wfn.org | Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark Joins Leuenberg Fellowship

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

Noko Underlines Danish Church's 'Traditions and Gifts'

FREDERICIA, Denmark/GENEVA, 22 May 2001 (LWI) - At a worship service on May
13 in the Danish town of Fredericia, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Denmark (ELCD) celebrated its decision to become a full member of the
Leuenberg Church Fellowship (LCF).

In attendance were the Danish Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs, Johannes
Lebech, members of the ELCD Council on International Relations,
representatives of the LCF, Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Reformed,
Methodist and Roman Catholic churches in Denmark as well as the Church of
Norway and Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, according to an ELCD
press release.

LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko described the step taken by the
Danish church as a significant move into a new ecumenical context to which
it will contribute "its gifts and traditions." Noko's remarks were included
in a letter of congratulations to Rev. Ane Hjerrild, General Secretary, ELCD
Council on International Relations.

The ELCD joined the LWF in 1947 and has 4.5 million members representing
more than 90 percent of the Danish population.

Noko expressed his conviction that the Danish church would be an important
participant in future discussions on the compatibility of the different
ecumenical relations involving Lutheran churches in northern Europe such as
the church fellowships based on the Leuenberg Agreement and the Porvoo
Declaration. Bishop emeritus Andreas Aarflot represented the LWF at the
worship service in the seventeenth century church of Trinitatis.

After the sermon Paul Verner Skµrved, chairperson of the ELCD Council on
International Relations handed over the signatory declaration to LCF
President Heinrich Rusterholz, saying:

"We ask the President of the Leuenberg Church Fellowship to accept the
decision of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark to accept the
Leuenberg Agreement. With this document we declare fellowship in word and
sacrament together with all the member churches in the Leuenberg Church
Fellowship and commit ourselves to the unity of the Church given in Jesus
Christ, Our Lord."

The signatory declaration is a letter stating what the ELCD understands as
its obligation as a member church of the Leuenberg fellowship. In the
declaration the ELCD expresses its positive evaluation of the Leuenberg
Agreement emphasizing its wish to join the LCF on equal terms with the other
churches that are members.

The Leuenberg Agreement was finalized in Lueuenberg, Switzerland in 1973 and
adopted by most of the Lutheran, Reformed and United churches in Europe and
the related churches of the Waldensians, Czech Brethren and Hussites. Under
the agreement, the signatory churches express their commitment to a common
understanding of the gospel and the implementation of fellowship by
overcoming doctrinal condemnations of the Reformation. The LCF, to which a
majority of these churches belong is an association that includes most of
the Reformation churches in Europe and some churches in Latin America.

In signing the Leuenberg Agreement, the Danish church becomes the LCF's
103rd member. Although it did not sign in the seventies, the ELCD has been
included as a "fully participating church" in practice since 1975 on the
basis of a letter from the Bishop of Copenhagen.

The full text of the signatory declaration can be found on the Council's
website: www.interchurch.dk/dok/leuenberg-sign-eng.htm 

(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.]

*       *       *
LUTHERAN WORLD INFORMATION
PO Box 2100, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
Editor's e-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org
Tel: (41.22) 791.63.54
Fax: (41.22) 791.66.30
http://www.lutheranworld.org/News/Articles/EN/LWI