Dominican Republic – The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the Evangelical Christian Lutheran Church of Bolivia (Iglesia Cristiana Evangélica Luterana de Bolivia – ICEL) recently celebrated the recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship between the two churches with their first joint Divine Service. The service was held May 24 in Palmar Arriba in the Dominican Republic, following the conclusion of this year’s symposium of LCMS partners in the Latin America and Caribbean region.
Formal fellowship talks between the two church bodies began in 2022 and concluded earlier this year. While fellowship agreements in the LCMS are formally recognized during the church’s triennial conventions, the LCMS authorizes its president to recognize fellowship with small church bodies in between conventions, provided the church’s Commission on Theology and Church Relations also gives its approval.
ICEL President Limberth Fernández preached for the joint Divine Service, while Rev. Ted Krey (LCMS Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean) led the Service of the Word in Spanish and Rev. Dr. Jonathan E. Shaw (LCMS Director of Church Relations) conducted the Service of the Sacrament in English.
A more extensive report on the recognition of fellowship between the two churches is available from the LCMS here.
The LCMS and the ICEL are both member churches of the International Lutheran Council, a global association of confessional Lutheran churches which proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, grounded in the authority of Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions.
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