Youth present their pre-Assembly message to the first plenary of the Twelfth Assembly, Namibia, May 2017. Photo: LWF/Albin Hillert
Join online discussion and share thoughts and ideas
(LWI) - Lutheran youth have started the discussion on revival in the church.
On 13 April the Global Young Reformers’ Network (GYRN) will host an online discussion looking at ways of promoting interest in the churches. It will open a series of conversations on the topic, which was identified as a priority for the work of LWF youth in the years to come and made a resolution of the Twelfth Assembly of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF).
“The idea for this first encounter on the topic is to share views, worries, hopes, ideas, dreams and prayers,” Global Young Reformers’ Network interim coordinator Carolina Huth says. “We would like to share our views, discuss them with other young people, learn from our dreams, worries and hopes, and grow in our understanding and faith. This gathering of reflections will for sure be something that the new steering team of the Young Reformers 2.0 will use.”
The idea for this first encounter on the topic is to share views, worries, hopes, ideas, dreams and prayers.
In the first part of the discussion, speakers will share their views on the statement “Revival of our Churches”, taken from the LWF youth pre-assembly message to the Assembly. The discussion will then delve into detail: What is the revival we are looking for? What have churches done and are doing to revive? What is the role the youth can play?
The “young reformers open space” is a structure that started at the GYRN meeting. Workshop Wittenberg, in 2015. A year later, online meetings were launched.
Strategic priority
Revival is one of three priorities to shape the next phase of LWF Youth work. The message of the youth pre-assembly to the Assembly said, in part, that churches must be bold, flexible and proud of their Lutheran identity in the face of ever-present change:
“Staying rooted in the Gospel, we must honor our diversity and contextualize worship throughout the communion while improving our work to spread the Gospel and being a welcoming communion,” the message says.
“Lutheran youth play a significant role with the revival of churches and share this responsibility with the whole church. Intergenerational dialogue and leadership are essential to this task.”
The message said that raising visibility is key to showing the world that being Lutheran is much more than attending worship and providing services. Through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, Lutherans are freed to serve their neighbors.
The online discussion takes place on April 13 at 15:00–16:00 central European time.
For more information contact:
Carolina Huth
