A resource to strengthen churches’ engagement in exceptional times
The peacebuilding work of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Colombia includes supporting ex-combatants to reintegrate into society. Sociologist Ana EloÃsa Gómez, leading a workshop in San José de Leó, in the northwestern department of Antioquia, in 2018. Photo: LWF/Albin Hillert
Updated edition and French version of The Church in the Public Space
(LWI) – The Church in the Public Space, a study document on Lutherans’ commitment to sharing Christ’s love and serving the neighbor, has been updated to highlight the relevance of church engagement during exceptional times.
The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) publication has been translated into French for the first time. It includes a new preface and additional reference material in English, German and Spanish—the official LWF languages. Other language updates are planned in collaboration with the respective member churches.
Throughout 2020, the mutual connectedness and solidarity of LWF’s member churches became particularly evident in their joint response to the needs of the most vulnerable people during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the updated preface, General Secretary Rev. Dr Martin Junge said he hoped the resource “may continue to be a tool for the Lutheran communion and its partners in strengthening our theological reflection and transformative engagement in society that is relevant to our times.”
The study document remains a relevant and timely tool for churches to assess public issues in participatory ways, build relationships of trust, challenge injustice, discover signs of hope, and empower people in need.
The study document “remains a relevant and timely tool for churches to assess public issues in participatory ways, build relationships of trust, challenge injustice, discover signs of hope, and empower people in need,” said Rev. Dr Sivin Kit, LWF program executive for Public Theology and Interreligious Relations. Revisions were not aimed at altering the core content of the often-referenced publication, he noted.
The Church in the Public Space was put together by an international group of Lutheran theologians, and it was first published 2016. It invites the Lutheran communion, theological seminaries, ecumenical and interfaith partners to engage in and contribute to the strengthening of the public space—locally and globally—so that it becomes a just place for all.
Download the study document and explore questions on characteristics of Lutheran public engagement and more. Discern how your church and community can become more engaged in overcoming exclusion, welcoming refugees and other displaced people, advancing gender justice, caring for the creation and promoting peaceful interreligious relations.
LWF/P. Mumia
