Lutheran World InformationLWI Global Increase in LWF Churches’ Highlights Membership Pushes Total to 68.3 Million New Resource Equips North America Churches to Talk About HIV Europe Prevention .............................2 4,958,203 37,137,374 The Geneva-based Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance has released a new guide aimed at helping Christians to talk openly and accurately, and with compassion about why HIV spreads... Asia 8,275,418 The Lutheran World Federation 2007 Membership Figures ......5 Latin America & the Caribbean 2007 World Lutheran 822,074 Africa Membership Details ...............6 17,129,230 © LWF The Lutheran World Federation LWF 2007 Membership Figures Consultations 2008 ..............14 LWF German National Committee Closes Stuttgart An Additional Two Million Members Office ...................................16 in Africa’s Lutheran Churches After some 50 years, the German National Committee of the GENEVA (LWI) Lutheran World Federation has – Africa’s Lutheran churches 1,623,024 to approximately 71.8 million relocated its previously Stuttgart- saw their total membership increase over (71,823,423), an increase of 2.3 percent. In based Office for Church the past year by just under two million, 2006, all Lutheran churches worldwide Cooperation and World Service boosting the total membership of the Lu- counted some 70.2 million members, up from to the United Evangelical theran World Federation (LWF) member 69.8 million in 2005. The number of Luther- Lutheran Church of Germany churches worldwide to over 68.3 million. ans in non-LWF member churches fell by central office in Hanover... Lutheran churches in Asia registered an 17,676, or 0.5 percent, to reach 3,501,124. increase overall, while slight decreases were again recorded in other world regions. According to the latest LWF statistics, Ethiopia Has World’s Second membership in the organization’s 140 Largest Lutheran Church churches, 10 recognized congregations, and Over the past year, LWF church membership one recognized council in 78 countries world- in Africa rose by 1,926,407 or 12.7 percent to wide rose by a total of 1,640,700, to reach reach a total of 17,129,230. The membership 68,322,299, an increase of 2.5 percent over of non-LWF Lutheran churches in Africa the previous year. In 2006, LWF member remained unchanged at 56,069. churches had some 66.7 million members With an increase of 368,861 members, worldwide, up from 66.2 million in 2005. or 8.2 percent, to 4,869,157, the Ethiopian Over the past year, the total membership of all Lutheran churches worldwide rose by Continues on page 3 200801 Contents Communio 1 ........Global Increase in LWF Churches’ Membership Pushes Total to 68.3 Million 5 ........The Lutheran World Federation 2007 Membership Figures 6 ........2007 World Lutheran Membership Details Features & Themes 14 ......The Lutheran World Federation Consultations 2008 News in Brief 2 ........LWF President Asks Prayers for Kenya 2 ........New Resource Equips Churches to Talk About HIV Prevention 16 ......LWF German National Committee Closes Stuttgart Office LWF President Asks Prayers for Kenya In a 8 February message to the Evangelical Lutheran Church Hanson’s message also served as a report with updates about in America (ELCA), Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presid- mission personnel serving there and contacts with the local ing bishop and LWF president asked the church’s members LWF member churches, including through Church World to “join brothers and sisters throughout the world in prayer Service, the relief, development and refugee agency of 35 US for peace and reconciliation in Kenya,” in view of the political churches including the ELCA. crisis there. (ELCA News Service) New Resource Equips Churches to Talk About HIV Prevention The Geneva-based Ecumenical Advocacy coordinator, Linda Hartke, “church people Alliance (EAA) has released a new guide and others have often been too silent or aimed at helping Christians to talk openly judgmental about how people get the virus and accurately, and with compassion about because it touches on issues like sex and in- why HIV spreads and what they can do as jecting drug use. We hope this guide helps individuals and communities to stop trans- people discuss in a respectful environment mission of the virus. not just personal behavior but conditions in The new guide titled, “Exploring Solu- society that make some people much more tions: How to Talk about HIV Prevention vulnerable to infection.” in the Church” includes sections explaining The Lutheran World Federation is a the dialogue approach and practical consid- member of EAA, a broad international erations. It outlines six possible dialogue network of churches and Christian organi- themes: dialogue, stigma and HIV preven- zations cooperating in advocacy on global tion; HIV transmission and prevention; trade and HIV and AIDS. vulnerability; sex and sexuality; testing