wfn.org | Norwegian Theologian Oppegaard Appointed LWF Interim Deputy

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

Norwegian Theologian Oppegaard Appointed LWF Interim Deputy General Secretary

GENEVA, 12 February 2004 (LWI) - The Council of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) approved through a mail vote the appointment of Rev. Sven Oppegaard as interim deputy general secretary for the period 1 January to 31 December 2004. Oppegaard, 59, continues his responsibilities as LWF Assistant General Secretary for Ecumenical Affairs, a position held since August 1997. As interim deputy general secretary, Oppegaard will, among other duties, be deputizing for the LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko. 

A member of the Church of Norway, Oppegaard pursued his theological studies at the University of Oslo in the sixties. From 1972 to 1978 he worked as a parish pastor in Hamaroy, North of the Arctic Circle. During this time he was also a member of the theological commission of the Church of Norway Council on Ecumenical and International Relations. 

 From 1978 to 1981 Oppegaard was a scholar with the Norwegian Research Council, focusing on the first phase of the Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue on "The Gospel and the Church." From 1982 he taught pastoral theology and liturgy at the School of Practical Theology, University of Oslo. He was a member of the national Norwegian Lutheran-Roman Catholic and Lutheran-Methodist commissions. In 1991, Oppegaard was named Dean of Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, where he devoted special attention to the liturgical, pastoral and ecumenical life of the cathedral. In 1995 he moved to Switzerland, to serve as a pastor in the Church of Norway Abroad, based in Geneva. Prior to joining the LWF in 1997, Oppegaard was co-opted as worship coordinator of the LWF Ninth Assembly in Hong Kong, China.

As LWF Assistant General Secretary for Ecumenical Affairs, he serves as the
Lutheran secretary for the various international bilateral dialogues and
relations with Christian world communions, and with the World Council of
Churches. Oppegaard and his wife Susan have three adult children and four
grandchildren. (320 words)

[The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now has 136 member
churches in 76 countries representing over 61.7 million of the 65.4 million
Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas
of common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith 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 LWF's information service. 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
acknowledgment.]

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