LWI 2008-031 Regional Cooperation Has Strengthened Lutheran Communion Among Latin American LWF Member Churches

[LWFNews]

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Regional Cooperation Has Strengthened Lutheran Communion Among
Latin American LWF Member Churches 
General Secretary Noko: "Church Communion Is More than a
Concept"

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras/GENEVA, 4 June 2008 (LWI) –
Representatives of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) member
churches in Latin America say an evaluation of their regional
cooperation indicates they have developed closer relations and
mutual trust at local and regional levels, thereby strengthening
their interaction as a Lutheran communion. 

"Our relations have grown closer together, along with our mutual
trust and a growing readiness to think and act as a Lutheran
communion not only locally, but also regionally," stated a
working group that dealt with the evaluation report during the
2008 LWF Latin American Church Leadership Conference (Conferencia
de Liderazgo-COL) held from 31 March to 4 April in Tegucigalpa,
Honduras. 

Concluded in February 2008, the evaluation was launched at the
April 2007 COL meeting in Santiago de Chile. It focused on the
relations and cooperation among the 14 LWF member churches in
Latin America from 2003 to 2007, and is also aimed at supporting
the region's role in the LWF renewal process. "The concept of
communion requires clear forms of expression that must be
identified in a joint dialogue," said Rev. Martin Junge, area
secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean in the LWF
Department for Mission and Development (DMD).

LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko said he was greatly
encouraged by the churches' evaluation process. "In my entire
service in the LWF, this is the first time that I see churches in
one region engage in such an extensive exercise. To my knowledge
you are the first in the communion. This exercise is in itself a
demonstration that the gift of communion among the Lutheran
churches within the Latin American region is deepening." The
general secretary said he was particularly impressed by how
pastoral resources were being shared between the churches, and by
their cooperation in theological training.

For Junge, the evaluation report had also demonstrated that
COL's responsibilities and expectations as an expression of
communion in the region have to be put in more precise terms.
"The pressing question also arises as to how the regional process
involving the LWF member churches can be anchored more deeply in
the local churches. This involves both communication strategies
and the design of participatory processes in the region," he
added. 

The church leadership conference decided to establish a working
group to draft a document stating the common understanding of the
LWF member churches in Latin America with regard to their
identity, and a description of COL's mandate. The document should
also outline the strategic tasks necessary to strengthen the
regional process.

Costa Rican Bishop Melvin Jiménez Marin, who was elected as the
new COL moderator during the Tegucigalpa meeting, explained that
the draft document would not be about institutionalizing the
regional process, which includes the conference itself. "It is
instead about maintaining our current consensus, upon which we
wish to continue to build," he added.

LWF Renewal

The conference also focused on the LWF renewal process, which
the general secretary highlighted in his presentation titled "The
LWF Today and Its Perspectives for the Future." Noko stressed
that for the LWF member churches, "being in communion radicalizes
our common life to the extent that we have to rethink, reshape
and put in place appropriate relational structures that serve the
communion in such a way that living together will not be business
as usual. [...] Communion is more than a concept. It must be
expressed in concrete spiritual and economic ways. [...] Being in
communion through Christ implies, among others, that like him,
our fellowship is radically inclusive."

With a view to the renewal process Jiménez stated his positive
view of the LWF regionalization process, which was being
discussed by the COL churches. This would particularly be the
case "if it were to be understood as the expression of a strategy
involving broader and more intensive participation."

At the COL conference, the LWF church leaders also discussed the
current developments within the Latin American Council of
Churches (Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias - CLAI), including
the February 2008 resignation of the general secretary and
regional secretaries of the ecumenical body. In a letter to the
CLAI board, the church leaders said they saw the current
situation as a challenge to "further support and intensify" their
support for CLAI's work. They would "uphold the commitment, with
the power that the Holy Spirit grants us, to continue to work
toward strengthening CLAI as an institution."

This year's COL meeting also debated further the document
adopted at the March 2007 LWF council meeting in Lund, Sweden,
titled "Proposed Guidelines and Processes for Respectful Dialogue
on Marriage, Family and Human Sexuality." The church leaders
agreed to commission a guide to facilitate the document’s
discussion at congregational level. 

"It became clear at the conference that the region's churches
had different approaches and interpretations and that the topics
discussed in the document would surely also be viewed
differently," noted Junge. "The churches seem to view as an
opportunity the five-year framework set in Lund for the churches
to continue their exchange on this topic with interregional and
international consultations, and to view the document as a help
toward conducting this discussion in an informed and factual
manner," he added. The document is available in the four LWF
official languages - English, German, French and Spanish - and
published in booklet formats in Spanish and Portuguese.

The LWF Latin America and Caribbean region stretches from Mexico
in the north to Chile and Argentina in the south, comprising 16
member churches  - 14 in Latin America, and two in the Caribbean.
In addition, there are nine LWF recognized congregations in Latin
America, all together representing around 822,000 Lutherans.
While some of the region's churches were founded in the 18th
century by immigrants, mainly from Europe, others were started by
North American and European missionaries, still others have local
roots.  (988 words)

*       *       *

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF
currently has 140 member churches in 78 countries all over the
world, with a total membership of over 68.3 million. The LWF acts
on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such
as ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian
assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects
of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.)

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