PowerPoint presentation of the LWF during the September 2002 Council meeting in Wittenberg, Germany. © LWF/D.Zimmermann

Office for Planning

The Office for Planning assists in ensuring Program Coordination coordination of LWF programs and unity of purpose. This work is accomplished through There has been a need for a more integrated interdepartmental program planning, prior- approach to the LWF’s work. While depart- ity setting, joint reviews and evaluation of ments carry out their specific mandates, a activities. It is also responsible for the plan- cooperative, interdepartmental approach is ning and logistics of Council meetings, as adopted, however, in implementing pro- well as the Council’s functions and other re- grams. The Secretariat staff has created a lated matters during the LWF Assembly. system for coordinating activities in order

LWF Tenth Assembly – Six-Year Report 9 quirements and other matters in rela- Staff Working Teams tion to multilateral cooperation. The Staff Working Team on Europe PCFA facilitates increased joint plan- Staff Working Team on Africa ning and cooperation, and regulates re- Staff Working Team on Latin America sponsibilities and division of labor be- tween the LWF and supporting agencies. Staff Working Team on Asia The agreement was reached at the time Staff Working Team on Human Resource Development of the Ninth Assembly and was signed Staff Working Team on Gender by supporting agencies in the Nordic Region, Australia, the USA and Canada. Staff Working Team on Youth and Children In 2000, a second version of the PCFA Staff Working Team on Theological Education was developed and signed by the same Staff Working Team on Ecumenical Affairs agencies for a period of five years, from Staff Working Team on Computer Service 2001–5. An annual commitment form is submitted each year by the agencies, Staff Working Team on Finances indicating a year’s firm commitment and Staff Working Team on Lutheran-Jewish Relations a three-year projection, thus enabling a Staff Working Team on International Affairs and Human Rights more coherent and financially appropri- ate planning process. Staff Working Team on HIV/AIDS

Staff Working Team on Disability • The computerized Monitoring and Staff Working Team on Human Sexuality Reporting System (MaRS) is a direct Staff Working Team on the World Wide Web response to the LWF’s commitment through the PCFA agreement. MaRS Staff Working Team on Environment facilitates these commitments and Staff Working Team on MaRS provides member churches and oth- Interdepartmental Committee for Publications ers in the network with the necessary tools to plan, budget and report on Position Classification Committee funds entrusted to them. It is a tool to Interdepartmental Project Screening Committee improve information sharing about programs, projects and use of funds. to increase information sharing and avoid The initial phase of MaRS was coor- duplication of effort. Interdepartmental staff dinated by the Deputy General Secre- working teams (SWTs) function in a variety tary. It is now monitored by the Office of areas and provide opportunities for shar- for Finance and Administration. ing information and for a joint approach to matters dealt with across departments and • LWF Guidelines for Sustainable De- offices. All SWTs are advisory to the staff velopment document the LWF’s person responsible for a program. In mat- longstanding policy approach to sus- ters of policy and guiding principles for the tainable development for the first time. LWF as a whole, they are responsible to the The guidelines focus on human rights, Office of the General Secretary. gender, environment and communica- A number of crosscutting issues are tion, and preexisting guidelines may be also coordinated in this office. The follow- incorporated as desired. They cover the ing are examples of such issues: whole of LWF’s experience, supported by a theological rationale. The Council • The Program Cooperation Frame approved the guidelines in 2000. Agreement (PCFA) was developed at the request of supporting agencies for a • The LWF was represented in the ecu- harmonized approach to reporting re- menical Study on the Motivation for