and The 44-page resource is available for free Lutheran World Information World Lutheran counseling; and promoting life. in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese. “While churches have been leaders in Copies can be downloaded or ordered at: caring for people affected by HIV and AIDS,” says EAA www.e-alliance.ch/hivaids_exploringsolutions.jsp The Lutheran World Federation English Editor The Lutheran World Information (LWI) – A Communion of Churches Pauline Mumia is the information service 150, route de Ferney [email protected] of the Lutheran World P.O. Box 2100 Federation (LWF). CH-1211 Geneva 2, German Editor Switzerland Dirk-Michael Grötzsch Unless specifically noted, [email protected] material presented does not Telephone +41/22-791 61 11 represent positions or opinions Fax +41/22-791 66 30 Layout of the LWF or of its various units. E-mail: [email protected] Stéphane Gallay www.lutheranworld.org [email protected] Where the dateline of an article contains the notation (LWI), Editor-in-Chief Circulation/subscription the material may be freely reproduced Karin Achtelstetter Janet Bond-Nash with acknowledgement. [email protected] [email protected] 2 No. 01/2008 Lutheran World Information World Lutheran Global Increase in LWF Churches’ Membership Pushes Total to 68.3 Million North America Europe Continued from page 1 4,958,203 37,137,374 Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, the largest LWF member church on the continent, now becomes the sec- Asia ond largest worldwide. The Church 8,275,418 of Sweden remains the world’s big- gest Lutheran church with 6.9 mil- lion members. Latin America Among African churches, the & the Caribbean Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tan- Africa 822,074 zania, the continent’s second largest 17,129,230 © LWF Lutheran church, recorded the highest LWF 2007 Membership Figures membership increase—32.4 percent— with an additional 1,132,480 new members to reach a total of 4,632,480, making it the fourth largest Lutheran of 1.22 percent. Of a total 8,415,776 by 292,031, also 0.78 percent, to church in the world. The ELCT attri- Lutherans in Asia, 8,275,418 be- 37,137,374. butes its growth to “effective evange- longed to LWF member churches, Membership in the world’s largest lism in [its] dioceses over the past two which corresponds to a 1.24 percent Lutheran church, the Church of Swe- years … and a realistic authentication increase or 101,258 members. den, remained nearly unchanged over of statistics.” The Lutheran Church of Membership in Asia’s largest the course of 2007, with a slight drop Christ in Nigeria saw its membership Lutheran church, the Protestant of 0.03 percent to reach 6,893,901. rise by 380,630, or 27.9 percent, to Christian Batak Church (Indonesia) The fifth largest LWF member church 1,745,050. The Evangelical Lutheran remained steady at 3.75 million. worldwide, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana also grew a substan- In terms of absolute figures, the Church of Finland, saw its member- tial 25.1 percent, with membership up Evangelical Lutheran Church of Pap- ship drop by 22,983, or 0.5 percent, to 5,521 to reach 27,521. Membership ua New Guinea registered the highest 4,533,629. The Evangelical Lutheran in the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran growth in the region with 85,000 new Church in Denmark, the sixth larg- Church was up by 8,000, or 22.2 members or 10.4 percent increase, to est LWF member church, recorded a percent, to 44,000. The Evangelical count 900,000 members. The United decrease of 13,274, or 0.3 percent, to Lutheran Church in Malawi reported Protestant Church (Indonesia) re- 4,493,168. The Church of Norway had 60,000 members, for an increase of corded 1,150 additional members, or 67,531 fewer members, or 1.71 percent, 10,000 or 20 percent. 11.5 percent, to reach 11,150. A more to reach 3,871,513. Other churches on the continent than 6 percent increase was recorded The Evangelical Lutheran Church recording an over 10 percent increase by the Bangladesh Lutheran Church of Ingria in Russia recorded a 25 per- included the Evangelical Lutheran and the Simalungun Protestant cent membership increase or 3,000 Churches in Angola, Kenya and Christian Church (Indonesia). new members to reach 15,000, Cameroon. Decreases were registered by while the Lutheran Church in Great While no statistical changes were the Lutheran Church in Singapore, Britain grew by 18.6 percent (440 reported by the 3-million-member Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church members) to 2,810. The Evangelical Malagasy Lutheran Church, the (India) and the Hong Kong and Ma- Lutheran Church – Synod of France third largest Lutheran church in cau Lutheran Church. and Belgium, a non-LWF church, Africa, a 12.4 percent decrease in recorded the highest percentage the Evangelical Lutheran Church in increase in Europe by a two-thirds’ Mozambique put its total at 6,482.