April 21, 2005
By Héctor Carrillo

LLANQUIHUE, Chile – At a joint convention, held April 16-17 in this city in southern Chile, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chile (IELCH) and the Lutheran Church of Chile (ILCH) came together to talk about unity after 30 years of separation.

It was the second such joint convention, sponsored by the Chilean Lutheran Council of Churches (CILCH) and was attended by 100 people who sought to heal the wounds that lead to the schism between the two Churches in 1974.

The division in the Evangelical Lutheran Church was the result of Gen.Augusto Pinochet's military coup, which took place in 1973.

At the time, Bishop Helmuth Frenz, together with Catholic Cardinal Raúl Silva Henríquez founded the Pro Peace Committee to provide aid to foreign refugees in the country. Bishop Frenz and other pastors participated in this solidarity crusade that later extended to include political prisoners and their relatives.

One sector of the Church, mainly the German communities, was not in agreement with the path chosen by the Church.

A synod was held October 31 to November 3, 1974 in the city of Frutillar in southern Chile. The meeting was marked by harsh controversy and no agreements were reached. A group of delegates from communities of a German tradition abandoned the synod. They called for the removal of Bishop Frenz and the foreign pastors.

The members who supported Frenz and the pastors' work remained in the meeting, leading to a schism. Dissident communities met June 19, 1975 in La Union and constituted the Lutheran Church of Chile. (ILCH). In the joint convention last week, theologian and former president of the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession of Brazil, Huberto Kircheim spoke about the "mission of the Lutherans in Latin American and overcoming differences within the Churches."

Kircheim manifested that "we have the same faith, the same Father and we share our joys and pains with our brothers. There are elements that draw us together as a Church. Each Church has its dynamic and both must be respected."

In the meeting some guidelines were elaborated to continue working on a document called "commitment of initiatives." Participants agreed to share mission initiatives and initiatives regarding the foundation of new communities and they also agreed to create a joint web page.

They also decided to hold a new Joint Convention next year. All the delegates from both Churches shared in a spirit of fraternity and understanding.

Latin American and Caribbean Communication Agency (ALC)