10 The Lutheran World Federation and Consequences of Concentration Aware of the shortage of money, staff Policies in Ecumenical Development recommended a joint process of evalu- Cooperation. Since the early 1990s, ation and strategic planning in order to partner agencies have tended to con- increase awareness of theology and centrate their efforts in particular ways, ecumenism within the LWF. and this has affected ecumenical co- operation. The effects were not ana- • As LWF departments/offices organize lyzed or evaluated prior to the study, around 35–40 consultations and work- which concluded that: there was no shops every year, a harmonized ap- need for partner agencies to be defen- proach to the planning of consulta- sive about their concentration policies, tions has been developed. The Coun- but there was a need to reflect on the cil is informed annually about such quality of communication and dialogue; consultations. local partners should make better use of their resources in order to improve administration; clarity of purpose, out- Cooperative Working comes, roles and responsibilities were Relationships with important; “mutual commitment” might the WCC and WARC be a better phrase than partnership to describe relationships within ecumeni- Relations between the LWF and the WCC cal development cooperation. have always been close. Many LWF mem- ber churches are also members of the WCC. • LWF work in the area of HIV/AIDS is The WCC has, in principle, maintained undertaken within the different depart- an equal relationship with all Christian World ments/offices, with no one staff per- Communions (CWCs), regardless of their son being delegated responsibility for size, resources and location. The LWF and a comprehensive response to the pan- the WCC, however, share the same facili- demic. A new SWT has made a first ties, carry out the same programmatic work attempt to coordinate the LWF’s re- in many areas and, to a great extent, are sup- sponse. In order to improve coopera- ported by the same member churches and tion and coordination between orga- funding partners. This, and the fact that the nizations within the Ecumenical Cen- LWF is the strongest CWC in terms of finance ter, to avoid duplication and to facili- and administration, has sometimes created tate an ecumenical approach, a joint expectations for closer cooperation. staff group has been established. Discussions concerning closer coopera- tion have usually been initiated by the lead- • The relationship between DTS, OEA ership of the two organizations. At the LWF and the Institute for Ecumenical Re- assembly in Hong Kong and the WCC assem- search in Strasbourg has been consid- bly in Harare, member churches themselves ered several times by the Council. In expressed a wish for closer cooperation. Fol- 2001, the Council asked the General lowing specific recommendations from the Secretary to pay particular attention to LWF and WCC governing bodies in 1999, an how the role of theology and LWF–WCC staff group was appointed by the ecumenism in the life of the LWF might general secretaries of the two organizations. best be supported and furthered. He was Its task was to assess relevant issues and the asked to present a financial plan of ac- contribution of the two organizations to the tion for DTS, OEA and the Institute for ecumenical movement as a whole. Being Ecumenical Research in 2002, and to aware that most of these issues might stimu- explore how a third professor at the late further cooperation among CWCs in gen- Strasbourg Institute might be financed. eral, the staff group attempted to:

LWF Tenth Assembly – Six-Year Report 11 • Describe the distinctive roles of the all the organizations. The policy discussion two organizations within the ecu- about future joint or coordinated assem- menical movement, the conse- blies has been followed up by the different quences for their respective missions assembly coordinators, and the three orga- and their cooperation nizations have assigned representatives to the various assembly planning committees. • Present the main parameters of simul- It is hoped that the assemblies due to take taneous membership in the two orga- place in 2003, 2004, and 2006 will provide nizations further information to facilitate final deci- sions about joint or coordinated assemblies. • Look into ways of relating various In a parallel process, cooperation be- assemblies to each other, identify tween the LWF and WARC has increased. their specific roles, and consider their There are regular joint Cabinet meetings coordination to ensure better stew- and cooperation between different units ardship of resources and increased is increasing. cooperation Inventories of the areas of cooperation between the LWF, WCC and WARC show that • Explore the programmatic relation- there is more cooperation in the areas of de- ship between the two organizations velopment, humanitarian response and hu- and identify and propose new areas man rights, but less in the area of theology. of cooperation.

In 2000, the LWF Council received a report Meetings on these different aspects of closer coop- of the LWF Council eration. The WCC also received the report and recommended that WARC be included Since the constituting meeting in Hong in future discussions. Thus, the Joint Staff Kong in July 1997, the Council has met Working Group now includes WARC staff. annually in: The staff group has continued to work on the issues raised in the report and taken June 1998 Geneva, Switzerland steps to improve cooperation and sharing of information between ecumenical and June 1999 Bratislava, Slovak Republic, confessional bodies. Practical cooperation with the theme The Gospel relating to the assemblies is important for Transforming Cultures

LWF Council Members vote at their 22–29 June 1999 meeting in Bratislava, Slovak Republic. © LWF/T.Gulan

12 The Lutheran World Federation June 2000 Turku, Finland, with the theme development with its own resources, but I Give You a Future of Hope expressed its deep concern about the pro- cess leading to the termination of the LWF June 2001 Chavannes de Bogis outside program. The Council asked the Secretariat Geneva, Switzerland, with the to explore ways to further support the theme The Church: Called to diaconal work of the LWF member church a Ministry of Reconciliation in Eritrea and to ensure that LWF assets in (chosen by the Evangelical Eritrea benefited Eritrean communities. Lutheran Church in Jordan— ELCJ) Human Rights in Ethiopia (1998)

Sept. 2002 Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Ger- The Council called upon the Ethiopian au- many thorities to release or charge persons kept in detention within a reasonable period of The Council accepted an invitation in 2000 time of arrest; and undertake prosecution of from the ELCJ. However, due to the very those charged with criminal offences in a difficult and unstable situation in the re- fair, just and prompt manner in accordance gion, the Executive Committee took the with recognized international standards, in- decision to relocate the Council meetings cluding the right of defendants to confiden- in 2001 and 2002. tial consultation with their lawyers.

