wfn.org | Further Decisions of the LWF Council Meeting, August 31 -

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

Further Decisions of the LWF Council Meeting, August 31 - September 6

In addition to the earlier LWI press releases on the August 31-September 6
meeting of the Council of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Jerusalem, please find below a further summary of decisions taken by the LWF
governing body. Links are provided to the full articles and related
references under the "News" section of the LWF Web site.

LWF Council Affirms Report on LWF's Involvement in Ecumenical Reconfiguration Discussion
Proposals for Further Participation in Proposed Ecumenical Alliance for
Development

JERUSALEM/BETHLEHEM 15 September 2005 (LWI) - At its August 31-September 6
meeting the LWF Council affirmed the report of the June 2005 LWF consultation on the "The Future of the LWF in the Context of Ecumenical Reconfiguration." The LWF governing body asked the General Secretary to bring a
proposal to the next LWF Executive Committee meeting on more concrete ways
of collaborating with the World Council of Churches (WCC) as outlined in
the consultation's report. The Council's decision followed discussions of
this report by all the seven Program Committees.
(More * http://www.lutheranworld.org/News/LWI/EN/1739.EN.html)

LWF Strategic Planning Process to Continue with Regular Reports to
Governing Bodies
SPP Terms of Reference to also Include Focus on LWF's Renewal

The Council of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) requested the General
Secretary to continue with the Strategic Planning Process (SPP) initiated
by the governing body in September 2004.

The SPP is considered an essential tool in helping the LWF adapt to new
challenges that include reduced staff and financial resources and at the
same time provide a realistic, relevant and sustainable work plan for the
Secretariat. All Program Committees discussed the report on this process
and made recommendations on which the Council actions were based. (More *
http://www.lutheranworld.org/News/LWI/EN/1740.EN.html)

LWF Council Receives Interim Report on Family, Marriage and Human
Sexuality
Not an Easy Dialogue on Potentially Church-dividing Issues, but Positive
for Churches

JERUSALEM/BETHLEHEM, 15 September 2005 (LWI) * At its August 31 *September
6 meeting, the Council of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) received an
interim report from the Task Force on Dialogue on Issues of Family,
Marriage and Human Sexuality.

The interim report of the eight-person team appointed by the Council in
September 2004, presented an account of their first meeting in April 2005,
and the issues that had been considered so far. These included responses
from 29 LWF member churches on the subject of family, marriage and human
sexuality. (More * http://www.lutheranworld.org/News/LWI/EN/1741.EN.html)

Call for Policy on Information Society, Focus on Communication Rights
LWF Member Churches Urged to Participate in WSIS

JERUSALEM/BETHLEHEM, 15 September 2005 (LWI) * At its August 31 *September
6 meeting, the Council of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) requested
the LWF Secretariat to develop in consultation with the member churches a
policy on the Information Society with a specific focus on communication
rights.

Acting on recommendations from the Program Committee for Communication
Services, the LWF governing body also urged the member churches to
actively engage in the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)
taking place in Tunisia in November 2005. Churches were equally encouraged
to address the issue of communication rights at the national levels with
their governments. (More * http://www.lutheranworld.org/News/LWI/EN/1742.EN.html)

(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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