Delegates from European Lutheran Churches Demand Food Justice

Call to Help People Retain Personal Dignity

BRATISLAVA, Slovak Republic/GENEVA, 19 March 2010 (LWI) – Lutherans from across Europe have called for political, economic and ecological action to establish food justice.

In a final message from a preparatory consultation for the July 2010 Eleventh Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), delegates from LWF member churches in Europe pointed out that people suffer from lack of access to sufficiently nutritious food “due to unjust systems and structures.”

The 13-17 March consultation in Bratislava, Slovak Republic, was attended by 67 delegates, stewards and advisers from 35 LWF European member churches alongside representatives of national committees, church networks, church-related agencies and LWF staff. The Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Slovak Republic hosted the meeting.

“Give Us Today Our Daily Bread” is the theme of the forthcoming Assembly, to be held in Stuttgart, Germany.

“We recognize that as European Christians we have failed in many ways, including a wasteful use of resources and tolerating a spirit of greed and carelessness. We repent of our role in the breakdown of relationships between Creator and creation, Savior and saved, Sustainer and sustained,” delegates said in their message.

The delegates called for strengthening of the church’s identity as a community, where sharing is a fundamental value. “Advocacy for those who do not have a voice, for example, refugees and asylum seekers, is also an important feature of our mission in this world,” they said.

Human Dignity

The European consultation emphasized that the task of the church is to “uphold human dignity and assist people in retaining their personal integrity.” Delegates called for cross-border cooperation between worldwide Christian communions, non-governmental organizations and governments as well as political action to tackle human trafficking. The LWF was urged to engage in a process involving theologians, pastors, service providers, those who have been trafficked and those who have been involved in trafficking to share experiences and develop strategies toward restoration of human dignity.

Gender Justice and Women’s Ordination

The delegates deplored the fact that “there are still member churches that do not ordain women, and hinder women from leadership in decision-making bodies in the church. Prayerfully, we encourage and continue our solidarity with women who long to live out their God-given vocation.” They reaffirmed their commitment to the partnership between men and women in the LWF. The Lutheran communion was asked to evaluate the impact of the 20-year old gender quota system in its member churches and “respect gender balance in all its governing bodies.”

Sustainable Lifestyles

Participants in the Bratislava consultation called upon all Lutherans to model a sustainable lifestyle and to find happiness and peace in God rather than endless material growth. They urged individuals and churches to “encourage society toward institutional change and political advocacy.”

The LWF and all its member churches were urged to consider concrete actions on the environmental front, including the adoption of consistent ethical investment policies and practices, CO2 neutral event management, and sustainable administration and use of buildings and estates.

Church Unity

The delegates insisted that a unified LWF had to allow for a variety of opinions and ideas that respect the various heritages, cultures and societies represented by member churches. “Differences can also be understood as richness, bringing diversity in unity,” the final message stated.

Living in a secular and pluralistic context calls for practical theological discourse and ecumenical and interfaith dialogue to enable Christians to live together with people of all faiths, delegates added.

The LWF has 43 member churches in Europe, representing around 37.2 million members. (597 words)

Journey | Europe Pre-Assembly Consultation

19.03.2010

Delegates from European Lutheran Churches Demand Food Justice

Call to Help People Retain Personal Dignity

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