Highlights of Some Conflict between Ethiopia and of the Actions Taken Eritrea (1998) at LWF Council Meetings The Council conveyed to the governments of LWF Workload Assessment, Priority both countries its concerns about the current Setting and Evaluation conflict, calling upon the warring parties to (1998 and 1999) settle the dispute through peaceful negotia- tion, cease their hostilities, and protect their The Council agreed that LWF Aims and civilian populations, offering the assistance Goals through the Tenth Assembly should of the LWF to promote conflict resolution, be taken into consideration in the continu- healing, and reconciliation. It appealed to the ing planning and setting of priorities within international community, including the United the Secretariat. Nations (UN) and the Organization for Afri- can Unity (OAU), and influential govern- LWF Guiding Principles for ments, including those in Africa, to seek and Sustainable Development (2000) secure peace. It offered encouragement and support to the leaders of the Lutheran The Council adopted the principles and churches in these countries engaging in referred them to churches, agencies and peace and reconciliation processes. field programs for discussion and use. Fiftieth Anniversary of the Universal Eritrea (1998) Declaration of Human Rights (1998)

The Council expressed LWF’s concerns to The Council called upon member churches the Eritrean government about the termi- to renew their familiarity with the Universal nation of operations of international NGOs Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), in- and international humanitarian organiza- crease awareness in their churches and na- tions. It acknowledged the Eritrean tional contexts about the principles and con- government’s right to pursue sustainable cepts inherent in the UDHR, affirm interna-

LWF Tenth Assembly – Six-Year Report 13 tional and national activities in commemo- • Appealed to parties in the peace pro- ration of the 50th anniversary and encour- cess and its sponsors to implement age member churches to participate. the Oslo Agreements and the Decla- ration of Principles on Interim Self- International Debt (1998) Government Arrangements (1998)

The Council encouraged and supported the • Appealed to the Israeli authorities to involvement of member churches in the cam- halt the expansion of Israeli settle- paign for debt relief and highlighted the need ments in Arab East Jerusalem until to focus on ways in which the resources re- the final status of the city had been leased by debt cancellation could be used negotiated (1998) directly to relieve the suffering of the poor. Bishop Munib A. Younan In 1999, the Council acknowledged the • Affirmed that the ELCJ was part of of the Evangelical additional debt relief proposed by the Cologne the Christian tradition, which had Lutheran Church in Economic Summit of the G7 nations. How- been continuously present in the Holy Jordan, Jerusalem, and ever, it declared that the proposals did not go Land since the days of Christ (1999) LWF President, Bishop em. Dr Christian Krause, far enough in addressing the unsustainable in conversation with debt burden and emphasized that the preven- • Acknowledged the ELCJ’s dialogue President of the Federal tion of future debt crises and the promotion of with other churches and two major Republic of Germany human development in the world’s poorest religions in the region to promote Dr Johannes Rau, countries were not adequately addressed. It reconciliation and a common ap- September 2002 LWF called upon member churches to intensify proach to social issues (1999) Council meeting, Wittenberg, Germany. their support for the cancellation of unsus- © LWF/D.Zimmermann tainable debt by the year 2000. • Reaffirmed that Jerusalem is a city of two peoples and three faiths (1999)

• Called for an end to measures de- signed to alter the region’s demogra- phy for political purposes, and for equitable and non-discriminatory ac- cess to economic opportunities and water resources (1999)

• Called upon the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to ensure that religious communities enjoyed full freedom of worship and religion, as well as civil and historical rights; encour- aged the Palestinian Authority to en- sure religious freedom and pluralism within the future State of Palestine, as well as educational curricula which Israel and the Occupied Territories promote mutual respect among reli- gious communities (1999) The Council • Affirmed the fundamental human right • Expressed concern about border clo- of Palestinian refugees to return to their sures and the resulting frustration of places of origin; called for final status the Palestinian people, which creates negotiations to reach a durable and con- a context for extremism (1998) sensual solution to their plight (2000)

14 The Lutheran World Federation • Urged Israel to negotiate on the issue of Jerusalem on the basis of UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 (2000)

• Renewed its concern over the rate of settlement expansion in the Occupied Territories (2000)

• Denounced all attacks upon civilians (2001)

• Expressed concern that the current context of injustice and occupation provided fertile ground for the growth of religious and political extremism, anti-Semitism and racism (2001)

• Reiterated that negotiations be based upon UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 and General Assembly Resolution 194 (2001)

