Members of the International Lutheran-Pentecostal Dialogue stand beside a statue of Luther’s wife, Katharina von Bora, in the grounds of Faculdades EST university. Photo: Joefrerick Bin Ating
A new phase of Lutheran-Pentecostal dialogue opens in Brazil exploring themes of worship and Christian formation
(LWI) - Honest discussions, critical questions, common worship and attentive listening. That is what a team of Lutheran and Pentecostal theologians from all over the globe were doing for a week in Brazil to kick off a second round of dialogue focused on the theme of worship and Christian formation.
This first meeting of the second phase of dialogue between the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Pentecostal World Fellowship was hosted by Faculdades EST, the only Lutheran (and Protestant) seminary in Latin America, located in the southern city of São Leopoldo. The 21 to 27 February meeting featured not only academic discussion but also visits to each other’s places of worship and meetings with local pastors and students from the two different traditions.
“An important dimension of this dialogue is connecting the theological discussion with the concerns and ecumenical challenges of local parishes in the countries where we meet,” said Prof. Dr Dirk Lange, LWF Assistant General Secretary for Ecumenical Relations. “Those encounters with local congregations and parishes feed directly into our theological reflections. The topic of this second round seeks to find the many ways Lutherans and Pentecostals can connect in their understanding of worship, even if differences appear to be most pronounced in this domain. How are people shaped by our worship theology and practices? How can we learn from each other and come to a deeper appreciation of our worship at local level?”
Rev. Dr Johannes Zeiler, Lutheran co-chair of the dialogue group: Photo: Axel Arkstål.
We know there have been tensions and rivalry between our different traditions
Rev. Dr Johannes Zeiler, Lutheran co-chair of the dialogue group
“Both Lutherans and Pentecostals are witnessing amid a growing conservative trend in Brazil and elsewhere,” noted Rev. Dr Johannes Zeiler from the Church of Sweden, Lutheran co-chair of this new phase of the dialogue. "We know there have been tensions and rivalry between our different traditions and this has made us very aware of the need to come together, to explore those traditions, to cooperate more closely and to find common ground at this time of growing fundamentalism.”
Zeiler, a canon chancellor at Linköping cathedral in southern Sweden, is enthusiastic about the diversity of the Lutheran and Pentecostal delegations, bringing new participants “from all the different regions, including two of our youth delegates from Ethiopia and Malaysia. This variety of backgrounds, ages and experiences is a real richness that can strengthen the work of our teams,” he explained.
Zeiler noted that at the end of the report from the first round of dialogue, its authors emphasized the importance of sharing in "local and regional ecclesial fellowship” that can “open up rich opportunities for exploring our common theological roots, our diverse forms of worship and our shared calling from God to be a light to the world.”
Members of the International Lutheran-Pentecostal Dialogue attend an ordination service in the Lutheran church of Porto Alegre. Photo: Joefrerick Bin Ating
With this in mind, the group in Brazil joined Lutheran worshippers at an ordination service for six new pastors and one missionary from different regions, gathered inside the main church in Porto Alegre. “It is a huge country and it was wonderful to hear testimonies from different parts of Brazil, showing there is a plurality within our own tradition, but also a sense of unity as they all came together to be ordained and sent out to serve in their various regions,” Zeiler reflected.
Later in the day, the group attended a lively worship service with a Pentecostal congregation in São Leopoldo, where they were “warmly and generously welcomed” by people eager to discover more about their work. “It is a gift to explore the characteristics of being a Lutheran or a Pentecostal and how we embody them in our music, our voices, our bodily expressions,” Zeiler said.
Building trust to overcome prejudice
During the dialogue sessions, the group also draws on methodologies and experiences from other Christian traditions, including the Global Christian Forum, which held its Fourth Global Gathering in Ghana last year, and the Roman Catholic Synod on Synodality, which took place in Rome last October. As Zeiler explained: “Our academic discussions are always paired with personal reflections on what places, what people and sources have shaped my understanding of a particular topic. Sharing personal faith stories and listening attentively to what the Spirit is saying to the churches becomes key when interacting in a global dialogue like this.”
As co-chair, Zeiler said he has “very high expectations” for the work of this dialogue group, which is due to meet again in April 2026 in Jakarta, Indonesia. “It’s a very creative team of people with a lot of skills and gifts that can really help us to draw on each other’s resources and to find a common theological language.” He concluded: “My hope is that we can exchange knowledge and build trust to overcome prejudice, but also to provide local congregations with tools to create relationships and build unity in their local contexts.”
