June 26, 2008

ARUSHA, Tanzania/GENEVA – In a wide-ranging report to the Council of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) meeting in Arusha, Tanzania, LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, emphasized the critical role of the LWF in remaining focused on the underlying causes of food insecurity and their impact especially on the poor.

"Food security or ‘food sovereignty' may be emerging as one of the major challenges of the 21st century," said Noko in his report to the Council on 26 June. Referring to the theme of the July 2010 LWF 11th Assembly in Stuttgart, Germany, under the theme "Give Us Today Our Daily Bread," he noted that while international media attention may have shifted from the current global food crisis by then, the underlying causes and their tragic effects will remain.

The question of food security, Noko stressed, was not an isolated issue, but was as a result of a complex combination of several factors including climate change; increasing water scarcity; population growth and increasing wealth especially in the fast-developing economies; lack of investment in domestic agricultural production; and unfair trade policies, among others.

"It will be of critical importance to the future relevance of the LWF as a diaconal and humanitarian instrument of the Lutheran family that we remain focused on those causes and ways in which the LWF can make a meaningful contribution to addressing and resolving them," he noted.

He noted the LWF has just produced a cookbook titled "Food for Life: Recipes and Stories on the Right to Food." It is a compilation of recipes, table blessings and feature stories from the LWF Department for World Service (DWS) field offices, portraying the daily struggles for food and life among some of the most vulnerable communities with which the LWF works.

Mutual Responsibility

Noko described the theme for this year's meeting "Melting Snow on Mount Kilimanjaro-A Witness of a Suffering Creation," as an invitation to the participants and the LWF churches to listen to the lamentation of God's creation painfully communicated to God's people by Africa's highest mountain. "It is weeping for a healthy Africa, and for a healthy environment" in a continent, like many other parts of the world, experiencing increasing desertification, more frequent extreme weather conditions, drying up of rivers and the disappearance of animal species, he said.

"Care for God's creation is part of the stewardship of the human family and is therefore central to the mission of the church," he noted. He cited the efforts of the LWF and its member churches to address the effects of climate change through DWS' humanitarian relief and development activities in the most affected parts of the world including Mauritania, Ethiopia and Tanzania.

The context in which the Council meets is also important, noted the general secretary of the gathering hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT). Africa's Great Lakes region, to which Tanzania belongs, amply demonstrates the continent's conflicting realities of wealth and poverty. Despite the many well-intentioned international and local initiatives, as well as ecumenical interventions to reduce poverty in Africa, the continent's people remain generally poor, said Noko. He proposed working toward a solution that would require mutual action from the international community and Africans and their governments on the question: "What should we ‘Not' do that prohibits Africans from taking ownership of their resources and apply them for the benefit of their people?"

An honest answer, said Noko, would "reveal that corruption by both Africans and non-Africans is a major contributor to the problems that this continent faces." For the LWF, this was not an academic question, rather a communion question, because it impacts on the diaconal capacity of the church to be church, he stressed. "If we agree that these are issues that concern our communion, then let us talk about them as openly as we can." He mentioned in this context the LWF Task Force on Poverty in Africa initiated by member churches in the region alongside the LWF program on Illegitimate Debt by the churches in Latin America.

Human Trafficking

Other topics highlighted in the report include human trafficking and its "push factors" of poverty and insecurity, and the "pull factors" of demand, profit and false promise or unrealistic expectations. The churches' acknowledgment that this complex, social problem exists in their countries should be the first step toward a solution that would include mechanisms of collaboration. Noko requested the Council to reflect on the issue "so that we can commit ourselves to do something about it upon return to our respective home churches."

His report pointed also to the LWF's response to the AIDS pandemic, and concern about the number of countries that apply visa restrictions on the basis of HIV status. He also drew the Council's attention to the political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe; the complex humanitarian issue in Myanmar; and the Middle East situation.

He emphasized the need to strengthen churches' capacity as the LWF continually seeks to live out its diaconal calling, and mentioned the Global Consultation on Diakonia to be held in Ethiopia in October 2008. Also highlighted is a study program of the Department for Theology and Studies, "Theology in the Life of the Church" (TLC) focusing on questions about the relevance of traditional Lutheran theological categories. The latest publication in the TLC series is titled "Identity, Survival Witness: Reconfiguring Theological Agendas."

Unity

The general secretary also addressed the issue of unity within the Lutheran family, pointing out that divisions between major branches of the Lutheran family could lead to even greater fragmentation rather than greater unity especially if played out in the life of individual churches. He however emphasized the commitment by the LWF and International Lutheran Communion (ILC) to seeking to improve communication and understanding.

On ecumenical dialogues and contacts, Noko highlighted among others, the tenth anniversary of the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) with the suggested theme "Happiness" – signifying how the message of justification is received by human beings and the rest of creation.

Staff and Financial Matters

On financial and staff issues, the general secretary underlined growing concern for the LWF's tax exemption status in a number of countries where DWS works. "A tax-free status is not any more guaranteed automatically by governments and negotiations are taking much efforts and time," he said.

Although the number of executive staff had remained relatively stable in Geneva, there had been a substantial reduction in the number of administrative staff, with implications for workload management. While there was improvement in the balance between staff from the global North and South, and in gender, the increasing average age of staff in Geneva and the field remained crucial. "We will have to reflect on the ways in which the presence of youth in the LWF secretariat can be restored and sustained, as an important means of formation for leadership in the Lutheran communion and in the wider ecumenical movement," stressed the general secretary.

Noko, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe, also informed the Council of his intention to conclude his service as LWF General Secretary on 31 October 2010. He affirmed his commitment to continue "to work as faithfully and diligently" as he could to ensure a smooth transition.

During its current session, the Council has approved the search process and timetable for the next general secretary. Noko was elected LWF General Secretary in 1994, and re-elected for a second seven-year term mandate in 2004.

There are around 170 participants in this year's Council meeting including church leaders, officials from LWF partner organizations, invited guests, stewards, interpreters and translators, LWF staff and co-opted staff and accredited media.

The Council is the LWF's governing body meeting between Assemblies held every six years. The current Council was appointed at the July 2003 Tenth Assembly in Winnipeg, Canada. It comprises the President, Treasurer and 48 persons elected by the Assembly. Other members include advisors, lay and ordained persons, representing the different LWF regions.

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