• Encouraged churches in member countries of the European Union (EU) to request that their governments pur- sue dialogue with the government of Israel within the framework of the EU– major faiths in Israel–Palestine to Glaudet Lomba, 24 Israel Association Agreement (2001) strengthen a faith-based constituency for (center), at Camp a resumption of political dialogue and Chicala in Moxico Province. There are • Urged member churches to work for the promotion of reconciliation among more than 10 million a ban on the sale of arms to the Middle the communities in the region (2001). unexploded landmines East region (2001) in Angola. Banning of Landmines © LWF/D.-M.Grötzsch • Urged support for the programs and (1998 and 1999) projects of the ELCJ as a primary means of protecting the future pres- Following the signing of an international ence and witness of a living church treaty to ban landmines, the Council called in the land of Christ’s birth (2001) on all member churches to pursue this goal intensively through • Encouraged the establishment of prayer vigils for peace in Israel–Pal- • Active involvement in the Interna- estine (2001) tional Campaign to Ban Landmines

• Supported ecumenical initiatives to • Continued condemnation of anti-person- create awareness of the relevant prin- nel landmines and their effects through ciples of international humanitarian education and awareness building and human rights law (2001) • Support for the implementation of the • Endorsed dialogue among religious Convention on the Prohibition, Use, leaders and communities of the three Production, Transfer and Stockpiling

LWF Tenth Assembly – Six-Year Report 15 of Anti-personnel Landmines and on tion, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance their Destruction (Ottawa Treaty) as an occasion for addressing persistent through various means. racism and related forms of discrimina- tion and exclusion, formulating a practi- All member churches were encouraged to cal plan of action for responding to these continue their commitment to the Interna- challenges, and encouraging the LWF, tional Campaign to Ban Landmines, in- member churches, and other partners to cluding political involvement and opera- highlight the issue of caste-based and re- tional programs of demining, with the ulti- lated forms of discrimination. It further mate goal of totally eliminating landmines declared that the struggles against anti- from the earth. Semitism, discrimination against Palestin- ians, caste-based discrimination, and other HIV/AIDS forms of racial discrimination, xenopho- bia and intolerance were inseparable ele- The Council: ments of the same struggle, based in the recognition of the God-given dignity of all • Asked that experiences and practices human beings and in the international be shared with member churches and community’s commitment to the universal duplicated in other related LWF pro- realization of human rights and fundamen- grams, integrating AIDS awareness in tal freedoms. DWS field programs where necessary (1999); Religious Freedom (2000)

• Approved consultations and work- The Council received the comprehensive shops to mobilize church responses to report “Involvement of LWF member HIV/AIDS, ensuring that all consulta- churches in promoting and defending Re- tions address contextual theological, ligious Freedom” called for by the Ninth ethical and gender issues relating to Assembly and asked member churches the pandemic’s devastating impact, and other expressions of the LWF to pro- utilizing the experience, expertise and vide additional information on their in- resources already available within the volvement, increase their efforts to pro- churches and ecumenical and other mote mutual understanding and religious networks, especially the WCC (2001) freedom for all, and address religious fun- damentalism by means of ecumenical and • Decided—as a renewed commitment interfaith dialogue and cooperation and to ecumenical/international efforts to relevant educational and awareness-rais- overcome the HIV/AIDS pandemic (e.g., ing initiatives. the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance)— to launch a campaign to develop a com- Acute Conflicts prehensive program with specific stra- tegic management to combat HIV/ India (1999) AIDS, establishing a special fund for this The Council expressed hope that the reli- purpose in cooperation with member gious tensions in India would lessen and churches and funding agencies (2001). that the rights of Dalits and ethnic minori- ties would be protected; declared solidar- World Conference Against Racism ity with the victims of the violence and with (2001) the churches as they continued their dia- logue with other religious communities and The Council welcomed the World Confer- with the government, with the aim of im- ence Against Racism, Racial Discrimina- proving the interreligious climate in India.

