Lutheran World Information The Lutheran World Federation LWI – A Communion of Churches Total Membership of LWF 150, route de Ferney P.O. Box 2100 Churches Increases to Around CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland 66.7 Million Telephone +41/22-791 61 11 Fax +41/22-791 66 30 The total membership of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) member church- E-mail: [email protected] es rose last year by 467,551 to just under 66.7 million (66,681,599). According to www.lutheranworld.org the latest LWF statistics, the LWF’s 140 member churches, ten congregations Editor-in-Chief and one recognized council in 78 countries registered a growth of around 0.71 Karin Achtelstetter percent for the period 2005–2006. The LWF member churches around the world [email protected] totaled some 66.2 million members in 2005 and 65.9 million in 2004. (See page 3) English Editor Pauline Mumia LWF 2006 Membership Figures [email protected] North America Europe German Editor 5,033,451 37,429,405 Dirk-Michael Grötzsch [email protected] Layout Stéphane Gallay [email protected] Asia 8,174,160 Circulation/Subscription Janet Bond-Nash [email protected] Latin America & the Caribbean The Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the 841,760 Africa information service of the Lutheran World 15,202,823 Federation (LWF). © LWF Unless specifically noted, material presented does not represent positions or opinions of Highlights the LWF or of its various units. Where the LWF General Secretary Heads FEATURE: Now We Can Run to the dateline of an article contains the notation Interfaith Delegation to Sudan .....14 Terrace ...............................................16 (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced The General Secretary of the Lutheran World “So many people lost their lives to the tsunami, with acknowledgement. Federation (LWF) Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, led hence we can’t say the tsunami is good. But an interfaith delegation to North and South just as it has taken so much from us, it has Sudan from 9 to 13 January 2007. also given us a lot. Even in our dreams we could not have imagined houses like this,” VELKD Official Appointed Vice remarks Revathi Balasubhramaniam, a President of EKD Church Office .....2 resident of Nadukuppam village,Villupuram As part of last year’s agreement by district, in India’s southeastern state of Tamil Germany’s Protestant churches to strengthen Nadu. cooperation between them, the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) Namibian Lutheran Churches Move has appointed the president of the United Toward Unity .....................................20 Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany The three Lutheran churches in Namibia (VELKD) Church Office, Rev. Dr Friedrich have affirmed their commitment to Lutheran Hauschildt, as vice president of the EKD unity in the country through the formal Church Office. establishment of a united church council. 200701 Contents Communio 3........ Total.Membership.of.LWF.Churches.Increases.to.Just.under.66.7.Million 5........ The.Lutheran.World.Federation.–.2006.Membership.Figures 6........ The.Lutheran.World.Federation.–.2006.Membership.Details LWF Secretariat 14....... LWF.General.Secretary.Heads.Interfaith.Delegation.to.Khartoum.and.Juba 14....... African.Interfaith.Group.Calls.on.International.Community.to.Honor.Pledges.to.Sudan 18....... The.Lutheran.World.Federation.–.Consultations.2007 Features & Themes 16....... FEATURE:.Now.We.Can.Run.to.the.Terrace News in Brief 2........ New.LWF.Publication.on.Leadership.and.Power.in.Church.Ministry. 2........ VELKD.Official.Appointed.Vice.President.of.EKD.Church.Office 17....... Stanislav.Pietak.Is.New.Bishop.of.Czech.Church 17....... Hymn.Text.Competition.for.“Familiar.Tune”.at.Canadian.Full.Communion.Anniversary 20...... Namibian.Lutheran.Churches.Move.Toward.Unity 20...... South.African.Church.Leader.Becomes.First.Woman.to.Head.Global.Moravian.Board New LWF Publication on Leadership and Power in Church Ministry Leadership and Power in the Ministry of Church relevant biblical perspectives of the issue as is the title of a new Lutheran World Federa- well as insights from a Lutheran understand- tion (LWF) resource aimed at reflection and ing of ministry and explores their significance discussion in the churches on how leadership for the exercise of leadership and power in and power are exercised in light of central the church. He also indicates the implications biblical and theological understandings. for the practical life of the member churches Produced by the LWF Department for Theol- as well as for relations between them within ogy and Studies (DTS) in February 2007, the 32- the Lutheran communion. page publication is a response to a 2003 LWF Tenth Copies of Leadership and Power in the Min- Assembly appeal to member churches to face up istry of the Church are available free of charge, to issues on leadership and power in