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Corpus Christi joins the ILC

by Mathew Block | Jun 26, 2024

*A presentation during 2023’s Corpus Christi Conference in Latvia. Photo: Dr. Samuli Siikavirta.*

EUROPE – The International Lutheran Council (ILC) has accepted Europe’s Corpus Christi Association into membership as a Recognized Organization.

“It is a pleasure to welcome Corpus Christi into the International Lutheran Council,” said Rev. Dr. Klaus Detlev Schulz, General Secretary of the ILC. “Corpus Christi does remarkable work bringing together young Lutherans from across Europe to study God’s Word and to worship together. May God continue to strengthen the ties between our organizations as together we seek to make the good news of Jesus Christ known.”

Corpus Christi is a Lutheran young adults association first established in Sweden but which has grown to serve young adults from Lutheran churches all across Europe. Its motto is: “For the churchly and biblical renewal of young adults in Europe,” and the association encourages practice of historic Lutheran liturgy and knowledge of Scripture as the foundation of faith.

*Rev. Dr. Samuli Siikavirta, chair of Corpus Christi’s board. Photo: Māra Siikavirta.*

While Corpus Christi welcomes participants from many Lutheran church bodies in Europe, the association itself is independent. “By becoming a recognized organization of the ILC, we will not lose our independence” noted Rev. Dr. Samuli Siikavirta, Chairman of Corpus Christi’s board, on the decision to seek membership, “but we are making a clear statement that this is the kind of Lutherans that we are. We stand with those who want to hold to the Holy Bible and the Lutheran Confessions.”

“We look forward to deepening our cooperation in the future,” he continued.

*Worship during 2023’s Corpus Christi Conference in Latvia.* *Photo: Dr. Samuli Siikavirta.*

The cornerstone of Corpus Christi’s work is its annual conference, which is held in a different country each year. Today the annual conference attracts approximately 250 participants from 20 countries annually—primarily from Europe but attracting participants also from the Middle East, North America, and South Africa. 2024’s conference is scheduled to welcome a number of participants also from Australia.

This year’s Corpus Christi Conference will take place July 22-26, 2024, in Wittenberg, Germany. Rev. Dr. Joel Biermann of Concordia Seminary (St. Louis, Missouri) will serve as keynote speaker for the event, discussing the Body of Christ in the manger, on the cross, on the altar, and in the pews. Additional speakers this year include Rev. Sebastian Grünbaum (Finland), Rev. Esko Murto (Finland), and Rev. Dr. Armin Wenz (Germany). Further information on the 2024 conference is available from Corpus Christi’s website here.

Corpus Christi held its first conference in 2009 in Sweden, with young adults from Finland and Norway also attending. From its beginning, the conference has invited speakers from ILC-associated churches to teach at its conferences. As Corpus Christi grew, so did international involvement from the rest of Europe, leading the association to update its governing statutes in 2020 to reflect the international nature of the organization. The board of Corpus Christi today reflects that international character: Rev. Dr. Samuli Siikavirta (Finland); Lukas Johansson (Sweden); Hanna Simojoki (United Kingdom); Jarl Roar Simonsen (Norway); Jordan Tomesch (United States of America); and Rev. Dr. Michael Wenz (Germany).

*Planning for 2024’s Corpus Christi Conference in Germany.* *Photo: Dr. Samuli Siikavirta.*

In addition to its annual summer conference, Corpus Christi has begun to host regional conferences in Germany, Finland, and Norway during the winter seasons. Additional regional events are in the planning stages for places like the Balkans and Southern Europe.

Corpus Christi maintains positive relations with a number of church bodies which support its work, including the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland (Suomen evankelisluterilainen Lähetyshiippakunta – ELMDF), the Mission Province in Sweden (Missionsprovinsen i Sverige – MPS), and the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church (Selbständige Evangelisch—Lutherische Kirche – SELK) in Germany—all member churches of the ILC.

The International Lutheran Council is a global association of confessional Lutheran church bodies which proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the basis of an unconditional commitment to the Holy Scriptures as the inspired and infallible Word of God and to the Lutheran Confessions contained in the Book of Concord as the true and faithful exposition of the Word of God.

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Corpus Christi 2023: Lutheran young adults gather in Latvia

by Mathew Block | Aug 25, 2023

*Lutheran young adults worship in Liepāja’s Holy Trinity Cathedral during the 2023 Corpus Christ Conference. (Photo: Liepājā Diocese’s social media).*

LATVIA – Lutheran young adults from across Europe gathered in Liepāja, Latvia from July 24-28 for the 13^th Corpus Christi Conference. This year’s theme was: “Built on the Rock.”

Serving as plenary speaker for the 2013 conference was Rev. Jakob Appell. Over three sessions, Rev. Appell discussed St. Peter’s confession that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and Jesus’ response that “on this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:16,18).

*Rev. Jakob Appell speaks during the 2023 Corpus Christi Conference (Photo: Corpus Christi’s YouTube channel).*

“Can we see from Peter’s own life what it means to be built on the rock?” promotional material for the conference asks. “He certainly had his ups and downs. And what does it mean for the Church to stand safe and protected from the gates of hell, ‘even when steeples are falling,’ as we will be singing in this year’s theme hymn (LSB 645)? What is so important with the confession of Peter, and of all the apostles and prophets? Why is the Lutheran Confession important for us today?”

Rev. Appell is a pastor in the Mission Province of Sweden and an Instructor in Practical Theology at the Lutheran School of Theology in Gothenburg. He is also one of the founders of the Corpus Christi conference.

The pop-up choir for the 2023 Corpus Christi Conference sings during the distribution of the Lord’s Supper.

Participants also had a choice of presentations each day made by Revs. Nathaniel Jensen (USA/Germany), Samuli Siikavirta (Finland), and Tapani Simojoki (Engliand/Finland). Rev. Jensen addressed “Basic Lutheran Doctrine” in the areas of 1) Justification, 2) the Lord’s Supper, and 3) Man and Woman. Rev. Siikavirta addressed the topic of “Confessing Christ” in 1) the Liturgy of the Divine Service, 2) Baptism and after Baptism, and 3) the Prayer Life of the Home. Rev. Simojoki addressed the subject of “Confessing Christ” to 1) Unbelievers and Members of Other Religions, 2) Evangelicals and Charismatics, and 3) Roman Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox. A fourth option alongside these presentations was participation in sessions of the Network of Young Lutheran Theologians (NYLT). Rev. John Bombaro (Czech Republic/USA) led these sessions.

*Some of the participants at the 2023 Corpus Christi Conference. (Photo: Corpus Christi’s social media.)*

Additional discussion groups and seminars offered in various languages throughout the conference addressed subjects ranging from artificial intelligence and climate change to reading the Old Testament in the light of Christ and the concept of vocation in Titus 2.

Participants also held a special commemoration of Bishop Bo Giertz of Sweden, as this summer marked the 25^th anniversary of his death. Giertz’ novels and spiritual writings—which can be found in English, German, and the Nordic languages—continue to comfort and instruct Lutherans across the world. All participants at the 2023 Corpus Christ Conference received a copy of the booklet Liturgy and Spiritual Awakening, which is an excerpt from a work written by Giertz in 1949 upon being made a bishop.

The Corpus Christi Conference is an annual event which brings together confessional Lutheran young adults from across Europe for biblical teaching, liturgical worship, and international fellowship. Corpus Christi describes itself as “an independent Evangelical Lutheran association promoting churchly and biblical renewal among young adults in Europe.”

Additional information on the Corpus Christi Conference can be found at their website at www.corpuschristi.eu. Video of worship and conference presentations can be found on their YouTube channel.

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