16 The Lutheran World Federation Indonesia (1999) Indonesia (2001) The Council expressed solidarity with the The Council reaffirmed its 1999 resolution churches and the people of Indonesia in the and agreed to support in prayer and in midst of the changing political, economic and material ways the efforts of the Indone- social context and outbreaks of violence, en- sian churches to reduce religious and eth- couraging member churches to support the nic tensions and to promote reconciliation activities of the Indonesian churches to re- within Indonesian society. It urged the In- duce religious and ethnic tensions and to pro- donesian government to prevent further mote reconciliation within Indonesian soci- violence and bring to justice those respon- ety. It urged the Indonesian government to sible for criminal acts. prevent further violence and bring to justice those responsible for criminal acts. The Signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification East Timor (1999) (1999) The Council expressed support to the reli- gious leaders in East Timor who had been The Council working for an impartial and free expres- sion of the will of the people, with the hope • Approved the investigation as to how that the Indonesian government would the Joint Declaration might be con- ensure a peaceful ballot. firmed most appropriately

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1999) • Approved the signing of the Official The Council expressed support for the work Common Statement with the Annex of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia as it attempts to • Decided that the signing of the Joint bring to justice those responsible for war Declaration should take place in crimes and crimes against humanity. Augsburg on October 31, 1999

Democratic Republic of Congo (2001) • Affirmed the signing as the imple- The Council expressed solidarity with the mentation of the Council action, people of the Democratic Republic of based on the positive responses to the Congo, the Evangelical Lutheran Church Joint Declaration by the vast major- in Congo and other persons of goodwill, ity of LWF member churches. calling for the withdrawal of all foreign military forces, relief of the acute suffer- Plan of Action for Follow-up ing of the civilian population and intensi- of the Joint Declaration fied humanitarian assistance. on the Doctrine of Justification (2000) Colombia (2001) The Council affirmed the concerns of the The Council Conference of Bishops and Presidents of the LWF Latin American member churches in • Received a Plan of Action and recog- early 2001 concerning the adverse effects of nized the continuing work of the “Plan Colombia,” encouraging consultation Lutheran–Roman Catholic Commis- within the Lutheran communion and with its sion on Unity and the coordinating role ecumenical partners about the humanitarian of the Joint Staff Meeting between the implications of this policy. It expressed con- LWF and the Pontifical Council for cern about the plight of internally displaced Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU) persons, particularly children, especially as foundational for the follow-up of when forced to engage in armed conflict. the Joint Declaration

LWF Tenth Assembly – Six-Year Report 17 • Initiated a joint process of theologi- The LWF as a Communion (2001) cal reflection on topics raised by the Joint Declaration with the involve- The Council requested a task force to explore ment of regional and local groups of theologians, with plans for a joint con- • How understanding and appreciation sultation of the LWF and the PCPCU of what it means to be a communion on the biblical basis of the doctrine of might be increased among member justification churches

• Asked that a Lutheran task force fo- • A possible change of name for the cus on the long-term vision of the ecu- Federation, to better express its na- menical work of the LWF. ture as a communion

In 2001, after the report of the Lutheran • Joint or coordinated assemblies with Task Force on the Follow-up of the Joint other CWCs in the context of the as- Declaration, the Council requested that the semblies of the WCC. ecumenical significance of the agree- ments be pursued further. Ecumenical News International (1999–2002) Relationship with the WCC and Christian World Communions The Council decided to continue financial (1999) support for ENI.

The Council asked the Secretariat to con- A New Budget Structure Based tinue efforts to strengthen cooperation on Aims and Goals (1999) between churches and CWCs in general; and to discuss with the WCC future rela- The Council pursued the results of the tions and patterns of cooperation. Resource Consultation in light of the aims and goals of the Federation in developing Assemblies of International Church a new budget structure. Organizations in the Future (1999) Engaging Economic Globalization The Council sought clarification of the dif- as a Communion (2001) ferent functions of LWF assemblies in or- der to discuss possible coordination of The Council encouraged member churches LWF assemblies with those of the WCC to hold discussions about the paper Engag- and regional ecumenical councils, to en- ing Economic Globalization as a Com- sure better stewardship of resources and munion and participate in ecumenical ef- increased cooperation. forts to deal with economic globalization.

Cooperation with the WCC (2000) Violence (1999 and 2001)

In planning for the Tenth Assembly, the The Council Council asked the Secretariat to explore ways of coordinating themes, developing • Encouraged member churches to con- preparatory material and reporting and front the painful issue of violence in follow-up with other assemblies. It also all its manifestations conveyed to the WCC the need for better coordination of its assemblies with those • Approved the document Churches of regional ecumenical councils. say “No” to Violence against Women

18 The Lutheran World Federation prepared by the DMD Desk for Women Standing Committee in Church and Society as a way to for World Service (2000) assist churches in their efforts to ad- dress the issue. The Council established the Standing Committee for World Service. Accompaniment and Strengthening of Churches in the South and in Global Consultation on Diaconia Eastern and Central Europe (2001) (2001)

