Lutheran World Federation
| Lutheran World Federation | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Communion |
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Lutheran |
| President | Munib Younan |
| General Secretary | Martin Junge |
| Headquarters | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Origin | 1947 |
| Members | 72 million |
| Official website |
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| Lutheranism |
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The Lutheran World Federation (LWF; German: Lutherischer Weltbund) is a global communion of national and regional Lutheran churches headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish city of Lund in the aftermath of the Second World War in 1947 to coordinate the activities of the many differing Lutheran churches. Since 1984, the member churches are in pulpit and altar fellowship, with common doctrine as the basis of membership and mission activity.
The LWF now has 144 member church bodies in 79 countries representing over 72 million Lutherans.[1] The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work.
The Department for World Service is the LWF's humanitarian arm. It has programmes in 32 countries. The LWF is a member of ACT Alliance.
On October 31, 1999, in Augsburg, Germany, the Lutheran World Federation signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification with the Roman Catholic Church. The statement is an attempt to narrow the theological divide between the two faiths. The Declaration also states that the mutual condemnations between 16th-century Lutherans and the Roman Catholic Church no longer apply. A similar event took place in Lund Cathedral at the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation when Pope Francis visited Scania, Sweden's southernmost province that originally was Danish.[2][3]
More than 80% of member churches ordain women as ministers.[4]
History
The federation was organized at Lund, Sweden, in 1947. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, it replaced the more informal Lutheran World Convention, which had been founded in 1924. The goal was to coordinate international activities of the many Lutheran churches, to provide a forum for discussions on theological and organizational issues, and to assist in philanthropy, missionary activity, and exchange of students and professors. A key leader was Executive Secretary Sylvester C. Michelfelder (1889–1951), representing the American Lutheran Church. He had been a leader in organizing $45 million in American help for the rebuilding of Protestant churches in Germany after 1945. By the time of his death in 1951, the federation represented 52 churches in 25 countries.[5][6]
Largest churches
The 20 largest member churches are (with number of members in millions; 2015–2016 statistics):
- Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (7.9)[7]
- Church of Sweden (7)[8]
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (6.5)[9]
- Protestant Christian Batak Church (4.5)[10]
- Church of Denmark (4.4)[11]
- Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (4.2)[12]
- Church of Norway (3.8)[13]
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (3.7)[14]
- Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church (3)[15]
- Malagasy Lutheran Church (3.0)[16]
- Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover, Germany (2.7)[17]
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, Germany (2.5)[18]
- Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (2.2)[19]
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany (2.1)[20]
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Württemberg (2.1)[21]
- Protestant Church in the Netherlands (2)[22]
- Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil (1.02)[23]
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (0.8)[24]
- Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony (0.73)[25]
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (0.6)[26]
Federation officials
President
The President is the federation's chief official representative and spokesperson. He or she presides at meetings of the Assembly, Council and Meeting of Officers, and oversees the life and work of the federation in consultation with the General Secretary.[27]
General Secretary
The Lutheran World Federation Council elects the General Secretary, who is appointed for a seven-year term. The person appointed is eligible for re-election. The General Secretary conducts the business of the federation assisted by the Communion Office Leadership Team, comprising department and unit heads appointed by the Council, and carries out the decisions of the Assembly and Council.[28]
| № | Name | Term | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sylvester Michelfelder (1889–1951) |
1947–1951 |  United States |
| 2 | Carl Lund-Quist (1908–1965) |
1951–1960 | United States |
| 3 | Kurt Schmidt-Clausen (1920–1993) |
1960–1965 |  Germany |
| 4 | André Appel (1921–2007) |
1965–1974 |  France |
| 5 | Carl Henning Mau Jr. (1922–1995) |
1974–1985 | United States |
| 6 | Gunnar Stålsett (born 1935) |
1985–1994 |  Norway |
| 7 | Ishmael Noko (born 1943) |
1994–2010 |  Zimbabwe |
| 8 | Martin Junge (born 1961) |
2010–present |  Chile |
Members
This map shows the global distribution of Lutheranism based on The LWF 2013 membership data.[29][lower-alpha 1]
Sorted by country in alphabetical order
- Angola
- Argentina
- Evangelical Church of the River Plate (includes Paraguay and Uruguay)
- United Evangelical Lutheran Church
- Australia
- Lutheran Church of Australia (includes New Zealand) – associate member church
- Austria
- Bangladesh
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bolivia
- Bolivian Evangelical Lutheran Church
- German-Speaking Evangelical Lutheran Congregation in Bolivia
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Cameroon
- Church of the Lutheran Brethren of Cameroon
- Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon
- Canada
