March 5, 2003

HELSINKI, Finland/GENEVA - Bishop of Helsinki Eero Huovinen has spoken out in favor of keeping the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (VELKD). Contributing to the current debate on VELKD's structures he writes in VELKD-Informationen of 19 February that the church's structure is "not easy for a foreigner to understand" because in the world it is unique. The same can be said for the effects of the church's structures in relation to what can be done by the church, and ecumenically. Huovinen, a bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF), says for the Finnish church, VELKD also provides a bridge to the regional churches in Germany that do not belong to VELKD. This "important function" should not be overlooked, he says.

The ELCF signed an agreement with the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) in 2002. From the Finnish viewpoint, it is a matter of an "ecumenism of consensus defined by its content," where the elements of the consensus reached are considered to be in harmony with the Lutheran confession. No such agreement exists with VELKD. This is neither a coincidence, nor a result of the division of labor between the EKD and VELKD, which specifies that the care of Finns in Germany, and of Germans in Finland, is an EKD task on the German side. "Rather, it is a natural outcome of the fact that VELKD and the ELCF are not churches of different confessions but are sister churches even without an agreement because of their Lutheran confession and their communion through the Lutheran World Federation (LWF)," the bishop states. That is why there is an expectation and desire in Finland, and among Lutherans worldwide, he says, to clearly hear the voice of the Lutheran Reformation from its homeland also into the future. The question of VELKD merits not just internal Lutheran attention but also ecumenical interest. "In fact, without VELKD, both Lutheranism worldwide and ecumenism would be worse off in view of present-day challenges."

The ELCF was one of the founding members of the LWF in 1947 and now has about 4.6 million members.

The full translation of the text of Bishop Eero Huovinen's article follows:

Evangelical and Lutheran
The Significance of the Confession from a Finnish Viewpoint

The United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (VELKD) was established in 1948 in the period immediately following the war and one year after the founding of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Both events are important in the eyes of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF) in respect to communion between churches, a communion of service and witness. For us, it is neither just a matter of ecclesial communion with the homeland of the Lutheran Reformation, nor just of communion in the Baltic Sea area which is so close to us. What is also important is that VELKD and the ELCF are LWF sister churches in worldwide Lutheranism and the Lutheran communion.

Note should be made that the Lutheran communion is, of course, older than the LWF. This communion is a spiritual reality based on the faith contained in the confessions, which has sought and found practical expression over a long period of history: through Lutheran worship, hymns, devotional literature and theological study visits that have remained important to our church for centuries. Indeed, even in Luther's time Finns went to study at Wittenberg; and this is where the Finnish translation of the New Testament began.

The various expressions of Lutheran communion have been of central importance in shaping and developing church life in all the LWF member churches, and remain so. It is not just a matter of practical ways of cooperating but of consequences of the Lutheran confession and its faith content. It is a question of the identity of the church and the form it takes. The confession becomes relevant and important when, for example, in a contemporary ecumenical context, people ask about our spiritual origins. It is also of indirect and profound significance for the whole life of the church.

The question of identity is certainly no less important in the present-day church. Identity is related to the question of motivation including one's own attitude to the church, local congregation, worship and service.

From a Finnish viewpoint that is why the existence of VELKD and the LWF are very important. This applies to the communion, which is determined by the content of its confession, and to the varied and necessary forms of relationship interplay between the churches. If the concrete challenges of our current context are considered - ecclesially, ecumenically and ideologically especially because of secularization - it is even more evident now in a new and certainly more pronounced way.

The significance of the confession for the ELCF can be described as follows: We see ourselves as a "church of the Small Catechism" - although this implies nothing derogatory about the other confessional writings of the Reformation. Luther's "Small Catechism" was of great importance in our church from the very beginning and still is. For this reason, the ELCF published a new catechism in 2000 and distributed it to all the families in our church. The new catechism also is based on the "Small Catechism" with its familiar structure. So far, it has been translated into six languages: Chinese, English, Hungarian, Latin, Russian and Swedish.

"Church of the Small Catechism" means not only that Luther's document has served as a national school textbook for past centuries but that it also has to do with faith content and the fact that it has influenced and shaped our church's spirituality. The spiritual renewal movements in our church of the nineteenth century, which are still alive in many different ways, illustrate particularly clearly the influence of the "Small Catechism" on our spirituality. This means that "Finnish Pietism" (a German expression) was and is more Lutheran than Pietistic in many central issues of faith. It is often difficult to impart this clearly to visitors from abroad. Even the church practice in congregations, which does not derive so directly from the aforementioned spiritual movements, reflects a spirituality and identity that has been influenced consciously or unconsciously, and more or less strongly by the "Small Catechism." It is important that the folk church [established, national church] is a church based on the confession, and living in accordance with it.

At the start of the Reformation the concern was to witness to, and pass on, what had been discovered and rediscovered as the center of the Christian message, and to hold fast to one's convictions. This commitment is, of course, still a reality today. At the same time, our situation is affected by the fact that the struggle for the gospel during the Reformation period destroyed the outward unity of the church, and this division has consequently become a fact and tradition over many centuries.

