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January 16, 2007.
The Lutheran
World Federation Celebrates 60!
1947-2007
60 years
ago in 1947 at the end of WWII, the Lutheran World Federation was
begun. Its first and most urgent call was to assist in the resettlement
of European Lutherans who had been displaced during the war. There were
literally hundreds of thousands of Lutherans who needed assistance.
Lund, Sweden was the site of that first assembly as Lutheran leaders
gathered to respond to the crisis. From March 20-28 this spring, the
LWF Council and church leaders from the 140 member churches representing
66 million Lutherans will gather in Lund to mark this historic
anniversary.
In 1947,
these four pillars formed the foundation of the new LWF and in many ways
continue to shape our self-understanding although we may articulate it a
bit differently:
Rescue for the Needy
Common Initiatives in
Mission
Joint Efforts in
Theology
A Common Response to
the Ecumenical Challenge
Authors
of the book, From Federation to Communion, (a history of the LWF)
tell us that the primary theological concern of the Lutheran churches in
1947 was the critical rethinking of Lutheran identity. The war had
great consequences for Lutheran self-understanding in relation to
ecclesial identity, to ethical judgments concerning society and nation,
as well as in relation to the human isolation brought about by the
sufferings of armed conflict. The wounds were deep, and the healing was
an immense task for the churches.
In 1947,
there was a new willingness to reformulate ecclesiological questions.
The establishment of the LWF brought with it a willingness to look again
at the very nature of the church through the eyes of a renewed
Reformation heritage. This had consequences for both Lutheran and
ecumenical unity. The willingness to face the question of the nature of
the church paved the way for cooperation among the Lutheran churches of
the world and transcended mere pragmatism.
The
constitution of the new LWF saw the tasks and purposes of the
Federation, not only for strengthening the harmony and communion of the
Lutheran churches, but also to foster Lutheran participation in
ecumenical movements.
This
dual aim has been clearly sustained in the following six decades.
Confessional awareness and ecumenical commitment have complimented each
other. When the constitution was updated in 1990, even more clear
language was used. Efforts towards Christian unity worldwide are not
only among the functions of the LWF but are part of its nature. For 60
years we have held the commitment to ecumenism as one of our mandates.
As we
celebrate this 60th anniversary, we give thanks to God for
the good work, relationships and achievements of the past and at the
same time we are clearly called into even stronger endeavors in the
changing ecumenical landscape of 2007. The LWF Geneva web site (www.lutheranworld.org
) provides information on current ecumenical work.
During
this year of celebrating, remembering, honoring and raising awareness of
the LWF, watch the LWF North America web site (www.elca.org/lwf)
for helpful resources for your congregation. Begin planning now for a
global celebration in your congregation on LWF Sunday, October 7, 2007!
66 million Lutherans DO
make a difference!
Kathy J. Magnus
LWF North America Desk
www.elca.org/lwf |
