By Bishop Ann Svennungsen

On September 13, I was privileged to join 1,000 delegates and visitors in Krakow, Poland for the Thirteenth Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).

For the past six years, the archbishop of our companion synod, the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria, Rev. Dr. Musa Filibus, has also served as the elected President of LWF. On that mid-September day, I was in the room to hear his final plenary address.

Becoming friends with Pastors Musa and Ruth Filibus has been one of many remarkable gifts I’ve received as your bishop. Bill and I were their hosts recently when they came to Minnesota for the ordination of their son-in-law. Much of Musa’s spare time during that visit was used to complete the speech he gave today.

 

THERE ARE MORE insights from his speech than the “blog genre” allows, but I will mention two:

  1. The 150 churches in the global communion called LWF are engaged in “holistic mission.” Whenever President Filibus – or the LWF – speaks about our shared mission, the modifier “holistic” is always included. Digging deeper, you learn that the holistic mission includes proclaiming the gospel, serving others, and advocating for justice and peace. Perhaps, our synod could adopt such a modifier. (After all, it does align with our mission statement of “gracious invitation,” “life-giving Christian community,” and “just and healthy neighborhoods.”)

    Archbishop Musa Filibus addresses the delegates at the Thirteenth Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation in Krakow, Poland.

  2. Our host church, the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland, was a founding church in the launching of the Lutheran World Federation in 1947, just after World War II. Imagine the situation facing the church of Poland at that time. Yet, the church courageously joined a new movement to promote mission, service, theology, and ecumenism.

President Filibus affirmed our host church for their courage – both then and today. With only 60,000 members and representing only 0.1% of the Polish population 2023, the church stepped up to host the Thirteenth LWF Assembly. Filibus encouraged us to be inspired by such courage – especially our churches in Europe and North America where membership is in decline.

“Digging deeper, you learn that the holistic mission includes proclaiming the gospel, serving others, and advocating for justice and peace.”

I can’t help but notice that the whole Lutheran church of Poland has fewer than half (2/5s) the number of members as the Minneapolis Area Synod. I wonder what we might learn from their courage. I wonder how we might be renewed and inspired in the holistic mission as God’s people who live 4,745 miles east of us.

The LWF Assembly continues until Tuesday, September 19. Hopefully, I will learn more about courage and holistic mission. But, reflecting on that will need to wait for another day and another blog.