wfn.org | Church Leaders Resolve to Establish Lutheran Council in Africa

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

Church Leaders Resolve to Establish Lutheran Council in Africa
Need for Renewal of Lutheran Communion 

WINDHOEK, Namibia/GENEVA, 18 November 2005 (LWI) * Participants in the
Africa Lutheran Church Leadership Conference have agreed to establish a
Lutheran Council in Africa to strengthen cooperation and enhance efforts
in addressing challenges faced by the churches there. The historic
conference took place 9*14 November in Windhoek, Namibia, under the
theme, "From Isolation to Communion: For the Healing of Africa."

The leaders of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) member churches in
Africa also committed themselves, in a final statement, to actively
engage in renewal of the whole Lutheran communion. 

The new council would guide and ensure the participation and input of
all member churches in the Africa region in relation to the proposed LWF
renewal process (see
http://www.lutheranworld.org/news/lwi/en/1727.en.html), and serve as a
monitoring mechanism in the implementation of the conference
commitments. It would also ensure good governance, transparency, and
equitable power sharing in the churches, including the involvement of
women, youth and people with disabilities.

The participants, comprised of over 80 representatives of African
Lutheran churches and partner churches and organizations, stressed that
communion was not possible without communication. They resolved to
establish the Africa Lutheran Communication and Information Network
(ALCINET) that would include a Web site located with the Lutheran
Communion in Southern Africa (LUCSA), print media with the Lutheran
Communion in Central and Eastern Africa (LUCCEA), and audio and video
communication, so-called airwaves, with the Lutheran Communion in
Western Africa (LUCWA).

Renewed Commitment to Fight Against HIV/AIDS

The participants also reaffirmed the commitments of the first
Pan-African church leaders' consultation on the challenges of HIV/AIDS
in May 2002, which officially launched the global LWF HIV/AIDS campaign
and action plan titled, "Compassion, Conversion, Care: Responding as
Churches to the HIV/AIDS Pandemic." They pledged to mainstream HIV/AIDS
in all church activities and develop policies that guard against
stigmatization and discrimination of all people living with HIV/AIDS.

Recognizing that the suffering in churches and congregations today could
not be handled by the ordained leadership alone, the church leaders
stressed the need to review current theological curricula for relevance,
establish management and leadership-training programs for senior church
leaders, and embark on lay-leadership training and empowerment in line
with the Lutheran understanding of the priesthood of all believers.

Sustainability in the Church

They further acknowledged the difficult working environment for church
workers throughout the continent. They stressed the need for a plan of
action to address issues related to sustainability and working
conditions in their churches and to seek the accompaniment of the LWF
and partners in such a process. 

The three Lutheran churches in Namibia and the LWF jointly hosted the
Africa Lutheran Church Leadership Conference, which also commemorated
the 50th anniversary of the first joint conference of African Lutheran
churches held in Marangu, Tanzania, in 1955. (470 words) 

[See related articles at
http://www.lutheranworld.org/News/LWI/EN/1785.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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