The Council urged greater reflection and The Council approved a consultation to be asked that strategies be developed to held in 2002. strengthen the organizational capacity and institutional self-reliance of churches in the South, as well as in Eastern and Cen- New Member Churches tral Europe, taking into account the spiri- tual, theological, human, material and fi- Since the Ninth Assembly the Council has nancial interdependency and mutual ac- received into membership the following countability of LWF member churches. churches and congregations:

Inter-Lutheran Relations (2001) Bratislava 1999

The Council asked the General Secretary to Full Membership: converse with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, seeking cooperation and exploration Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mozambique of the relationship with the International Lutheran Church in Singapore Lutheran Council, encouraging churches to Malagasy Protestant Church in France resist approaches that condemn other Chris- (Fiangonana Protestanta Malagsy Aty Andafy) tians and churches, and offering support in discerning theological issues. Associate Membership:

Action by Churches Together (1998) Japan Lutheran Church

The Council expressed satisfaction over Turku 2000 the positive Evaluation Report and af- firmed its commitment to the joint WCC– Full Membership: LWF institutional base upon which the ACT Coordinating Office operates. It joined Gereja Kristen Protestan Pakpak Dairi, In- with the ACT Emergency Committee in donesia its appeal to enhance member churches’ Gereja Protestan Persekutuan, Indonesia commitment to the ACT Network. Geneva 2001 Rwanda (1998) Full Membership: The Council expressed support for the LWF’s decision not to phase out its program as Lanka Lutheran Church, Sri Lanka emergency activities came to an end, but to Banua Niha Keriso Protestan, Indonesia stand by communities and, thus, contribute to peace. It appealed to the international community to continue to provide the nec- essary support to augment peace efforts.

LWF Tenth Assembly – Six-Year Report 19 Lutherstadt Wittenberg 2002 Geneva be made after the LWF Ninth As- sembly”. In 1997, the Ninth Assembly voted Full membership: to “request the Council to revise and evalu- ate the workload of LWF staff as soon as it is Lutheran Church of Rwanda possible and to consider critically the cur- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zambia rent projects and tasks. This is to be evalu- Gereja Angowuloa Masehi Indonesia Nias ated with the intent of cutting out and finish- Iglesia Luterana Costarricense ing projects, in accordance with priorities set and the availability of resources.” The initial phase of this Workload and LWF Planning Priority Setting Assessment (January–June and Evaluation Process 1998) focused on

Since the new organizational structure was • The development of a positive, open put in place in 1990, the LWF has strength- approach and methodology ened planning and evaluation processes. A Long Range Planning Process was intro- • Building staff awareness, consensus duced from 1992 to 1995. After the Ninth and support Assembly, a Workload and Priority Setting Assessment was undertaken from 1997 to • Agreeing on aims, identifying goals and 1999. A synergistic planning and evalua- collecting objective data about activi- tion process has been developed now. ties, capacities and expectations.

Workload and Priority Setting Each department and unit made an assess- in the LWF ment, coordinated by the Office for Planning. It is most important for effective plan- In September 1996, the Council asked that, ning to develop and agree on a clear vi- “in order to improve the existing LWF struc- sion, a mission and priorities. Therefore, ture, an in-depth assessment of the workload staff worked on drafting LWF Aims and and priority setting in the Secretariat in Goals in light of the message from the Ninth Assembly and the governing documents LWF Aims and Goals and mandates for each unit. The Council 1990 Restructuring discussed the draft of the LWF Aims and Goals at its meeting in 1999. Staff then 1992 Office for Planning in function worked further on the proposal and at the 1993 Long-range Planning Process Council meeting in 2000 the LWF Aims 1995 Report to Council on Long-range Planning/Priorities and Goals were approved. In this context the LWF understands that: 1996 Council asks for a Workload and Priority Assessment

1997 Phase One of the Workload and Priority Assessment Aims express the overall direction and 1999 Phase Two: A Prioritization Process in place in all units pursuits of the LWF. They are conceptual 2000 Council approves the LWF Aims and Goals (a working document and are a statement of the strategic issues indicating overall direction and areas of priorities for the LWF as a whole) facing the LWF: they have no time limita- tions for implementation, no agreed stan- 2001 An overall evaluation process starts dards for attainment or measurement of 2002 Program Plans 2002–4 (with projection for 2005) completion and are not necessarily unique 2003 Overall directions by the Tenth Assembly to the LWF. 2004 Revised LWF Aims and Goals Goals are medium term and are a state- Program Plans 2005–7 ment of specific, measurable accomplish-

