Lutheran World Federation
The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) was founded in 1947. Since 1990 it defines itself as a communion of churches, united in pulpit and altar fellowship. The LWF confesses the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church, and is resolved to serve Christian unity throughout the world. LWF and its member churches have been, and remain, active partners in the ecumenical movement through dialogues, where they seek to make specific theological contributions. On behalf of its member churches, the LWF signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification by Faith with the Catholic Church in 1999, in the city of Augsburg, one of the main historic sites of Lutheranism.
Until the first half of the 20th century, Lutheran churches were most heavily concentrated in Germany, the Nordic and Baltic countries and the USA. Since the foundation of the LWF, the gravitation centre of worldwide Lutheranism has shifted to the global South, with sizeable churches in Africa, Latin America and Asia. The diaconal agenda of the Lutheran churches has increasingly emphasized challenges related to justice and peace, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and dialogue with other faiths, including indigenous spiritualities. The LWF has also contributed by dialogue to improved understanding of the relations between the church and the Jewish people.
The LWF attaches great importance to the relationships between its member churches in the regions. In Africa a Lutheran Conference was formed in 1955, and three sub-regional groupings have been set up: the Lutheran Communion in Central and Eastern Africa (LUCCEA), the Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa (LUCSA), and the Lutheran Communion in Western Africa (LUCWA). In 2005, a Lutheran Council in Africa was established. Asia is also divided into three subregions: the North East Asian Lutheran Communion (NEALUC), the West and South Asian Lutheran Communion (WeSALUC), and the South East Asian Lutheran Communion (SEALUC). In Europe a regional office for the expression of communion in the Region of Central Eastern Europe (ROCEE) was opened in Bratislava (Slovakia) in 2003. The other regions in Europe are Central Western Europe, and the Nordic Region, where the Lutheran family meets regularly. The Latin American and Caribbean Region includes 13 LWF member churches in Latin America and two in the Caribbean. A regional office exists also for the North America Region.
The governing bodies of the LWF and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches are in discussion about the need for a new type of assemblies in which the broad, multilateral nature of the ecumenical movement is expressed more substantially. They have recommended that the first such new assembly be considered to take place in 2013. If the development is satisfactory the LWF and the WARC would no longer hold assemblies of their own after 2010.
The LWF has 140 member churches in 79 countries, representing some 68 million Christians in the world; 73 of its member churches are also members of the WCC (directly or indirectly). The office of the LWF is located in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva.
Periodical: Lutheran World Information
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Africa:Evangelical Lutheran Church of Angola Evangelical Lutheran Church in Botswana Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon Church of the Lutheran Brethren of Cameroon Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Central African Republic Evangelical Church of Eritrea Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mozambique Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (DELK) Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria Lutheran Church of Nigeria Lutheran Church of Rwanda Lutheran Church of Senegal Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (Cape Church) Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (N-T) Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zambia Asia:Lutheran Church of Australia Bangladesh Lutheran Church Bangladesh Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church Hong Kong and Macau Lutheran Church Chinese Rhenish Hong Kong Lutheran Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong Tsung Tsin Mission of Hong Kong Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church (UELCI) Christian Communion of Indonesia Church in Nias Indonesian Christian Lutheran Church Patpak Dairi Christian Protestant Church (Indonesia) Protestant Christian Church in Mentawai (Indonesia) United Protestant Church (Indonesia) Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church Japan Lutheran Church Kinki Evangelical Lutheran Church (Japan) Kazakhstan: Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia and Other States Lutheran Church in Korea Kyrgyzstan: Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia and Other States Basel Christian Church of Malaysia Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia Lutheran Church in Malaysia and Singapore Evangelical Lutheran Church in Myanmar Lutheran Church in the Philippines Lutheran Church in Singapore Lanka Lutheran Church (Sri Lanka) Taiwan Lutheran Church Lutheran Church of Taiwan (Rep. of China) Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thailand Uzbekistan: Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia and Other States Caribbean:Evangelical Lutheran Church in Guyana Evangelical Lutheran Church in Suriname Europe:Belarus: Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia and Other States Lutheran Church of Belgium: Arlon and Christian Mission Evangelical Church in the Republic of Croatia Malagasy Protestant Church in France Lutheran Church in Ireland Evangelical Lutheran Church in Italy Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lithuania Evangelical Lutheran Free Church of Norway Russia: Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia and Other States Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria in Russia Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovenia Federation of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Switzerland and the Kingdom of Liechtenstein Ukraine: Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia and Other States Lutheran Church in Great Britain Lutheran Council of Great Britain Latin America:German-speaking Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bolivia Evangelical Lutheran Church of Colombia German-speaking Evangelical Church in Bogotá St Martin’s Congregation (Colombia) Evangelical Lutheran Church of Costa Rica Lutheran Costarican Church Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ecuador Evangelical Lutheran Congregation La Epifanía (Guatemala) Christian Lutheran Church of Honduras Mexican Lutheran Church German-speaking Evangelical Church in Mexico Nicaraguan Lutheran Church of Faith and Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church in Peru Peruvian Lutheran Evangelical Church Evangelical Lutheran Church in Venezuela Middle East:Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and Holy Land North America:Lithuanian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Diaspora |
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