wfn.org | Proposal to Consider Initiating Name Change for Lutheran World Federation

["Frank Imhoff" <franki@elca.org>]

General Secretary's Report to LWF Council

07 - LWF COUNCIL MEETING, 12-19 JUNE 2001

GENEVA, 13 June 2001 (LWI) - At its 2001 meeting taking place here June
12-19, the Council of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) was asked to
consider initiating a possible name change in order to explicitly identify
the Federation as a communion of churches.

In introductory remarks to the General Secretary's Report to the Council,
Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko, LWF General Secretary pointed out that the name "The
Lutheran World Federation" was an appropriate description of the reality and
quality of relationship among churches in the Federation until 1984.
However, it has become evident that the churches' quality of life no longer
could be sufficiently profiled in "federal" terms because it has since
developed beyond that definition.

In presenting this proposal, Noko recognized that the LWF's Eighth Assembly
in Curitiba, Brazil in 1990 effected a constitutional amendment, formally
introducing the concept of koinonia (communion, participation) to describe
the Federation's "nature and function." This was a way to clearly express
that the churches' life together encompasses two aspects, communion and
instrument. "The member churches are the Lutheran communion, an inseparable
and integral part of wider communion," Noko said.

Noko also asked the Council to deliberate ways in which future assemblies of
the LWF and other Christian world communions (CWCs) and the World Council of
Churches (WCC) could be structured so that coordinate and joint assemblies
are accommodated. He expressed conviction that the WCC is so far the only
ecumenical instrument the churches have that has the potential to provide
the needed framework within which "CWCs such as the LWF and WARC can develop
their own assemblies in a coordinated way with eventual convergence."

But he pointed to the fact that not all CWCs and church families could be
members of the WCC and proposed certain considerations. From a Lutheran
perspective, it is important that developments take place, making way for
the Roman Catholic Church to become fully participative at all levels in the
WCC. Citing ecumenical declarations such as the Joint Declaration on the
Doctrine of Justification signed by the LWF and the Vatican in 1999, and
other agreements resulting from regional and national ecumenical initiatives
in which LWF churches are involved, Noko called for recognition that "we
stand at a very important crossroads in the process of the ecumenical
movement."

The general secretary urged the 2001 meeting of the LWF governing body to
consider the spacing of Council meetings. He noted that meeting every 12
months as stipulated in the Constitution does not provide sufficient time to
accomplish follow-up work. Also with the current reduced staffing level, "it
is not possible to prepare for the Council and Executive Committee and
undertake daily work simultaneously."

In his introductory remarks, the general secretary expressed regret that
this year's meeting could not take place in Bethlehem and Jerusalem as
originally decided because of the conflict situation there. However he
underlined that the Council agenda had been structured in such a way that
the theme "The Church: Called to a Ministry of Reconciliation" proposed by
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan (ELCJ) would receive "full
attention." This year's Council will be asked to decide on the date and
location of the 2002 meeting, taking into account that the ELCJ's invitation
still stands.

Noko also spoke of unprecedented lvels of violence worldwide due to a myriad
of complex reasons. Violence is sometimes so subtle that one may not
consider it occurring in families, churches and nations. The Seventh LWF
Assembly in Budapest, Hungary in 1984 adopted a resolution that recognized
sexism as a form of violence. Seventeen years later the resolution, under
which a number of follow-up actions are proposed, remains ever more
relevant, Noko said. In this connection, he pointed to the draft paper
"Churches Say 'NO' to Violence Against Women - Action Plan for the Churches"
coordinated through the Department for Mission and Development desk for
Women in Church and Society.

Another concern highlighted by the general secretary is locating the
"disappeared" people who are arrested and kept in isolation by organized
groups or government officials inflicting immense suffering on victims and
their families.

On HIV/AIDS, Noko stressed that "the silence must be broken". He expressed
appreciation for very decisive action by some of the LWF member churches and
ecumenical organizations in responding to the pandemic, which he described
as one of the "most serious health challenges" today. In a letter to LWF
member churches last December, the general secretary pointed to areas of
concern that require concerted effort and renewed imagination in seeking
ways to address this issue.

The HIV/AIDS pandemic has coincided with economic globalization, presenting
new opportunities for international solidarity but also new obstacles to
effective response. In response to the pandemic, LWF's witness and advocacy
must address impediments such as the high cost and lack of accessibility of
poor people and countries to new patent-protected pharmaceuticals, which
could help relieve the suffering of people and communities living with
HIV/AIDS.

In his remarks the general secretary also emphasized the importance of
consultations, conferences, workshops and meetings organized by the LWF,
saying they provide a forum to discuss theological and social issues facin
the churches at any given time.

Also he welcomed and encouraged exchange visits among churches, from member
churches to ecumenical partners, and to the LWF Geneva secretariat, saying
these encounters contribute significantly to building bridges and healing
within the body of Christ.

In his usual report to the Council meeting, the general secretary presented
an overview of activities undertaken during the year under review.

*       *       *
(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now has 131 member
churches in 72 countries representing over 60.2 million of the nearly 64
million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches
in areas of common interest such as ecumenical relations, theology,
humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various
aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of the Lutheran
World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted, material presented does
not represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various units.
Where the dateline of an article contains the notation (LWI), the material
may be freely reproduced with acknowledgement.]

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