Lutheran World Federation

Lutheran World Federation is a global communion of Lutheran Christian churches, founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, with the aim of promoting unity and cooperation among Lutheran churches worldwide, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, and the Church of Sweden. The organization is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has a close relationship with the World Council of Churches, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and the Anglican Communion. The Lutheran World Federation has a strong commitment to ecumenism, as evident in its participation in the Leuenberg Agreement and the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification with the Roman Catholic Church and the World Methodist Council.

● History

The Lutheran World Federation was established in 1947, in the aftermath of World War II, with the goal of promoting unity and cooperation among Lutheran churches, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany, the Church of Denmark, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. The organization's early years were marked by a strong focus on missionary work, with partnerships with organizations such as the Lutheran World Relief and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Division for Global Mission. The Lutheran World Federation has also been involved in various ecumenical dialogues, including the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue and the Lutheran-Orthodox Dialogue, with the Orthodox Church in America and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Key figures in the organization's history include Anders Nygren, Gustaf Aulén, and Kurt Hendel, who have all played important roles in shaping the Lutheran World Federation's theology and ecumenism, in collaboration with Martin Luther King Jr., Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Karl Barth.

● Organization

The Lutheran World Federation is a global communion of Lutheran churches, with a decentralized structure that allows for a high degree of autonomy among its member churches, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, the Lutheran Church in Malaysia, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea. The organization is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has a number of regional offices, including in Nairobi, Hong Kong, and Buenos Aires. The Lutheran World Federation has a close relationship with other Christian organizations, such as the World Council of Churches, the Anglican Communion, and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, as well as with non-governmental organizations like Oxfam and Caritas Internationalis. The organization is also a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of humanitarian and development organizations, which includes Lutheran World Relief and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Division for Global Mission.

● Membership

The Lutheran World Federation has a membership of over 140 Lutheran churches from around the world, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, and the Church of Sweden. The organization's member churches are located in over 90 countries, and have a combined membership of over 70 million Lutheran Christians, including Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, and the Evangelical Lutheran Synod. The Lutheran World Federation has a diverse membership, with churches from a wide range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds, including Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, with partnerships with organizations like the African Lutheran Church, the Asian Lutheran Communion, and the Latin American Lutheran Church. The organization is committed to promoting unity and cooperation among its member churches, and has a number of programs and initiatives aimed at supporting the work of its members, in collaboration with Pope Francis, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Presbyterian Church (USA).

● Activities

The Lutheran World Federation is involved in a wide range of activities, including missionary work, humanitarian aid, and ecumenical dialogue, with partners like the United Nations, the European Union, and the World Health Organization. The organization has a strong commitment to social justice, and has been involved in a number of initiatives aimed at promoting human rights, sustainable development, and environmental protection, in collaboration with Amnesty International, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and the World Wildlife Fund. The Lutheran World Federation has also been involved in various disaster relief efforts, including responses to the Indian Ocean tsunami and the Haiti earthquake, with support from organizations like the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and Doctors Without Borders. The organization has a number of programs and initiatives aimed at supporting the work of its member churches, including the Lutheran World Federation's Department for World Service and the Lutheran World Federation's Department for Theology and Public Witness, which work closely with the World Council of Churches, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and the Anglican Communion.

● Governance

The Lutheran World Federation is governed by a Council, which is composed of representatives from the organization's member churches, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, and the Church of Sweden. The Council is responsible for setting the organization's overall direction and policy, and is advised by a number of committees and working groups, including the Lutheran World Federation's Committee for Theology and Ecumenical Affairs and the Lutheran World Federation's Committee for World Service. The organization's President is elected by the Council, and serves as the organization's chief representative and spokesperson, working closely with the General Secretary and the Treasurer, in collaboration with Pope Francis, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Presbyterian Church (USA).

● Theology

The Lutheran World Federation is committed to promoting a Lutheran understanding of the Christian faith, and has a strong emphasis on ecumenism and interfaith dialogue, with partners like the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church in America, and the World Council of Churches. The organization has been involved in a number of theological dialogues, including the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue and the Lutheran-Orthodox Dialogue, with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Anglican Communion. The Lutheran World Federation has also been involved in various initiatives aimed at promoting Christian unity, including the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification with the Roman Catholic Church and the World Methodist Council, as well as the Leuenberg Agreement with the Reformed Church in America and the Presbyterian Church (USA). Key figures in the organization's theology include Martin Luther, Philip Melanchthon, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who have all played important roles in shaping the Lutheran World Federation's understanding of the Christian faith, in collaboration with Karl Barth, Rudolf Bultmann, and Paul Tillich.