- Central African Republic
- Lutheran Church of the Central African Republic
- Chile
- China (Hong Kong SAR)
- The Chinese Rhenish Church Hong Kong Synod
- The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong
- Hong Kong and Macau Lutheran Church
- Tsung Tsin Mission of Hong Kong
- Colombia
- Evangelical Lutheran Church of Colombia
- St Matthew's Lutheran Congregation
- St. Martin's Lutheran Congregation
- Congo, Democratic Republic of
- Costa Rica
- Evangelical Lutheran Church of Costa Rica
- Lutheran Costarican Church
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark (includes Church of Greenland, but not the Church of the Faroe Islands)
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Eritrea
- Evangelical Church of Eritrea
- Estonia
- Ethiopia
- Finland
- France
- Union of Protestant Churches of Alsace and Lorraine
- United Protestant Church of France
- Malagasy Protestant Church in France
- Ghana
- Georgia
- Germany
- Church of Lippe, Lutheran Classis
- Evangelical Church in Central Germany
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Baden
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg
- Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg
- Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover
- Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony
- Evangelical Lutheran Church of Schaumburg-Lippe
- Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad
- Guatemala
- Evangelical Lutheran Congregation "La Epifania"
- Guyana
- Hungary
- Honduras
- Iceland
- India
- Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Madhya Pradesh
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Himalayan States
- Good Sheperd Evangelical Church
- Good Samaritan Evangelical Lutheran Church
- Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chotanagpur and Assam
- India Evangelical Lutheran Church
- Jeypore Evangelical Lutheran Church
- Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church
- South Andhra Lutheran Church
- The Arcot Lutheran Church
- The Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church
- Indonesia
- Batak Christian Community Church
- Christian Communion of Indonesia Church in Nias
- Christian Evangelical Church in Minahasa
- Christian Protestant Church in Indonesia
- Christian Protestant Angkola Church
- Evangelical Church in Kalimantan
- Indonesian Christian Lutheran Church
- Pakpak Dairi Christian Protestant Church
- Protestant Christian Batak Church
- The Protestant Christian Church
- Protestant Christian Church in Mentawai
- Simalungun Protestant Christian Church
- The United Protestant Church
- Ireland
- Italy
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Italy
- Japan
- Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church
- Japan Lutheran Church – associate member church
- Kinki Evangelical Lutheran Church
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Korea, Republic
- Kyrgyzstan
- Latvia
- Liberia
- Lutheran Church in Liberia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Basel Christian Church of Malaysia
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia
- Lutheran Church in Malaysia and Singapore
- The Protestant Church in Sabah
- Mexico
- German-Speaking Evangelical Congregation in Mexico
- Mexican Lutheran Church
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Myanmar
- Lutheran Church of Myanmar
- Myanmar Lutheran Church
- The Mara Evangelical Church
- Namibia
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN)
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN – GELC)
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia (ELCRN)
- Nepal
- Nepal Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church
- Netherlands
- Nicaragua
- Nigeria
- Lutheran Church in Nigeria
- The Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria
- Norway
- Palestine
- Peru
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Peru
- Peruvian Lutheran Evangelical Church
- Papua New Guinea
- Philippines
- Poland
- Romania
- Russia
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia and Other States
- Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria in Russia
- Rwanda
- Senegal
- Lutheran Church of Senegal
- Serbia
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Slovak Republic
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (Cape Church)
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (N-T)
- Moravian Church in South Africa
- Sri Lanka
- Suriname
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan (Republic of China)
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
- Uruguay
- Evangelical Church of the River Plate
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Venezuela
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Venezuela
- Lutheran Church of Venezuela
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Same-gender relationships
Some member denominations recognize same-gender relationships through marriage, a blessing rite, or special prayers. These include the Church of Denmark, Church of Iceland, Church of Norway, Church of Sweden, Evangelical Church in Austria, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Chile, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Geneva, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Italy, a majority of the churches within the Evangelical Church in Germany, Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil, Evangelical Church of the River Plate, Protestant Church in the Netherlands, and the United Protestant Church of France.[30]
On the other side, the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia, which recognize only opposite-gender marriages, have broken ties with many of the churches supporting same-gender unions.[31]
See also
Notes
- ↑ One of the countries with a higher number of Lutherans is the United States. The LWF does not include the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and several other Lutheran bodies which together have over 2.5 million members.
