May 30, 2005

GENEVA – It has been a wave of significant political changes in Europe since the fall of the "Iron curtain" in the early 1990s, and the subsequent emergence of newly independent states. But not only that: On 1 May 2004 Lithuania together with nine other Central and Eastern European countries, joined the European Union (EU), the regional body founded in 1993 with the aim to enhance political, economic and social co-operation.

Expectations among the Lithuanian population were high, and this new political situation also brought about new challenges for the churches, according to Bishop Mindaugas Sabutis, head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lithuania (ELCL). He shares in his country's enthusiasm about membership in the EU particularly in anticipation of economic and social changes, but he also admits, real change will take some time. He points out, however, that "Lithuania never felt disconnected from Europe. We always saw ourselves as part of Europe."

Elected to the ELCL's top position in April 2004, Sabutis, 29, talked about the new situation the church finds itself in an interview with Lutheran World Information (LWI). "Somehow we jumped from one secular world, the [former] Soviet Union regime, to another, that is the EU. This poses a big challenge to the church: How can we best present the gospel to the people?"

Defending, Preserving Church Identity in a Changed Environment

In Lithuania, he goes on to explain, people are quite open to syncretistic thinking and ready to accept new ideas. They are open to the gospel but at the same time they also accept spiritism or occultism, and they tend to mix it all together. Sabutis considers this as a result from the oppressive Soviet regime, where it was clear what was permitted and what was forbidden. During that period, the church was mainly concerned about defending and preserving its identity. Today, it is faced with the same problem, but in a completely changed environment. "We now live in a society that is open to dialogue, but first of all we have to learn what openness means," he says.

He acknowledges that membership in the EU has helped Lithuania move from collective responsibility (as promoted by the Soviet Union) to individual responsibility. But these new achievements also have some negative side effects. With the right to free movement, people seize many open opportunities including work and study abroad, especially because unemployment is a big problem in Lithuania. The country has so far lost about ten percent of its population to emigration, and this of course affects churches.

Sabutis describes this social problem as a "tragedy," but he is confident that the trend can be stopped. He therefore wants the churches to actively engage people, especially the youth, in the life of their congregations, and reach out to those who do not have any connection to the church yet. As an example of how both sides*congregations and young people*can benefit from such involvement, he cites a congregation in Kedainiai in central Lithuania. A group of "punks," who previously "hung around" the church area, have significantly revived the congregational life after integration into the community. With their help the church building is now being renovated, and the membership in that congregation has more than doubled. And now, the young people have formed a choir and a band, the bishop says.

More Emphasis on Youth Work

Even though his church wants to take up more youth work, Sabutis does not agree with the common statement that the ‘youth is the future of the church.' He prefers not to divide congregations in old and young. "We have to look at the present time and see the people who are praising Jesus Christ today. The community is like a family with people of all ages, grandparents and grandchildren sitting together at the same table. They may have different interests but they have the most important thing in common, they belong to the same family!"

The ELCL bishop has ambitious projects for his church. He mentions the communication center "Kelias," which was established in 1992 and is working now in the areas of publishing and multimedia education. The center also focuses on diaconical work and views multimedia as a means of creating identity. Another project is the newly started church magazine, published monthly and to which all congregations are invited to contribute articles.

New Fund Aimed at Improving Pastors' Grim Financial Situation

But the situation of the Lithuanian pastors looks rather grim and difficult at the moment. As there is no state support to all ministries of the church, they financially depend on their congregations' offerings. Altogether, there are 18 pastors caring for 54 congregations, but only four of the congregations can fully support their pastors. The others often have to manage on even less than the minimum salary in Lithuania, which is about 180 Euro. "Our pastors have to live on 70 to 100 Euro on average," the bishop explains. The church has now initiated a new fund, for which church members have started contributing a form of tax fee. But it will still take years before the fund actually works as pastors would be paid only from the interest generated.

Bilateral partners still help out financially and Sabutis hopes for the continuation of these fruitful relationships with other churches, mainly in Europe and the United States, and partner organizations. He is grateful for the support that helped restore the ELCL's church buildings and other structures. "Our partners offered us their money and prayers, it was a great example of sharing. Now we would like these partnerships to become more balanced. At the moment we don't have the material resources, but we can share our experience and our spirituality. This is a question of Koinonia."

The ELCL joined the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in 1967, and has around 20,000 members.

Lutheran World Information
By Julia Heyde, youth intern in the LWF Office for Communication Services.