October 3, 2008

GREIFSWALD, Germany/GENEVA – "We want to and we are able [with God's help] to change the Church, and to move forward our parishes. Just use us. Give us a chance." This was the appeal of a Polish youth delegate to a regional conference of Lutheran church leaders focusing on the common challenges in church and society.

Ewa Issel-Cieslar, a member of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland, challenged the bishops, presidents and other representatives of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) member churches in Europe to take seriously young people's active involvement in church life in order to ensure hope and a future for the Lutheran church around the world. She emphasized the need to include the youth in decision-making processes as early as possible, and endow them with responsibilities that prepare them for a future as church leaders.

The 11-16 September European Church Leadership Consultation in Greifswald, Germany, focused on the theme "Called to Grow, Lead and Nurture." It was organized by the LWF Department for Mission and Development and hosted by the Evangelical Church of Pomerania.

The 22-year-old urged participants to reach out to young people, and invite them to take part in meetings and other events, and also provide a good example for them in faith and life. Failure to involve them, she added, could lead to the departure of young people from Lutheran churches to other church groups, as was already being experienced in Poland.

Emigration

On the challenges facing Lutheran congregations in Poland, the religious education student explained that emigration, especially of young people, posed a great burden on Poland's Lutheran congregations. This was all the more since Lutheran Christians were a minority in the country. "When your parish has 20 members, every single person, especially a young one emigrating makes a difference," she remarked.

She attributed the non-involvement of young Poles in the life of Lutheran congregations and poor church attendance also to the little attention given to their ideas and suggestions, making them feel unwelcome. "If this continues, Poland's Lutheran church should not be surprised if the young people leave to join independent churches where they are greeted ‘with arms wide open,'" she added.

With a view to her country's development since the political changes in the late 1980s, Issel-Cieslar pointed out that building a democracy with strong leadership personalities posed a significant challenge. "The Church may be involved in this process through education and Christian upbringing. Lutherans with their ethics, work ethos and tradition of education may take part in this process," she continued, pointing out that the Polish church had declared 2008 as the "Year of Christian Upbringing," signifying their responsibility for the country and its future.

She said that while living in the diaspora "forces people to search for their own identity," belonging to a minority, however, opened up the possibility of sharing a life of faith together and confessing this faith together. "People are interested in what the Lutheran church is, and why we are not part of the Roman Catholic Church," she said, pointing out that this often led to an intensive exchange.

Life in the diaspora has convinced Lutherans in Poland to make use of new means of communication in their work, noted, Issel-Cieslar. "More and more parishes are using the Internet and have their own Web sites and forums. There are counseling possibilities through the Internet. Sunday worships are also transmitted via Internet. These are some things which we young people really appreciate," she added.

Denmark: Secularization

Reporting on the challenges facing the Lutheran Church in Denmark, Bishop Elisabeth Dons Christensen, Ribe Diocese, southwest Jutland, said secularization of society and the loss of religious values, traditions, and rituals posed a great challenge for the Danish church, which comprises 82 percent of the country's population.

Dons Christensen explained that a growing apathy in society with regard to church-related matters added to these difficulties. It was, therefore, important that one meets people where they live.

"We and our church members must be deeply anchored in our own faith. We must find peace there, as only with this peace can we find the strength to meet people in the places that they live," said the Ribe diocese bishop. She singled out work with children and young people as particularly important, in order to communicate Christian values and religious knowledge as early possible.

The ability to inform others about the Christian faith in clear and simple words takes on considerable importance, and would have consequences for pastoral training as well, she added.

The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 141 member churches in 79 countries all over the world, with a total membership of over 68.3 million. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland.

Lutheran World Information