wfn.org | Papua New Guinea: Lutheran Churches Request LWF Mediation

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

Disagreement Led to Founding of Independent Church

LAE, Papua New Guinea/GENEVA, 15 May 2002 (LWI) - Mediation in
serious church conflicts featured prominently in the April 18-21
Papua New Guinea visit of Lutheran World Federation (LWF)
president, Bishop emeritus Dr. Christian Krause.

Krause told Lutheran World Information (LWI) he was bringing the
churches' request that the LWF act as mediator in disagreements
that led to the January 2000 founding of the Melpa Lutheran Church
in Papua New Guinea (MLC-PNG) in the central highlands of the
island nation.

The 30,000-member MLC-PNG stemmed from the Mount Hagen district of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea (ELC-PNG), an
LWF member church since 1976 with 815,000 members. Conflict
surrounding Rev. Sanangke Dole, elected Mount Hagen District bishop
in 1982, led to open quarrels in local congregations in 1985.
Differing interpretation of causes of disagreement and mutual
accusation led congregations in Melpa, to separate from the ELC-PNG
and form the independent church.

But ELC-PNG bishop, Wesley Kigasung and Dole assured Krause that
both churches were in full agreement on basic scriptural and
confessional teachings, which significantly improves prospects of
finding solutions.

Krause noted the MLC-PNG as "a growing church fully of vitality,"
well established and financially self-supporting, even though not
in partnership with other Lutheran churches. It had applied for LWF
membership. But, according to the LWF constitution and by-laws,
membership is only possible in consultation and by agreement with
other local LWF member churches. A prerequisite would be unison of
all the Papua New Guinean Lutheran churches.

In Wabag, in the central highlands, Krause visited the Gutnius
Lutheran Church - Papua New Guinea. An LWF member since 1979,
headed by Bishop David P. Piso, the church has around 95,000
members. It grew from Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (USA)
missionary work. 

During his visits to all three churches Krause delivered sermons
and gave speeches in daily worship services attended by several
thousand people.

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now
has 133 member churches in 73 countries representing over 60.5
million of the 64.3 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 acknowledgment.]

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