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ILC assembly receives two churches into full membership, reveals plans for 2025 World Conference

Participants in the International Lutheran Council’s 2024 extraordinary assembly in Wittenberg, Germany.

GERMANY – The International Lutheran Council (ILC) held an extraordinary assembly on October 26, 2024, in Wittenberg, Germany, during which time the ILC introduced the Board of Director’s new secretary, heard reports, received two churches into full membership, and made plans for the ILC’s 2025 World Conference.

General Secretary reports, introduces new BOD secretary

ILC General Secretary Klaus Detlev Schulz reports during the assembly in Wittenberg.

The assembly began with a brief report from the ILC’s General Secretary, Rev. Dr. Klaus Detlev Schulz, outlining the work of the ILC over the past year, focusing especially on Regional Conferences and the 2024 World Seminary Conference. Dr. Schulz also acknowledged some of the new observer member churches in the ILC.

LCU Bishop Charles Bameka, the new Secretary of the ILC’s Board of Directors, takes notes during the 2024 Assembly in Wittenberg.

Dr. Schulz then introduced to the assembly the new Secretary of the ILC’s Board of Directors: Bishop Charles Bameka of the Lutheran Church of Uganda (LCU). Bishop Bameka has served as the LCU’s national presiding bishop in Uganda for eight years, most recently having been reelected in 2023.

Bishop Bameka succeeds Bishop John Donkoh of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana (ELCG), who was elected Secretary during the ILC’s World Conference in 2022. Bishop Donkoh stepped down from the ILC’s Board of Directors earlier this year as his church body prepares for a change in leadership. The assembly in Wittenberg also acknowledged the long service of President Gijsbertus van Hattem of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Belgium (Evangelisch-Lutherse Kerk in België – ELCG), who served as Secretary from 2004-2022 and has served as Assistant Secretary since then.

Ecumenical Relations

Rev. Dr. Werner Klän speaks to the ILC assembly in Wittenberg.

The assembly then heard from Rev. Dr. Werner Klän, who gave a report on the current status of the Concordia-Lutheran – Roman Catholic Augustana Working Group. This is the ecumenical-theological working group which was established following the conclusion of the informal conversations between the ILC and the Roman Catholic Church which took place from 2014-2019. Dr. Klän noted encouraging feedback from ILC member churches on the Final Report which arose from those discussions, and invited additional responses from ILC member churches.

The Augustana Working Group, which is not a formal dialogue commission, held its inaugural meetings in Rome in March 2024. The working topic for the group is: “Catholicity and Apostolicity in the Augsburg Confession, Examined in the Areas of Soteriology (Justification) and Ecclesiology (Ministry, Episcopate, and Ordination): A Joint Lutheran-Catholic Review of the Augsburg Confession in a Pre-Confessional and Ecumenical Perspective.” The meetings are scheduled to take place over four years, with the next meetings to take place in Wittenberg, Germany, from December 9-10, 2024, and in Rome from February 23-26, 2025.

Membership

Other business during the assembly included a unanimous vote to receive two churches into full membership in the ILC: the Evangelical Lutheran Synod Church of South Sudan and Sudan (ELCSS/S) and the Confessional Lutheran Church of South Africa (CLCSA). Archbishop Joseph Ochola Omolo of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK)—who serves also as the Africa regional representative on the Board of Directors—introduced the two churches prior to the vote and recommended their acceptance into membership.

The two churches were represented at the ILC assembly by their bishops: ELCSS/S Bishop Peter Anibati Abia and CLCSA Bishop David Tswaedi. Both church bodies had previously been observer members in the ILC, with the ELCSS/S having been accepted as an observer in 2022 and the CLCSA in 2018.

The assembly also reinstated membership for a few church bodies whose membership had lapsed.

Discussions on Fellowship and Bylaw Amendments

ELCE Chairman George Samiec speaks during the 2024 ILC assembly in Wittenberg.

Next on the agenda was a discussion of fellowship, led by Chairman George Samiec of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England (ELCE). Chairman Samiec is the European regional representative on the ILC’s Board of Directors, and further serves on a subcommittee of the board focused on fellowship, alongside the ILC’s General Secretary, Klaus Detlev Schulz, and ILC Communications Manager, Mathew Block.

Chairman Samiec noted that a suggestion had been made by Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC) that the ILC explore the topic of fellowship. The subcommittee adapted and condensed the Canadian proposal, before distributing it to ILC member churches for discussion and feedback.

The 2024 assembly in Wittenberg continued discussion of the subject, with members from across the globe providing additional insight into their churches’ understanding of fellowship.

ELCE Chairman Samiec also led the next part of the assembly’s agenda, which introduced unrelated amendments to the ILC’s bylaws.

