Rev. Dr. Detlev Schulz Archives - International Lutheran Council

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Rev. Dr. Detlev Schulz

ILC Anniversary Celebrations: New General Secretary installed

by Mathew Block | Oct 17, 2023

*Participants gather for ILC anniversary celebrations in Wittenberg, Germany on October 14, 2023. Photo: LCMS Communications/Erik M. Lunsford.*

GERMANY – On the morning of October 14, Rev. Dr. Klaus Detlev Schulz was installed as General Secretary of the International Lutheran Council (ILC), during a festive service of Matins at St. Mary’s Church in Wittenberg marking the ILC’s 30^th anniversary as a council.

*Rev. Dr. Klaus Detlev Schulz is installed as General Secretary by ILC Chairman Juhana Pohjola. Photo: LCMS Communications/Erik M. Lunsford.*

“I want to thank you for your confidence,” Dr. Schulz said in an address to attendees later in the day. “Being Book of Concord Lutherans, we all need to know the Book of Concord. That is something it is my ambition to promote as much as possible in our churches: Book of Concord Lutheranism, that unites us all around this foundation that has been laid, Jesus Christ. I want to promote—to proclaim—our Lutheranism and preserve it, but also to protect it.”

“To accomplish this task, I ask for your support, and I ask especially for your prayers,” Dr. Schulz continued. “Thank you very much, and God bless you.”

*Outgoing ILC General Secretary Timothy C.J. Quill preaches.*

Serving as liturgist and officiating over the installation of Dr. Schulz was ILC Chairman Juhana Pohjola, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland. The ILC’s outgoing General Secretary, Rev. Dr. Timothy C.J. Quill, preached for the anniversary service, reflecting on John 10:1-18. Rev. Dr. Robert Bugbee of Lutheran Church–Canada served as an assisting minister, and Archbishop Joseph Ochola Omolo of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kenya and Chairman George Samiec of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England served as lectors. President Alceu Alton Figur of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Paraguay bore the processional cross, with other members of the ILC’s board of directors also participating in the procession.

Special music—including choral music and a brass ensemble—were provided by cantor and organist Georg Mogwitz and the choir of St. Lukas church in Leipzig.

*Rev. Dr. Wilhelm Weber is installed by LCMS President Matthew Harrison.*

The service also saw the formal installation of Rev. Dr. Wilhelm Weber of South Africa as pastor of the International Lutheran Society of Wittenberg (ILSW), which operates the International Lutheran Center at the Old Latin School in Wittenberg. The ILC is a full partner in the society, alongside The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) and Germany’s Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELK). LCMS President Matthew Harrison officiated over the installation of Dr. Weber.

*Rev. Dr. Steven Schumacher leads a prayer of dedication for the ILC’s Accreditation Agency.*

A special prayer of dedication for the ILC Accreditation Agency (ILCAA) was also held during the service. The ILCAA will assist seminaries and other educational institutions in providing a quality theological education grounded in the authority of Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions. The ILC’s Chief Accreditation Officer, Rev. Dr. Steven Schumacher, led the prayer.

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 Scripture and to the Lutheran Confessions. While the ILC is celebrating 30 years since its reorganization as a “council,” the full history of the organization goes back to 1952.

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Dr. Schulz appointed new ILC General Secretary

by Mathew Block | Oct 10, 2023

*Rev. Dr. Klaus Detlev Schulz is welcomed as General Secretary of the International Lutheran Council by outgoing General Secretary Timothy C.J. Quill.*

WORLD – Rev. Dr. Klaus Detlev Schulz has been appointed the new General Secretary of the International Lutheran Council (ILC). His installation will take place October 14 during the ILC’s anniversary celebrations in Wittenberg, Germany.

“I am honoured to have been asked to serve as General Secretary of the International Lutheran Council,” Dr. Schulz said. “Today, the task of promoting and nurturing confessional Lutheran identity worldwide is as important as it has ever been, and I am proud to do my part in that endeavor alongside the member churches of the ILC.”

Dr. Schulz is Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions at Concordia Theological Seminary (CTS) in Fort Wayne, Indiana (USA). He further serves the seminary as Dean of Graduate Studies; Director of the Ph.D. in Missiology program; and Director of International Studies. Dr. Schulz will continue to serve in these positions even as he takes on his new role as ILC General Secretary.

“We thank God for Dr. Schulz and his willingness to serve as General Secretary,” said ILC Chairman Juhana Pohjola. “Dr. Schulz is an excellent theologian, outstanding seminary professor, and experienced missionary, who is well-acquainted with confessional Lutheran churches around the world. I’m sure that I speak on behalf of all ILC churches when I say we look forward to working closely with Dr. Schulz in the future and benefitting from his leadership in these challenging times, as together we give a good confession to Christ and His Word.”

Dr. Schulz succeeds Rev. Dr. Timothy Quill, who recently announced his decision to step down as General Secretary. “I am wholly grateful that the Lord has gifted Dr. Detlev Schulz to the ILC as General Secretary,” Dr. Quill noted. “His theological depth and commitment to confessional Lutheran theology is complemented by his extensive international experience. His relaxed and unassuming manner with people of all stations has made him a true pastor, missionary, and professor—and now also, ILC General Secretary. He is ideally suited to meet the complex ecumenical demands and challenges on the international scale that this role brings with it.”

Originally from South Africa, Dr. Schulz holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa; a Master of Divinity from the Lutherische Theologische Hochschule in Oberursel, Germany; a Master of Sacred Theology from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana; and a Doctor of Theology from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri.

Dr. Schulz began serving as a professor at Concordia Theological Seminary in 1998. Previously, he served in parish ministry in Germany and as a missionary in Botswana. He has published widely in the areas of missions and systematic theology.

Dr. Schulz brings to his new role a deep familiarity with confessional Lutheran churches throughout the world, having travelled and taught extensively throughout Africa, South America, Europe, and Asia. In his role as Dean of Graduate Studies at the Fort Wayne seminary, Dr. Schulz has also cultivated relations with many leaders of confessional Lutheran church bodies across the world.

In addition, as the son of the late Rev. Dr. Georg Schulz—founding bishop of the Lutheran Church of Southern Africa—he has a personal connection to the early history of the International Lutheran Council. Bishop Schulz attended many gatherings of what would eventually become the ILC, beginning with the third such conference in 1963.

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