Lutheran – Pentecostal dialogue

Relations between Lutherans and Pentecostals

Representatives of various classical Pentecostal churches that belong to the Pentecostal World Fellowship and member churches of the Lutheran World Federation took part in a first international dialogue from 2016 to 2022, preceded by preparatory meetings at the Institute for Ecumenical Research in Strasbourg, France.

The theme of the dialogue was our Christian Identity in light of Luke 4:18-19. Through five in-person annual meetings, the partners grew to better understand each other, including at the local level, to appreciate each other’s theological and spiritual traditions and to find ways for common witness. A report entitled ‘The Spirit of the Lord is Upon Me’ was published in September 2023.

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Members of the International Lutheran-Pentecostal Dialogue Commission meet together at the Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California from 23 to 27 September. Photo: LWF

Pentecostal World Fellowship

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Photo: LWF

Milestones

Following preparatory meetings at the Institute for Ecumenical Research in Strasbourg, France, the first international dialogue between Lutherans and Pentecostals took place from 2016 to 2022, resulting in a report entitled ‘The Spirit of the Lord is Upon Me’.

  • The first meeting took place from 15 to 20 September 2016, at Asia Pacific Theological Seminary in Baguio, Philippines, a seminary of the Assemblies of God. The focus of this meeting was “Sent by the Spirit – Identity in Christ”.
  • A second encounter took place from 24 to 30 September 2017, at the Colleg Wittenberg, Germany. The theme of this meeting was “God has anointed me to proclaim” and focused on our understanding and practices of mission.
  • The third meeting took place from 7 to 12 October 2018, at Casa de Retiro San Francisco Javier in Santiago de Chile. The topic of this meeting was “Proclaiming the Good News to the poor” and it focused on the situation of the materially poor and how our respective churches relate to them.
  • The fourth meeting was held from 7 to 13 September 2019, at the Center of the Malagasy Lutheran Church (MLC) in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. The theme of this meeting focused on healing and deliverance in light of Luke 4:18b, “Proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free”.
  • The fifth and final meeting of this round of dialogue was scheduled to take place in 2020 in California, USA, but due to the pandemic, had to be postponed until September 2022. During this meeting, participants worked on the final report, based upon presentations, discussions and encounters from the previous four meetings. They also “highly recommended the initiation of a second round which could focus on worship and formation” within the two communions.
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Lutheran – Mennonite dialogue

Official reconciliation between Lutherans and Mennonites began during the 450th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession in 1980. It led to a process of working through the painful legacy of persecution of Anabaptists, whom Mennonites regard as their predecessors, in the 16th century. Lutherans and Mennonites continue to build on the process of reconciliation that resulted in the 2010 action of Lutherans asking forgiveness for the persecution of Anabaptists by their ancestors in the 16th century.
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Lutheran – Orthodox dialogue

High-level visits and discussions between the LWF and the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the spiritual leadership of the Orthodox world, began in 1967. Plans for a global ecumenical dialogue between the two sides began shortly afterwards and were developed over the following decade. Significant common statements include Salvation: Grace, Justification and Synergy (1998) and Baptism and Chrismation as Sacraments of Initiation into the Church (2004). The topic of the current phase of dialogue, which began in 2019, is focused on the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church.
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Lutheran – Reformed dialogue

Lutherans and Reformed Christians enjoy a “special theological relationship” which has allowed churches in some parts of the world to enter into full communion of ministry and sacraments. In 1968, an ad hoc Lutheran-Reformed Evaluating Committee stated that dialogue should be encouraged and coordinated by the LWF and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC). In 2017, the LWF signed the Wittenberg Witness with the WCRC, affirming the call to continued renewal and cooperation and committing “to explore new forms of life together that will more fully express the communion we already have in Christ.”
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Contact

Rev. Dr Dirk Lange
Assistant General Secretary for Ecumenical Relations

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