20 The Lutheran World Federation Rev. Dr Michael R. Rothaar, Coordinator of the LWF Prioritization and Workload Assessment Project, during his presentation to the LWF Council at its 22–29 June 1999 meeting, Bratislava, Slovak Republic. © LWF/T.Gulan

ments for each aim. They may be revised Priority Setting periodically and updated to reflect chang- ing circumstances and challenges, are Phase two of the Workload and Priority measurable and attainable (given current Setting Assessment involved a priority- conditions), and are unique to the LWF. setting exercise. It included: They represent areas of priority and indi- cate what the LWF and the LWF Secretariat • Linking activities and tasks to goals can do together. • Prioritizing activities and tasks The Workload Assessment included gath- ering data (e.g., purpose, relation to the • Matching available resources with work of the LWF, cost, use of outcomes) on required tasks and activities the meetings, travel, visitors and publica- tions of the LWF. This information was used • Deciding which programs and/or as one factor in determining the overall projects to eliminate workload of the LWF. The process enabled units and individuals to examine their own • Creating and implementing a continu- work and make adjustments as necessary. ous process of planning and evalua- Internal discussion of these issues tion for all LWF functions. provided an opportunity for the Office for Personnel to make progress on specific In addition, the need to address various new programs first identified as needs in strategic issues influencing the LWF was a 1993 long-range plan. A staff training stressed. program was created and all-staff train- In the 1999 Priority Setting Process, the ing began in the second half of 1998. This first step was to define 10 dimensions that program was developed from feedback would constitute a priority in the LWF. about needs throughout the organization, These are: which included interpersonal communi- cation and management training for Cabi- • Responsiveness (correspondence to net members. priorities and needs)

LWF Tenth Assembly – Six-Year Report 21 • Urgency (meets a critical and imme- • Working for the betterment of society diate need) • Alleviating human need • Impact (appraises the wider effects, foreseen and unforeseen) • Managing available resources.

• Creativity (points to new and poten- In other words, the LWF has a strong iden- tially fruitful work or a significantly tity and role to play. It brings together new way of working) Lutherans from around the world to deal with issues of common concern, and ap- • Parsimony (use of available means plies available resources to what are in an optimal way) deemed to be good causes. By means of the Workload and Priority • Duration (defined time frame or in- Setting Assessment, progress was made built formal evaluation) in developing general aims and goals for the LWF and a method of prioritization. • Strategic Alliances (demonstrates Units have focused on establishing a lim- whether work should be done by the LWF ited number of medium-term objectives for and the role of the LWF in any alliance) themselves. DWS underwent a capacity assessment during the second part of 2000 • Internal Coordination (work done in in order to evaluate its capacity and po- collaboration and cooperation, not tential for fulfilling its mandate more ef- duplicating but complementary) fectively. In 2001, a Strategic Plan was developed for the work of DWS. • Staff Workload (the impact of the pro- gram or activity on staff) Evaluation in the LWF

• Capacity (the scope appropriate to Evaluation is understood in various ways, the combined resources). and is influenced by context and culture. There is no single model of evaluation, but A simple scoring method was considered rather a body of knowledge upon which the most appropriate for the LWF. Executive LWF can draw. Evaluation is essentially an staff responsible for planning the program internal or external assessment of the de- undertook priority setting for consider- sign, implementation and results of an area ation by the Council. of work. It is a tool to strengthen the collec- In reviewing the types of activities that tive and systematic learning of the organi- were consistently rated as having high zation. It is about examining the quality of priority, it became clear that the agreed an activity or program according to agreed aims described adequately the breadth of criteria and at various levels. work of the Federation. In general (non- The Council was informed at its meet- specific) terms, the priorities of the LWF ing in 2001 that a set of Guiding Principles may be summarized as: for Evaluations in the LWF had been de- veloped and the definitions to be used • Building identity among member agreed on. churches The Overall Evaluation Process • Furthering ecumenical participation in the LWF

• Supporting the communion in procla- The Program and Standing Committees for mation and service Mission and Development and World Ser-

