wfn.org | First ecumenical discussions in Finland on mission cooperation

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

Joining forces to encourage young people to serve

GENEVA, 2 November 1998 (lwi) - Concern about the future of mission work
united the over 100 representatives of different churches and Christian
organizations taking part in the first broadly-based ecumenical mission
conference in Finland between October 20 and 22 in Lohja. The conference
recommended joining forces to encourage young people to serve. The
participants also hoped the discussions would continue in the future.

Within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF), there are seven
mission organizations with over 500 missionaries doing field work. Other
churches and Christian organizations in Finland have over 800 missionaries.
There are plans to strengthen cooperation among these organizations.

Mission director David Wang from Asian Outreach International, Hong Kong,
recommended that the Finnish churches develop a "strategic companionship."
While some participants claimed that being children of God is a sufficient
base for cooperation, others stressed the importance of a common doctrine.
The participants agreed not to speak ill of each other, but to pray for
common goals.

The ELCF currently faces a shortage of both new missionaries and funds,
whereas the free churches have missionaries but not enough funds.

Among the participants in the conference, besides the ELCF, were
representatives from the Free Churches, the Pentecostal Church, the
Methodist Church, and the Orthodox Church.

*       *       *
Lutheran World Information
Editorial Assistant: Janet Bond-Nash
E-mail: jbn@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/