the church’s with postage and packing costs for bulk orders. ministry and to seek constructive solutions. Please write to [email protected] or The publication’s author, Rev. Dr Reinhard Böttcher, The LWF Department for Theology and Studies, 150 route LWF/DTS Study Secretary for Theology and the Church, de Ferney, P.O. Box 2100, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland, Tel. focuses on the theological aspects. He provides some +41/22-791 61 11, Fax +41/22-791 66 30. Lutheran World Information World Lutheran VELKD Official Appointed Vice President of EKD Church Office As part of last year’s agreement by Germany’s Protestant Born in 1950, Hauschildt studied in Kiel and Göttingen, churches to strengthen cooperation between them, the Council Germany, and holds a doctorate in theology. He served of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) has appointed the as a parish pastor in the North Elbian church for nine president of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ger- years. many (VELKD) Church Office,Rev. .Dr.Friedrich.Hauschildt, From 1985 to 1991 he was Oberkirchenrat in the VELKD as vice president of the EKD Church Office. Effective 1 January Lutheran Church Office, after which he served as director 2007, Hauschildt heads Section III—Public Responsibility and of the pastoral seminary in Celle, until 1998, and as Ober- Education—of the EKD Church Office, and continues as head landeskirchenrat in the church office of the Evangelical of the VELKD Church Office, a position he has held since No- Lutheran Church of Hanover. vember 2001. The VELKD Church Office, until now in Hanover, The VELKD is an association of eight Evangelical Germany, and the Union of Evangelical Churches (UEK) Church churches in Bavaria, Brunswick, Hanover, Mecklenburg, Office, previously located in Berlin, Germany, will both move North Elbia, Saxony, Schaumburg-Lippe and Thuringia, together to join the EKD Church Office in Hanover. which represent some 9.75 million church members. 2 No. 01/2007 Total Membership of LWF Churches Increases Information World Lutheran to Just under 66.7 Million Lutheran Churches in Asia Add Nearly 900,000 New Members GENEVA, 6 March 2007 (LWI) – The total membership Membership in Europe Falls by More of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) member than 566,000 churches rose last year by 467,551 to just under 66.7 Lutheran church membership in Europe fell last year million (66,681,599). According to the latest LWF by 566,343 or approximately 1.49 percent, to 37,469,585. statistics, the LWF’s 140 member churches, ten con- Membership in European LWF member churches fell gregations and one recognized council in 78 countries by 565,669, also 1.49 percent to reach 37,429,405. registered a growth of around 0.71 percent for the The Church of Sweden, the world’s largest Lu- period 2005–2006. The LWF member churches around theran church, counted 6,895,840 members in 2006, the world totaled some 66.2 million members in 2005 a decrease of 99,160 or 1.4 percent. The world’s third and 65.9 million in 2004. largest Lutheran church, the Evangelical Lutheran The increase mainly reflects the development Church of Finland, saw its membership decrease by among LWF member churches in Asia, which together 15,999 to reach 4,556,612. Membership in the Evangeli- had an additional 900,000 members over the past cal Lutheran Church in Denmark, the fourth largest year to reach 8.2 million. During the same period, the LWF member church, rose by 6,941 or 0.15 percent membership of churches in Europe dropped by over to 4,506,442. The Church of Norway registered an 565,000 to approximately 37.43 million. increase of 8,098 to reach 3,939,044. The total membership of Lutheran churches Among European churches, the Evangelical Lu- worldwide rose by 442,829 to just over 70.2 million theran Church of Ingria in Russia saw the greatest (70,200,399), an increase of roughly 0.63 percent. In percentage loss in its membership, with 4,000 fewer 2005, the world’s Lutheran churches combined for members or a 25 percent decrease to reach 12,000. some 69.76 million members, up from 69.53 million in The Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church lost 2004. The number of Lutherans in non-LWF Lutheran 38,000 members or 19 percent, with its total mem- churches fell by 24,722 or 0.7 percent, to 3,518,800. bership decreasing to 162,000. Membership in the Protestant Church in the Netherlands fell by 230,000 Nearly 900,000 New Members in Asia or 9 percent, to 2.3 million. In 2006, the number of Lutherans in Asia rose by In the Czech Republic, the Silesian Evangelical 897,345, an increase of roughly 12.1 percent. Of the Church of the Augsburg Confession saw a decrease total 8,314,337 members of Lutheran churches in of 5,000 members or roughly 14.3 percent, to 30,000, Asia, 8,174,160 belonged to LWF member churches, while membership in the Evangelical Church of Czech an increase of 893,847 or 12.3 percent.