wfn.org | Sign of reconciliation in Croatian church

[FRANK_IMHOFF.parti@ecunet.org]

Reply-to: FRANK_IMHOFF.parti@ecunet.org

First coordination committee meets 
 
GENEVA, 20 December 1999 (lwi) - Following the first meeting of the
coordination Committee for the Evangelical Church in Croatia (ECC) there is a
clear sign and witness towards cooperation and reunification of the LWF member
church which has been experiencing an internal split as a result of disputes
about its leadership since February 1996. 
 
During the meeting held in Geneva on 16 December 1999, both sides, -- the ECC
was split into two administrative points, one based in Zagreb and the other in
Legrad -- together with the partners, underlined the importance and need to
launch joint projects that would promote unity. All the parties concerned
committed themselves to work for mutual transparency and building of
confidence. 
 
When opening the meeting of the Coordination Committee, the LWF General
Secretary Dr. Ishmael Noko underlined: "The LWF commitment for unity is only
possible if the ECC is willing to do so." 
 
The LWF has tried to mediate to resolve the ECC conflict since it began more
than three years ago. Several LWF delegations were sent to Croatia, and many
times both sides under the leadership of the late Dr. Vlado Deutsch and the
Rev. Marijan Sporcic visited Geneva but no concrete steps were reached towards
a solution. Due to this lack of cooperation the LWF suspended all financial
support to the ECC as of 1997. 
 
The LWF Executive Committee at its meeting in Bratislava, in June 1999, made a
last attempt and proposal for cooperation. The committee noted that the ECC
congregations have suffered the most during this conflict and they needed to
be cared for. The LWF General Secretary was asked to establish a Coordination
Committee, which shall be responsible for the external support and project
planning. 
 
This proposal was discussed at a meeting in Graz, Austria, in September 1999.
At the meeting, sponsored by the LWF/Department for Mission and Development
(DMD), both sides accepted the proposals of the LWF Executive Committee, and
later confirmed this position in writing to the LWF General Secretary. Based
on Dr. Noko's letter of 15 November 1999, the Coordination Committee was
established. It is composed of three members from each side of the ECC, one
member representing each partner (for the time being: Norwegian Mission
Society (NMS)/ Norway, the Messengers/Finland, Evangelical Church in Germany
(EKD), the Gustav-Adolf Werk (GAW) and the Evangelical Church in
Pfalz/Germany), and chairperson representing the LWF Secretariat in Geneva in
this case, Dr. Olli-Pekka Lassila, the LWF Europe Secretary. 
 
Terms of Reference for the Committee were jointly accepted at the first
meeting in Geneva. The purpose of the Committee is to work, during an interim
period of three years (2000-2002) for the support of ECC congregations, and to
coordinate the sharing of resources from partners and among ECC congregations.

 
There is also a common agreement about another committee (Unity Commission)
which shall be established next year. A primary task for this committee is to
formulate a new (common) Constitution for the ECC and to prepare a joint
Convention (Synod). The next meeting of the Coordination Committee will be
held in Zagreb on 17 March 2000. 
 
The ECC has been a member of the LWF since 1951. 
 
(The LWF is a global communion of 128 member churches in 70 countries
representing 58 million of the world's 61.5 million Lutherans. Its highest
decision making body is the Assembly, held every six or seven years. Between
Assemblies, the LWF is governed by a 49-member Council which meets annually,
and its Executive Committee.) 
 
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