wfn.org | LWF Council 09-2005 Three Full Members Push LWF Churches

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

LWF Council Extends Full Membership to Three Churches Pushing Total
Worldwide to 140 
Norwegian, Peruvian and Indian Churches Join LWF

LWF Council Meeting in Jerusalem/Bethlehem, 
31 August * 6 September 2005

PRESS RELEASE N0. 09-2005

JERUSALEM/BETHLEHEM, 5 September 2005 (LWI) * The Council of the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF) extended full membership to three
churches in India, Norway and Peru, pushing the number of LWF member
churches worldwide from the current 138 to 140, as one church was
already an associate member church. 

The Council approved full LWF membership for the 21,000-member
Evangelical Lutheran Free Church of Norway, which has held associate
membership since 1997. The Peruvian Lutheran Evangelical Church (ILEP)
with 1,110 members was a recognized congregation. The Evangelical
Lutheran Church in the Himalayan States (ELCITHS) in India with 23,350
members has had no previous recognition by the LWF. It has however been
a member of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India (UELCI)
since November 2002. 

The new churches increase LWF membership by slightly over 21,500
Christians to 65,948,879 in 78 countries compared to the 65,927,334 in
77 countries recorded at the end of 2004.

Founded in 1877, the Norwegian church has one synod and five
presbyteries with 82 congregations all over the country. It has 70
ordained male pastors. In 2005, the church decided to introduce the
ordination of women. It is a member of the Christian Council of Norway
and the Council of Free Churches in Norway. It has regular relationships
with several LWF member churches.

The ILEP is already a recognized congregation of the LWF. It has 12
congregations and three mission points served by 13 pastors, five of
whom are women. It has its origins in an initiative from the Lutheran
Evangelical Church in Peru, and the missionary work of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America from 1967 to 1982. Its ecumenical work
includes participation in an inter-confessional dialogue committee with
other Christian denominations, and also with the Jewish community.

The ELCITHS brings together four different churches representing five
distinct ethnic communities in the Himalayan States. The church's
current activities include among others, adult literacy education, a
child development program and a rehabilitation center for drug addicts.

The Himalayan States' church has had a close association with the
UELCI for the last ten years. It is a member of the LWF National
Committee in India. Through the UELCI, a body of eleven Lutheran
churches, the ELCITHS is also a member of the World Council of Churches.
Women's ordination is a long tradition of the church that has one
woman bishop. (410 words)

*There are around 170 participants in this year's Council meeting,
including representatives from the LWF member churches on the 49-member
governing body. Also attending are officials from LWF partner
organizations, invited guests, stewards, interpreters and translators,
and LWF staff. The Council is the annual governing body meeting between
Assemblies held every six years. The current Council was appointed at
the July 2003 Tenth Assembly in Winnipeg, Canada. It comprises the
President, Treasurer and 48 persons elected by the Assembly. Other
members include advisors, who are ordained and lay persons representing
the different LWF regions. 

During the Council Meeting, the LWF Office for Communication Services
can be reached at mobile telephone No. +972 52 378 1673.

*	*	*

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 140
member churches in 78 countries all over the world, with a total
membership of nearly 66 million. 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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