22 The Lutheran World Federation vice, as well as the Project Committee, input to the internal staff evaluation. It is review evaluations of specific programs intended to develop an overall evaluation and projects regularly. All Program and system after the Tenth Assembly. Standing Committees are responsible for evaluating the work of assigned Secre- tariat units. Visits to the LWF For some years, Cabinet has consid- Secretariat ered the question of what would be the best format for an overall LWF evaluation pro- Many delegations and individuals from cess and has stressed the importance of member churches and related agencies an outside or external evaluation, in addi- have visited the Geneva Secretariat. It is a tion to internal staff evaluation. The best privilege for staff to show hospitality to format for overall evaluations would be to the LWF constituency. Visits to LWF head- engage three teams of consultants from quarters and the Ecumenical Center are the constituency (member churches, na- an important aspect of day-to-day work in tional committees, theological institutions Geneva and provide an opportunity to lis- and supporting agencies). The consultants ten to member churches and related agen- would need to be knowledgeable in theol- cies. Many issues and concerns, normally ogy, development/humanitarian assis- dealt with through correspondence or tele- tance and communication. Each team phone conversations, can be discussed would assist in developing an appropriate further and explained in greater detail. methodology for these three main areas They also serve as an opportunity for staff of work, undertake evaluations and pro- to inform member churches and related Church of Sweden pose an action plan for the implementa- agencies about the work of the LWF. Such delegation visits the LWF. tion of findings and recommendations. face-to-face encounter provides for more From left: Ecumenical In view of the upcoming Tenth Assem- genuine and long-lasting relationships and Officer Rev. Hans bly, Cabinet proposed a simplified process exchanges. Engdahl, Church Secretary Rev. Dr Carl Axel through which Program and Standing Aurelius, General Committee members were asked to con- Secretary Ms Leni sider a set of evaluative questions. Their The LWF Archives Björklund, former Director responses and comments served as back- General Mr Peter ground for a joint reflection at the Council The archives are the memory of the Fed- Weiderud, International meeting in September 2002. Members of eration and its member churches—a rich Mission & Diaconia. Center: former LWF Program and Standing Committees, to- heritage documenting more than 50 years Deputy General Secretary gether with consultants participating in the of Lutheran cooperation. The main ar- Ms Agneta Ucko. Council meeting, represented the external chives are lodged at the Geneva headquar- © LWF/C.Rothenbühler

LWF Tenth Assembly – Six-Year Report 23 ters and are open to researchers from Web Site member churches, to students, and others. A short presentation on the LWF archives Radio Voice of the Gospel can now be found on the LWF web site. In (RVOG) Archives future, the web site will offer further scope for online searches. Gradually, information Located in Africa, the RVOG Archives— about archive holdings of LWF publica- also LWF property—have recently been tions, reports, newsletters and audio-visual organized and catalogued. The interna- material will be made available online. A tional radio station, RVOG, was a power- direct e-mail computer link facilitates ful instrument for the LWF and its member communication between external users churches, as well as for various other and the archives. Christian communities, in and beyond Af- rica. It transmitted programs in about 20 Archival Resources languages to an African and Asian audi- ence. Its archives contain an impressive The LWF archives extend to some 730 lin- record of broadcasting from 1963 to 1977, ear meters. They include records of the fi- when the Ethiopian authorities national- nal years of the Lutheran World Conven- ized the LWF radio station in Addis Ababa. tion (LWC), 1945–47, and the records of the All the property was confiscated—includ- LWF since 1947. The archives document ing the archives, but, eventually, they were work coordinated through headquarters, as released. With the assistance of a Finnish well as developments in member churches researcher, Mr Mika Palo, and support and other Lutheran churches worldwide. from EECMY staff, DMD coordinated the They also contain records of LWF govern- work of restoration of the RVOG archives. ing bodies, correspondence, LWF publica- Sound recordings, documents, printed tions and reports, periodicals and newslet- materials, photographs, etc., have been ters, clippings, biography files and audio- catalogued and stored safely at the visuals. There is access to a library, read- Yemisrach Dimts Communication Center ing room, finding aids, and inventories. in Addis Ababa. The archives, which are administrated by EECMY, will be of inter- Future of the LWF Archives est to the entire Lutheran constituency. The catalogue consists of two parts: (1) corre- As financial and human resources allow, spondence, printed materials, maps, pho- it will be possible to create other data- tographs, and slides; (2) sound recordings. bases and computerize archives adminis- tration. Staff would like to be able to keep Databank on Resolutions up with the modern, archival techniques by LWF Authoritative Bodies currently used in the member churches. Staff seeks to address the need for peri- Work on the databank (1946 to present) odic upkeep of the archives, the better to began in 1985. After retirement from the preserve the Lutheran heritage for future LWF, Ms Vera Henrich took on the huge task generations of researchers. of processing and inputting all data. The In recent years, visits to and from other databank can be searched by subject, Lutheran archives, and frequent exchange source, year, and venue on questions about of information and material, have im- actions by LWF assemblies, the LWF Ex- proved considerably archival cooperation ecutive Committee, the Council, etc. The across borders and continents. Eventually, databank holds some 7,500 items, is up- the development of the Internet will bring dated annually and is available to users the LWF archives closer to the LWF mem- with a password through the MaRS web site. ber churches and to individual users.

24 The Lutheran World Federation