wfn.org | LWF now has 131 member churches worldwide

[FRANK.IMHOFF@ecunet.org]

LWF COUNCIL MEETING, TURKU, FINLAND, 14-21 JUNE 2000
PRESS RELEASE NO. 19

TURKU, Finland/GENEVA, 21 June 2000 (LWI) - The number of churches in
the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has risen from 128 in June 1999 to
131 in June 2000, following the acceptance of three new members into the
communion.

At its meeting in Turku, Finland from 14 to 21 June 2000, the Council
welcomed into full membership of the LWF three member churches from Asia
with a total membership of 38, 569 baptized members. They include two
churches in Indonesia, and one from Myanmar, making it the first time
that the LWF has a member church in the latter country.

Joining the LWF for the first time is the Gereja Kristen Protestan
Pakpak Dairi, (GKPPD) church in Indonesia with 27,033 members. This
church has 10 ordained pastors and 35 congregations. It is a member of
the Communion of Churches in Indonesia. Another newcomer is the Gereja
Protestan Persekutuan (GPP), also in Indonesia, with some 10,000 members
being served by 10 ordained pastors in 25 congregations. It is a member
of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church Myanmar has 1,536 members and it is a
member of the Myanmar Christian Council. With the additional two
churches in Indonesia, there are now 10 LWF member churches in that
country.

Meanwhile the 2001 meeting of the LWF Council will take place from 12 to
19 June in Jerusalem. The meeting will be hosted by the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Jordan (ELCJ). Bishop Munib A. Younan welcomed the
Council's decision to hold the next meeting there. The ELCJ, a member of
the LWF since 1974 has 3,000 members.

(The LWF is a global communion of 128 member churches in 70 countries
representing 59 million of the world's 63 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. The LWF 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 acknowledgment.]

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Lutheran World Information
Assistant Editor, English: Pauline Mumia
E-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/