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

by Mathew Block | Oct 29, 2024

*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 2009-2022 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

*CLCSA Bishop David Tswaedi addresses the assembly while ILC Chairman, Bishop Juhana Pohjola of Finland, looks on.*

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

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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LCMS recognizes fellowship with four new church bodies

by Mathew Block | Jul 25, 2019

The LCMS’ 2019 Synodical Convention (Screengrab).

USA – The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod declared altar and pulpit fellowship with four church bodies during its 67^th regular synodical convention held July 20-25, 2019 in Tampa, Florida.

The LCMS’ new church partners are the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Belgium (Evangelisch-Lutherse Kerk in België – ELKB), the Portuguese Evangelical Lutheran Church (Igreja Evangélica Luterana Portuguesa – IELP), the Confessional Lutheran Church of South Africa (CLCSA), and the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church in Denmark (Den evangelisk-lutherske Frikirke i Danmark – ELFD).

While the LCMS has historical ties to all of these church bodies, the votes regularize relations with them. The LCMS was previously in fellowship with Evangelical Lutheran Church in Belgium when it was part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church – Synod of France and Belgium. The ELKB became self-governing in 2002, requiring the development of a new declaration of fellowship.

The LCMS has practiced assumed fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church in Denmark for more than a century, having supported the church body since it was young and having trained many of its pastors. The new agreement regularizes that relationship, and follows the ELFD’s formal declaration of fellowship with the LCMS during its July 2018 convention.

The Portuguese Evangelical Lutheran Church was founded in the 1959 by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil, when the Brazilian church was still a district of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. The IELP contacted the LCMS in 2016 to request formal recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship, which was granted by the LCMS president. The 2019 LCMS convention has now endorsed that declaration of fellowship.

LCMS relations with the Confessional Lutheran Church of South Africa predate the CLCSA’s official founding in 1989, with the CLCSA’s founding pastor having been provided by an LCMS seminary education. The CLCSA officially requested altar and pulpit fellowship with the LCMS in October 2015.

In addition to these declarations of fellowship, the 2019 Convention also moved to simply the recognition of fellowship for new church bodies emerging out of the mission efforts or reorganization of a pre-existing fellowship partner of the LCMS.

The LCMS also resolved to clarify its relationship with Lutherans in Sri Lanka, recognizing fellowship with the Ceylon Evangelical Lutheran Church (CELC), which succeeds the defunct Lanka Lutheran Church. The Sri Lankan church grew out of LCMS missions in the country beginning in 1927, with the church becoming independent in 2001. The Sri Lankan government declared the church legally defunct in 2007; the church reconstituted and was legally recognized in 2017 as the CELC.

The LCMS, ELKB, IELP, CLCSA, ELFD, and CELC all hold varying forms of membership in the International Lutheran Council (ILC), a growing association of confessional Lutheran church bodies around the world. During the convention, the LCMS commended the work of the ILC and pledged its continuing support.

Other business

Among other work during the 2019 convention, the LCMS also adopted resolutions to encourage church planting; condemn the sin of racism; strengthen multi-ethnic outreach; encourage continued international theological education in aid of world Lutheran churches; engage in a comprehensive church worker recruitment initiative; and remember the needs of the persecuted church.

The LCMS also celebrated a number of milestones: the forthcoming 175^th anniversary of Concordia Theological Seminary (Fort Wayne, Indiana) in 2020; 150 years since the founding of Concordia Publishing House; 125 years of international missions to areas outside North America; 125 years since the founding of Concordia University, Nebraska; 100 years of deaconess ministry; 100 years of campus ministry; 60 years of the Director of Christian Education program; and 25 years for the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. The church also commended the upcoming 175^th anniversary of the LCMS in 2022.

The convention comes just a few weeks after the LCMS announced that President Matthew C. Harrison had been reelected to a fourth term. During convention, The LCMS elected Rev. Peter K. Lange as First Vice-President. Rev. Dr. John C. Wohlrabe Jr. will serve as Second Vice-President, Rev. Dr. Scott R. Murray as Third Vice-President, Rev. Nabil S. Nour as Fourth Vice-President, Rev. Christopher S. Esget as Fifth Vice-President, and Rev. Benjamin T. Ball as Sixth Vice-President.