References
- ↑ "About the LWF". The Lutheran World Federation. June 2013.
- ↑ https://www.lutheranworld.org/
- ↑ http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2016/01/25/pope-francis-to-visit-sweden-for-reformation-commemoration/
- ↑ "More than 80 percent of LWF churches ordain women". The Lutheran World Federation. 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
- ↑ Wentz, 1965
- ↑ Jens Holger Schjørring, et al., eds. From federation to communion: the history of the Lutheran World Federation (Augsburg Fortress Pub, 1997)
- ↑ "Ethiopia | The Lutheran World Federation". www.lutheranworld.org. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ↑ "In English". www.svenskakyrkan.se. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
- ↑ "Tanzania | The Lutheran World Federation". www.lutheranworld.org. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ↑ "Indonesia | The Lutheran World Federation". www.lutheranworld.org. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ↑ "Denmark | The Lutheran World Federation". www.lutheranworld.org. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
- ↑ "Väestönmuutokset 2015*" (PDF). sakasti.evl.fi. Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. January 28, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- ↑ "Norway | The Lutheran World Federation". www.lutheranworld.org. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
- ↑ https://www.elca.org/News-and-Events/ELCA-Facts
- ↑ "India | The Lutheran World Federation". www.lutheranworld.org. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ↑ "Madagascar | The Lutheran World Federation". www.lutheranworld.org. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
- ↑ "Germany | The Lutheran World Federation". www.lutheranworld.org. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
- ↑ "Germany | The Lutheran World Federation". www.lutheranworld.org. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
- ↑ "Nigeria | The Lutheran World Federation". www.lutheranworld.org. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
- ↑ "Germany | The Lutheran World Federation". www.lutheranworld.org. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
- ↑ "Germany | The Lutheran World Federation". www.lutheranworld.org. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ↑ "Netherlands | The Lutheran World Federation". www.lutheranworld.org. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
- ↑ "World Map || Latin America and Caribbean || Brazil". www.worldmap.org. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ↑ https://www.lutheranworld.org/country/namibia
- ↑ "Germany | The Lutheran World Federation". www.lutheranworld.org. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ↑ "South Africa | The Lutheran World Federation". www.lutheranworld.org. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ↑ http://www.lutheranworld.org/lwf/index.php/who-we-are/organization/council/president
- ↑ http://www.lutheranworld.org/lwf/index.php/who-we-are/central-offices/general-secretariat/general-secretary
- ↑ The Lutheran World Federation 2013 Membership Figures
- ↑ Street, 1615 L.; NW; Washington, Suite 800; Inquiries, DC 20036 202 419 4300 | Main 202 419 4349 | Fax 202 419 4372 | Media (2015-06-26). "Gay Marriage Around the World". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ↑ "Ethiopian Church Severs Ties With Lutherans Over Homosexuality". Christian Post. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
Further reading
- Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. "Lutheran World Federation (LWF)." in Jordan J. Ballor and Stephen J. Grabill, eds. Ecumenical Babel: Confusing Economic Ideology and the Church's Social Witness (2010) pp: 29+
- Schjørring, Jens Holger, et al., eds. From federation to communion: the history of the Lutheran World Federation (Augsburg Fortress Pub, 1997)
- Wenz, Abdel Ross. "Lutheran World Federation, in Julius Bodensieck, ed. The encyclopedia of the Lutheran Church. Vol. 2. (Augsburg Publishing House, 1965) 2:1422-1432
External links
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