So our ecumenical and church situation confronts us with a double issue and commitment: firstly, a commitment to the Reformation conviction concerning the gospel, understanding of faith and confession, and simultaneously, commitment to strive for the unity and communion of the church, and seek possible ways and steps to achieve this. The common striving of the numerous churches to see where and how paths can be found toward closer communion and unity in many ways constitutes a new phase in the discussion. This does not of course imply forgetting that the question of unity of the church also was consciously raised at the time of the Reformation.

What paths do exist? And what does all this mean for the relationship between the Lutheran confession and ecumenism? An ecumenism which bypassed the different confessional traditions would only be an apparent solution to the problem. Rather, it is necessary to take the confessional traditions seriously and find a path through their differences and tensions.

Without a doubt, a mutual process of learning is important in which churches get to know one another better and more profoundly. It is also important that churches of different confessional traditions can and should learn from one another. Together, the churches can and should also learn from the gospel and Scriptures. At the same time, it should be remembered that the different churches in these many-faceted learning processes have their own backgrounds, and that there are no supra-confessional criteria that automatically apply.

In these learning processes, the various confessional traditions have a positive ecumenical significance, which must not be overlooked but actively and creatively used. During the past decades the ecumenical significance of Lutheranism has become evident in this context. From a Finnish viewpoint, this importance has been demonstrated both by international ecumenical developments and by the smaller national and regional bilateral encounters, dialogues and rapprochement. In this respect, for Finns, the ecumenical work of VELKD must especially be emphasized.

In what ways is it possible to go beyond ecumenical learning processes to find paths that lead toward closer and more committed fellowship in one form or another between the churches? There has been much discussion on the model of "unity in reconciled diversity." Lutherans have actively supported it. Various church traditions have received this with interest and welcomed it. In the wider discussion, the expression has sometimes been used with slightly different meanings. Two things appear helpful and important when interpreting and using this model: firstly, the content level of faith, the Christian message and doctrine is significant. In this context, it is important to formulate a consensus between the partners concerned and express clearly what this consensus involves. Secondly, there must be an explanation of the type of communion to which the churches are thereby committing themselves.

In both respects it seems responsible and realistic in the contemporary ecumenical context to proceed step by step. In so doing, it must be remembered that even smaller steps can be of real ecumenical significance where larger, more comprehensive steps cannot be taken at the time. At present, we have not yet reached the stage of entering into agreements on church fellowship with certain ecumenical partners and confessional families. Pursuant to this method with its related tasks, it seems possible to work along practical ecumenical lines, while in substance be guided by the Lutheran confession. When participating in preparation for the Porvoo agreement, the ELCF kept the aforementioned points and method in mind.

The above also directly and indirectly illustrates the significance of VELKD. Most of what has been stated from the Finnish viewpoint is also something that ties us closely with German Lutheranism and where, with gratitude, we have learned from Germany. And what can be said here about the importance of VELKD also applies to how we see Lutheranism worldwide.

German Protestant church structure is not easy for a foreigner to understand, because in the world it is unique. The same can be said for the effects of the church's structures in relation to what can be done and said by the church, and ecumenically.

The ELCF is close to VELKD as a sister church because both share the Lutheran confession and both are sister churches in worldwide Lutheranism through the LWF.

For the Finnish church, VELKD's existence and that of the Lutheran regional churches in Germany provides a bridge to all other Protestant churches in Germany, to the EKD and those regional churches that do not belong to VELKD or the LWF. This important function should not be overlooked.

In 2002, the ELCF and EKD signed an agreement, which was based on earlier, less comprehensive agreements from 1977 and 1986, and which goes beyond them. Indeed, as far as the expressed consensus on faith is concerned, which forms the basis for communion and cooperation, the new agreement rests on important parts of the Meissen and Porvoo agreements with the Anglican churches in northern Europe. From the Finnish viewpoint, it is a matter of an ecumenism of consensus defined by its content, where we consider the elements of the consensus reached to be in harmony with our Lutheran confession.

No such agreement exists with VELKD. That is neither a coincidence nor is it primarily a result of the division of labor between the EKD and VELKD, which specifies that the care of Finns in Germany and of Germans in Finland is a task for the EKD on the German side. Rather, it is a natural outcome of the fact that VELKD and the ELCF are not churches of different confessions but are sister churches even without an agreement because of their Lutheran confession and their communion through the LWF. This reality and awareness of it has been expressed in the life of the church for a long time.

In Finland and indeed among Lutherans worldwide there is an expectation and desire to clearly hear the voice of the Lutheran Reformation from its homeland also into the future. As in the past, this will continue to be of great importance to us in the future.

When rightly understood, the question of VELKD merits not just internal Lutheran attention; it is also of ecumenical interest. In fact, without VELKD both Lutheranism worldwide and ecumenism would be worse off in view of present-day challenges.

Lutheran World Information