wfn.org | News in Brief

[FRANK_IMHOFF.parti@ecunet.org (FRANK IMHOFF)]

 ... Ordination to honorary ministry. In the Evangelical Church of the
Augsburg Confession in Austria "suitable women and men with experience in
congregational work" can in the future be ordained to an honorary
ministry, the general synod decided on 29 October.This however does not
mean that the church employs them as pastors. According to Oberkirchenrat
Johannes Dantine, this opportunity is given especially to persons who,
after training in the church did not get a job, to persons with an
education at the faculty but no training in the church, and to persons who
did not complete theological studies but clearly have high theological
qualifications.

 ... Publication on baptism. The October issue of WorshipNet on baptism
has just been published and is distributed together with the recent
Chicago Statement on Worship and Culture: Baptism and Rites of Life
Passage (available in English, German, Spanish and French). This issue of
WorshipNet is the last publication edited by the Rev. Anita Stauffer,
study secretary for Worship and Congregational Life in the Department for
Theology and Studies of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) before she
returns to the USA in December. WorshipNet and the Chicago Statement can
be obtained from the LWF/DTS Office for Theology and Congregational Life,
P.O. Box 2100, CH-1211 Geneva 2 or via e-mail rd@lutheranworld.org.

 ... Quitting the press service. The synod of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Thuringia (Germany) will face considerable problems if it
continues funding the Evangelische Pressedienst-Ost (epd-Ost). As a
result, its meeting held mid-November recommended that membership to the
service be terminated.Although the committee for public relations said
that the work of epd-Ost was indispensable "both for the Thuringian church
and all other churches in the east" the decision was not rescinded.

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Lutheran World Information
Assistant Editor, English: Pauline Mumia
E-mail: jbn@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/