LWF DMD Director Panti Filibus Musa Accepts Call as Diocesan Bishop in Nigeria

General Secretary Junge Grateful for Outstanding Leadership with Passion for the Church

Rev. Dr Panti Filibus Musa, director of the Department for Mission and Development (DMD) at The Lutheran World Federation (LWF), has accepted a calling by the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN) to serve as bishop of the Mayo Belwa Diocese.

“I received this news with both joy and sadness,” LWF General Secretary Rev. Martin Junge wrote in a letter today to the LWF Council, informing the governing body of the DMD director’s response to the LCCN.

The general secretary said he was filled with joy knowing that the Mayo Belwa Diocese ministry of oversight and unity will be served by “an outstanding leader.” He expressed gratitude for the committed leadership and vitality Musa provided at DMD, “his love for the church and his passion to see the church succeeding” in its call to participate in God’s mission.

“I am convinced that these gifts will be of great blessing for the church into which he is now called to serve as a bishop,” Junge added. He invited prayers as Musa continues his duties in the LWF Communion Office until July, while preparing for his new role.

DMD accompanies and assists LWF member churches in developing holistic ministries in their respective contexts and in deepening relations with each other.

Musa joined the LWF in September 2002 as LWF area secretary for Africa, and was appointed DMD director in December 2010. Following restructuring in the LWF, the Council in 2012 appointed him to serve also as LWF Deputy General Secretary.

Speaking to Lutheran World Information (LWI), Musa said the decision to serve as a diocesan bishop came after lengthy and prayerful deliberation, as there are important changes both in the LWF Communion Office and in the LCCN.

“I feel blessed and honored to serve in a communion so abundantly endowed with many gifts and talents among its staff and churches. At the same time, I feel greatly humbled and deeply moved to participate in the LCCN’s ministry during challenging times in Nigeria and in the African region.”

The LCCN has more than 2 million members and is one of the two LWF member churches in Nigeria. It is organized in eight dioceses, each headed by a bishop, one mission area headed by a pastor, and led at national level by Archbishop Nemuel A. Babba.

Located in Adamawa State, northeastern Nigeria, the Mayo Belwa Diocese was created in 2011 and includes 300 congregations served by about 60 pastors and other church workers. Musa will be installed as the first bishop in October 2013, which coincides with the LCCN’s 100th anniversary.

Musa, 53, was ordained as pastor of the LCCN in 1994. He studied theology in Nigeria and in the United States, where he obtained a PhD in pastoral theology. He and his wife Rev. Ruth Musa have three adult children.