Stewards collect ballots during elections at the Eleventh Assembly. © LWF/Erick Coll

24.07.2010

LWF Council Elects 48 New Council Members

26 Females and 22 Males will Lead the Federation until the Next Assembly

STUTTGART, Germany, 24 July 2010 – Forty-eight nominees representing the seven regions of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) were elected today to the Council at the Eleventh LWF Assembly in Stuttgart, Germany.

The new LWF Council consists of 26 female and 22 male members. Ten members are under 30 years and belong to the youth category. Twenty-eight members of the Council are ordained, 20 are lay. Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), elected as the next LWF president earlier today, is also a member of the Council.

The Council is responsible for the business of the LWF between Assemblies. It decides on the structure of the LWF Secretariat, sets the budgets of the LWF and presents an annual report to the member churches.

The new LWF Council will gather for its first meeting on 28 and 29 July 2010, which immediately follows the Assembly.

The following is a list of the elections.

Africa

Ordained:
Rev. Dr Wakseyoum Idosa, Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, Ethiopia
Bishop Alex Malasusa, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania
Bishop Zephania Kameeta, Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia (ELCRN)
Bishop Dr Ndanganane Petrus Phaswana, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa
Rev. Samuel Dawai, Church of the Lutheran Brethren of Cameroon

Lay:
Ms Mami Brunah Aro Sandaniaina, Malagasy Lutheran Church, Madagascar
Mrs Pamela Akinyi Oyieyo, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya
Ms Colleen Elizabeth Cunningham, Moravian Church in South Africa
Mrs Titi Malik, Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria
Mr A. Elijah Zina, Lutheran Church in Liberia

Asia

Ordained:
Rev. Naoki Asano, Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church
Rev. Jenny Chan, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong
Rev. Dr A. G. Augustine Jeyakumar, The Arcot Lutheran Church (India)
Bishop Oi-Peng Lok, Lutheran Church in Malaysia and Singapore
Bishop Dr Mangisi Simorangkir, Christian Protestant Church in Indonesia

Lay:
Ms Eun Hae Kwon, Lutheran Church in Korea
Mrs Christina Soren, Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church (India)
Ms Rani Bormon Dipti, Bangladesh Lutheran Church
Mr Guti Warime, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea
Ms Jenette A. L. Purba, The Indonesian Christian Church

Central Eastern Europe

Ordained:
Bishop Tamás Fabiny, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary (Northern Diocese)
Bishop Geza Erniša, Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovenia
Bishop Janis Vanags, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia
Bishop Miloš Klátik, Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Slovak Republic

Lay:
Ms Iwona Baraniec, Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland

Central Western Europe

Ordained:
Rev. Dagmar Magold, Federation of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Switzerland & in the Principality of Liechtenstein
Prof. Dr Bernd Oberdorfer, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, Germany
Rev. Rainer Kiefer, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover, Germany
Rev. Martina Berlich, Evangelical Church in Central Germany
Rev. Frauke Eiben, North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church, Germany
Bishop Frank O. July, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Württemberg, Germany

Lay:
Ms Danielle C. Leker, Protestant Church in the Netherlands
Ms Anna-Maria Tetzlaff, Evangelical Church of Pomerania, Germany

Nordic Europe

Ordained:
Bishop Antje Jackélen, Church of Sweden
Bishop Helga Haugland Byfuglien, Church of Norway
Bishop Niels Henrik Ahrend, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark

Lay:
Mrs Maria Immonen, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
Ms Jenny Skumsnes-Moe, Church of Norway
Ms Magnea Sverrisdottir, The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland

Latin America/Caribbean

Ordained:
Rev. Dr Gloria Rojas Vargas, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chile
Bishop Melvin Jiménez, Lutheran Costa Rican Church

Lay:
Dr Carlos Bock, Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil
Ms Danielle Dokman, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Suriname

North America

Ordained:
Bishop Mark S. Hanson, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Rev. Dr Robin Steinke, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Bishop Susan Johnson, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

Lay:
Ms Christina Jackson-Skelton, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Ms Mikka McCracken, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

(623 words)