2025 World Conference

LCP President Antonio Reyes

The final order of business for the assembly in Wittenberg was the announcement of the dates and location of next year’s ILC World Conference. The 2025 World Conference will take place September 17-19, 2025 in Bohol, Philippines. The theme for the conference will be “Unity in Christ: Confession and Cooperation in a Fragmented World.”

President Antonio Reyes of the Lutheran Church in the Philippines (LCP) made the announcement. “The members of my church are very excited to welcome you to our country,” he said. “It affords us the chance to meet with all of you, my brothers.” President Reyes also serves as the Asia regional representative on the ILC’s Board of Directors.

Additional information on the 2025 World Conference will be revealed in the months to come.

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Inaugural meeting of the Concordia Lutheran-Catholic Augustana Working Group

The Augustana Working Group holds its inaugural meeting in Rome on March 1, 2024.

On March 1, 2024, the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity (DPCU) hosted the inaugural meeting of the Concordia Lutheran–Catholic Augustana Working Group, which met in Rome until March 2, 2024.

Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the DPCU, welcomed the members of the working group and encouraged them to explore the pre-confessional/ecumenical potential of the Augsburg Confession in more detail in view of the 500th anniversary of the Confessio Augustana in 2030.

The Augustana Working Group includes representatives of the International Lutheran Council (ILC) and the Catholic Church. Following the conclusion of the theological conversations between the ILC, an association of Concordia Lutheran churches, and the Catholic Church (2014–2019), both sides suggested the establishment of a working group as a distinct ecumenical-theological format.

The working group is not an official dialogue commission. The aim is not to produce a document of churchly consensus. However, the publication of the results of the joint research is intended to enrich the ecumenical discussion in an indirect way.

The working group is headed by two episcopal chairmen: on the Lutheran side by Bishop Dr. Juhana Pohjola, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland / Chairman of the ILC; and on the Catholic side by Auxiliary Bishop Dr. Peter Birkhofer, Freiburg im Breisgau.

The working topic is: “Catholicity and Apostolicity in the Augsburg Confession, Examined in the Areas of Soteriology (Justification) and Ecclesiology (Ministry, Episcopate, and Ordination): a joint Lutheran–Catholic review of Augsburg Confession in a pre-confessional and ecumenical perspective.”

A total period of four years is planned for working on the topic. The next meeting will take place in Wittenberg on December 9 and 10, 2024.

Participants from the International Lutheran Council (ILC)

  • Bishop Dr. Juhana Pohjola, Helsinki, Finland (Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, ILC Chairman)
  • Prof. Dr. Joel Elowsky, St. Louis, Mo., USA
  • Prof. em. Dr. Werner Klän, D.Litt., Lübeck, Germany
  • Asst. Prof. Dr. Jonathan Mumme, Hillsdale, Mich., USA
  • Prof. Dr. Thomas Winger, St. Catharines, Ont., Canada
    ***
    Prof. Dr. Klaus Detlev Schulz, Fort Wayne, Ind., USA (ILC General Secretary) – part-time participant, but not a member

Catholic Participants

  • Auxiliary Bishop Dr. Peter Birkhofer, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
  • Prof. Dr. Markus Lersch, Siegen, Germany
  • Dr. Tim Lindfeld, Aachen, Germany
  • Asst. Prof. Dr. James Prothro, Greenwood Village, Color., USA
  • Father Dr. Augustinus Sander OSB, Vatican (Permanent Representative of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity)

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Dialogue between LCMS, LCC, and NALC continues in Canada

Rev. Phil Gagnon (NALC Provisional Dean for Canada); Rev. Larry Vogel (Associate Executive Secretary of the LCMS' CTCR); Rev. Mark Chavez (NALC General Secretary); Rev. Dr. Robert Bugbee (LCC President); Rev. Dr. David Wendel (NALC Assistant to the Bishop for Ministry and Ecumenism); Rev. Warren Hamp (Chairman of LCC's CTCR); Rev. Thomas Prachar (LCC Central District President).

Rev. Phil Gagnon (NALC Provisional Dean for Canada); Rev. Larry Vogel (Associate Executive Secretary of the LCMS’ CTCR); Rev. Mark Chavez (NALC General Secretary); Rev. Dr. Robert Bugbee (LCC President); Rev. Dr. David Wendel (NALC Assistant to the Bishop for Ministry and Ecumenism); Rev. Warren Hamp (Chairman of LCC’s CTCR); Rev. Thomas Prachar (LCC Central District President).

WINNIPEG – Representatives of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), the North American Lutheran Church (NALC), and Lutheran Church—Canada (LCC) met at LCC’s synodical headquarters in Winnipeg June 24-25. This is the first time the meetings have taken place in Canada.

“These consultations have happened twice each year since they began at the invitation of LCMS President Matthew Harrison in late 2011,” explained Rev. Dr. Robert Bugbee, LCC President and host for this round of meetings. Both days began with morning devotions in the office chapel, after which participants provided updates from their churches and discussed in detail what a distinctively Lutheran understanding of and approach to mission work should include.

