to support with prayers and financial resources a joint drought response action planned by the LWF churches in Namibia and World Service as well as the ACT Forum and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Angola.
Emphasizing the need to take action, the committee informed the Council that “this very serious situation” was overshadowed by larger crises globally, and risked not receiving “the necessary attention and support.”
Communications
The Council received the report of the Standing Committee for Communication, outlining major achievements made over the past year in developing an LWF communication strategy; a visual identity including the launch of the new LWF Web site at the Council meeting; and better communication cooperation across the Communion Office.
The committee informed the Council that the program plans for communication in 2014 will prioritize the building of regional communication networks in the LWF communion.
Mission and Development
In its report to the Council, the Committee for Mission and Development noted the changing dynamics in funding relationships between member churches, agencies and the LWF, including the increasing tendency by some partners to support member churches bilaterally. The need was expressed to take up discussion on how resources are shared within the LWF communion. The Council endorsed the proposal that the Department for Mission and Development (DMD) takes initiative to research and analyze these trends within the communion, with the view that this could result in the discovery of new models for relationships and collaboration between partners and DMD, especially for project funding.
The Council also received with appreciation the report of the impact assessment of the LWF HIV and AIDS campaign, and requested the Communion Office through the General Secretary to review the recommendations in the document and develop concrete action plans on how the work is continued. The LWF governing body asked member churches to consider the recommended future directions in their HIV and AIDS ministries. DMD focuses on strengthening the capacities of member churches to better address issues of HIV and AIDS especially through mainstreaming.
The Council received the proposed "Theological Framework for Capacity Development"—a document aimed at providing a basis for joint learning to enhance churches’ capacities to respond to contextual needs. It asked the Communion Office to use this framework as a basis for its work on capacity development with member churches.
Based on the report of the Special Committee for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017, the Council endorsed an animation film on Luther developed by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary as a project of the whole communion. The governing body affirmed that the film be used in Lutheran churches worldwide, and encouraged all member churches to contribute to its production and use.
Finances
Receiving the report of the Finance Committee, the Council approved the LWF Budget for 2014 with a total expenditure of EUR 87,676,868, and authorized the Communion Office to raise the funds. A surplus of EUR 10,202 and a cost-of-living adjustment of 0.5 percent in the salaries of the Geneva and field staff was also approved. The Council authorized the Meeting of Officers to approve adjustments to this budget at its next meeting.
The Council received the reports of the LWF Communion Office Operational Plan 2012, the Endowment Fund, as well as the auditors’ consolidated financial statements for 2012, and appointed Pricewaterhouse Coopers as LWF auditors.
In its report to the Council, the Finance Committee expressed concern regarding declining income for some departments and the budget challenge that this creates.
2014 Council Meeting
Responding to an invitation by the LWF National Committee in Indonesia, the Council endorsed that its next meeting will be held in Medan, Indonesia, from 12 to 17 June 2014.
