23 February 2025, Demsa, Adamawa State, Nigeria: LWF President Bishop Henrik Stubkjær of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark participates in the ordination of 57 new pastors in the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria at the closing of the LCCN 100th annual convention. Photo: LWF/Albin Hillert
Tens of thousands gathered for Eucharist service
The 100th Annual convention of the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN) culminated Sunday in a closing Eucharist service gathering thousands in worship at the Covenant Ground in Demsa, Adamawa state, Nigeria.
The service, capping off a week-long anniversary celebration since the first such convention in 1925, also saw the consecration of a new bishop and the ordination of 57 pastors.
Rev. David Bitrus of the LCCN carries the banner as the procession moves into Covenant Ground on Sunday.
Procession including LCCN Archbishop Panti Filibus Musa (right) and LWF President Bishop Henrik Stubkjær of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark (centre) and Rev. Dr Rufus Okikiola Ositelu, Church of the Lord (Prayer Fellowship) Worldwide (left) – moves into Covenant Ground.
Ministry ‘beyond the four walls of a congregation’
LCCN Archbishop Panti Filibus Musa explains that the ordination of pastors at the annual convention is not by coincidence. In the LCCN, the preference is always for pastors to be ordained at the national level.
“While we may be called to ordination by our congregation, and endorsed by our diocese, the understanding for us and the reason for ordaining pastors at the national level is that the pastor is a pastor not only of a congregation or a diocese, but is a pastor that belongs to the church. So it is a symbolic way of saying as a church from every corner of this country, we are calling you to ministry,” he says.
“It also means that the pastor realizes that his or her ministry is not bound by the four walls of a congregation, but is wider than that. It is an opportunity for them to grow beyond their congregation, and also a responsibility to see themselves as being called by the wider church,” Musa reflects.
“To ordain 57 pastors during the centennial event of our annual convention, for me the significance is that it gives us hope into the future. It means that the ministry goes on,” he adds.
Holy Communion is celebrated through the distribution of bread and wine, during the closing worship and Eucharist service of the 100th annual convention of the LCCN.
"Whenever we pray, we feel that there is so much in common," said Hungarian bishop Tamás Fabiny.
The LCCN, founded in 1913 with Education as one of the church’s core pillars already from the outset, is making strides in developing both its theological education and more widely, through a project well underway for a Lutheran University in Numan, Adamawa State.
“It is very clear that the seminary is going to be an integral part of the university. This synergy will help us to ensure that there is not a gap when pastors have just been trained in theology, and then they are limited in their understanding of society,” the Archbishop says.
LWF President Bishop Henrik Stubkjær of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark, who during the week visited both the Brønnen Seminary of the LCCN and the site for the upcoming university, took part in the ordination service, sharing a message with the 57 new pastors.
“You are needed in a world that is currently filled with uncertainty both politically, religiously and in view of the climate. You are needed as a bearer of hope. We need you as preachers of the good news of the Gospel,” Stubkjær said.
“Today Jesus has said to each one of you: "Follow me"! And your answer should be to take on a leadership role in the churches. But that doesn't mean as pastors that you are alone. You are called upon, and you are sent on the mandate of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,” the LWF President added.
Praying together ‘shows how much we have in common’
The week-long celebration in Demsa has seen the presence of a range of international guests, including from the Lutheran World Federation, Mission Afrika (Denmark) – the mission agency that once laid the foundation for the LCCN in the early 20th century – the German National Committee of the LWF, and others.
Bishop Tamás Fabiny of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary and LWF vice-president for Central Eastern Europe reflected on his experience: “There are so many differences. We don't understand the language. We don't share the culture. There are different histories of people in their human life and in the history of the nation and the history of the church. But whenever we pray, we feel that there is so much in common. And when we receive the blessing, we feel that it reaches all of us and we can be instruments of God in blessing the other. This is a very, very mystical and spiritual and personal experience, and a highlight of our being here to receive the blessing together.”
Music was an integral part of the closing worship and Eucharist service of the 100th annual convention of the LCCN.
People sing a hymn during the closing worship and Eucharist service of the 100th annual convention of the LCCN.
Danish theology student Elisabeth Skak Johanson said her encounter with Nigerian worship life was amazing to experience. “Here in Nigeria we live the faith. The faith is alive in our bodies and in the way we talk and the way we worship and the way we pray,” she said.
LWF Council member Bettina Westfeld, President of the synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony took stock of the theme of the 100th convention, “You are the Light of the World” (Matthew 5:14-16).
“This celebration was an opportunity for me to see all the people, to pray together, to think together, to praise the Lord, and to think about what it means to be the light for the world in these very special times,” Westfeld reflected.
“For me, it means to be the difference, to be the next human to the other human. You need help, you need more light in this life, to be gentle, to be a diaconic people. That's what it means for me, be the light of the world and share hope,” she concluded.
In a closing reflection of the convention Archbishop Musa took to heart the ongoing journey ahead for the LCCN and the Church worldwide: ”Our hope lies in the unshakable promise of God, in the unchanging promise of our Lord Jesus Christ… As we close this convention and move into the next century of mission and evangelism, let us renew our witness, and let our faith compel us to action.”
”As we continue our journey, let us live with boldness and conviction so others may come to know the hope that we have been passed. Let us now embark on a journey of courageous love: love enough to care for our neighbors, love enough to care for justice, love courageous enough to face the challenges of our time,” he said.