A progress report was provided on a planned book of new essays on Law and Gospel, including contributors from various Lutheran church bodies. In addition, details for an upcoming second international “Confessional Lutheran Leadership Conference”—hosted by the LCMS—were shared. The event will take place in Wittenberg, Germany in May 2015.

In addition to President Bugbee, LCC was represented by Rev. Warren Hamp, Chairman of the LCC’s Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) and by Central District President Thomas Prachar. NALC participants included Dr. David Wendel, Assistant to the Bishop for Ecumenism and Ministry; Pastor Mark Chavez, General Secretary; and Rev. Phil Gagnon, NALC Provisional Dean for Canada. NALC Bishop John Bradosky joined the group briefly at the close of the first day. The LCMS was represented by Rev. Larry Vogel, Associate Executive Secretary of their CTCR.

“We’ll meet again toward the end of this year to evaluate where we’ve been in the initial three years of dialogue and to decide on the way forward,” commented President Bugbee. “Though the participating churches have disagreements in some significant areas, there is a high level of trust and an ability both to talk and to listen despite these challenges. I do thank God for common convictions about the Holy Scripture as the written Word of God, and the urgency in proclaiming Christ, the Saviour of sinners, as the primary mission of the church.”

The next round of dialogues will be hosted by NALC, and is set to be held December 15-16 in Sarasota, Florida.

Lutheran Church–Canada and The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod are both member churches of the International Lutheran Council (ILC). President Robert Bugbee serves as Vice-Chairman of the ILC’s Executive Committee.

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Files from The Canadian Lutheran.

Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU) and the International Lutheran Council (ILC) to Hold Informal International Dialogue

Prof. Dr. Werner Klan, Rev. Dr. Robert Bugbee, Bishop Hans-Jörg Voigt, Cardinal Kurt Koch, Rev. Dr. Albert B. Collver, Monsignore Dr. Matthias Türk

Prof. Dr. Werner Klan, Rev. Dr. Robert Bugbee, Bishop Hans-Jörg Voigt, Cardinal Kurt Koch, Rev. Dr. Albert B. Collver, Monsignore Dr. Matthias Türk

VATICAN CITY – The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU) and the International Lutheran Council (ILC), an organization for the purpose of encouraging, strengthening, and promoting confessional Lutheran theology, met to discuss the possibility of extending local and regional informal discussions into an
informal ecumenical dialogue process on the international level. The meeting between the PCPCU and the ILC primarily occurred after several informal discussions between some ILC members and Roman Catholic organizations resulted in positive outcomes, especially those held between the Lutheran Theological Seminary Oberursel of the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELK) and the Johann-Adam-Möhler Institute for Ecumenism in Paderborn, Germany. Other informal discussions that contributed to the meeting between the PCPCU and the ILC included those held between The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and the Archdiocese of Saint Louis and the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops, and those between Lutheran ChurchCanada (LCC) and representatives of the Canadian Council of Catholic Bishops.

Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Dicastery, and Monsignore Dr. Matthias Türk represented the PCPCU. Bishop Hans-Jörg Voigt, Chairman, Rev. Dr. Albert B. Collver, Executive Secretary, Rev. Dr. Robert Bugbee, Vice-chairman, and Prof. Dr. Werner Klän, Lutheran Theological Seminary Oberursel, represented the ILC.

The discussion had three primary points: A Presentation of the International Lutheran Council (ILC) including its history and priorities, Ecumenical Relations between ILC members and the Roman Catholic Church, and Future Ecumenical Goals.

After a productive discussion, it was proposed that the local and regional informal discussions may be extended to an informal international dialogue process between the ILC and the Roman Catholic Church. These international series of consultations would be delegated to the ILC executive committee and to the Johann-Adam-Möhler Institute for Ecumenism. The goals of these discussions would be to define more unity between the churches represented by the ILC and the Roman Catholic Church and to offer a deeper understanding of the work already accomplished by the Lutheran – Roman Catholic dialogue on the international and regional level.

Cardinal Koch and Bishop Voigt expressed gratitude for the meeting and looked forward to a deepening of relationships between member churches of the ILC and the Roman Catholic Church.

The ILC and the Johann-Adam-Möhler Institute for Ecumenism after an organizational meeting, propose to hold two meetings a year for the next three years with the results of these discussions to be presented to the PCPCU.

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About the International Lutheran Council
The ILC is a worldwide association of established confessional Lutheran church bodies, consisting of 34 member churches, 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. (www.ilcouncil.org)

About the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
The Pontifical Council is entrusted with the promotion of Christian Unity. It carries out this task in liaison with the various departments of the Roman Curia and through ecumenical relationships and theological dialogues with the other Christian Churches and ecclesial Communities on the world wide level. (www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/)

 

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