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by Lance Steicke

In 1966 the leader of the Queensland District of the LCA was a Schmidt; now it is  a Smith. Then it was Pastor Schmidt; now it is Bishop Smith. In 1966 the leader of  the LCA was a Lohe; now it is a Henderson. Then it was President Lohe; now it is Bishop Henderson.

I’m not suggesting the amalgamation in 1966 was the merger of two German clubs. But I am suggesting there has been a shift in the composition and demographics of the LCA. And that there is a very important shift from president to bishop, and not just in name only. Our bishops now exercise more fully pastoral and episcopal leadership and oversight in the church, and the College of Bishops plays a crucial role in the ministry of the church.

The early days of the LCA focused on cementing the union. And that was important. No-one wanted the new church to fall apart or to split again. Care was taken to have almost equal representation from the two former synods on boards and departments. The unity of the LCA is still important, although the context is quite different. Now we see it to the fore in the discussions on the ordination of women.

Eventually, when it was realised the union was cemented, the focus moved outwards. And so in 1987 the church adopted Vision 90 with its key premise: ‘Every congregation is a congregation in mission. All pastors and all members are missionaries’. What happened to that? Well, for one thing, now, many years later we have a renewed emphasis on church planting.

In 1966 and years immediately following, theological issues were prominent. Conventions featured a theological essay. The Commission on Theology was a key group in the church. Maybe this is still the case but generally some see a shift to the practical and pragmatic. Today moral and ethical issues perhaps preoccupy us more than theological ones.

The interpretation of Scripture was on the agenda in the early years of the LCA, resulting in the Consensus Statement of 1984-1987. It is still high on the agenda today, especially in dealing with the question of the ordination of women.

In 1966 we severed all overseas connections (with the exception of Papua New Guinea) for the sake of union in Australia. After letting overseas relations with other churches lie in the early years, we have since formed relationships in earnest. We have become an associate member of the Lutheran World Federation. We have worked closely with ‘partner churches’, especially in South East Asia, which we have declared an area of special focus. We have entered into an agreement with Lutheran Church – Canada. At home we have become a very active member of the National Council of Churches in Australia. Most of these are moves we would not have dreamed of 50 years ago.

But what does the LCA look like on the local congregational level? Walk into many of our churches on a Sunday morning and you see an ageing membership in declining numbers.

And perhaps, in some instances, a tired membership. Look at some rural areas and you will see Lutherans worshipping with Uniting churches and/or Anglican churches. You will hear reports of working groups looking at better ways of serving given areas with possible realignments, rationalisation of resources and the like. Some of this is driven locally; some of it the initiative of church leaders.

Walk into a Lutheran congregation at worship 50 years ago and you would use a set liturgy in common with all other congregations, with the Lutheran hymnbook as your only resource for hymns, which were played on an organ. Now you will be confronted with a variety of service orders, hymns and songs from a wide ranges of sources, many different musical instruments, and most likely no hymnbook, with everything appearing on an overhead screen.

In the early days Lutheran colleges existed primarily to prepare candidates for the office of public ministry. Now not many ministry candidates come straight from our senior schools. Candidates are more likely to be entering a second or third career and, of course, are therefore older.

There is also often a hiatus between the worship life of our schools and our congregations, something not in existence at all 50 years ago.

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by Stephen Hultgren

As part of the lead-up to the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017, an ecumenical working party of Lutherans and Catholics has been planning a program of projects and events to jointly commemorate the occasion. One is a series of articles, written by Lutheran and Catholic authors from around Australia, to be published in both Lutheran and Catholic publications. The fifth piece in our series of six is by Dr Stephen Hultgren, lecturer in New Testament at Australian Lutheran College and director of the Australian Lutheran Institute for Theology and Ethics (ALITE).

Despite the division of the church in the 16th century, we need to remember that the Lutheran confessors intended unity. The Augsburg Confession (1530) proposes a doctrinal basis for it.

A Lutheran reflection on restoration of unity in truth and in the gospel does well to begin with article 7 of the Confession. The confessors state ‘it is enough for the true unity of the church to agree concerning the teaching of the gospel and the administration of the sacraments’. This statement is both essential and dangerous.

It is essential, because it indicates what is non-negotiable in Lutheran confession: the right teaching of the gospel. The statement is dangerous because Lutherans have too often viewed this in an overly simplistic way. If agreement on the ‘teaching of the gospel’ means agreement on the doctrine of justification, then Lutherans might conclude justification is the only doctrine that matters for unity.

Article 7 does not intend this approach; rather it rejects the notion that unity requires agreement on traditions, rites or ceremonies instituted by humans. The confessors had in mind various non-biblical ceremonies and ordinances that were of human institution rather than of divine mandate.

But the Lutherans would have been first to argue that unity requires agreement on all doctrines deriving from the Bible. After all, article 7 is embedded within a presentation of 21 articles the confessors say are in accord ‘with the pure Word of God and Christian truth … teaching [that] is clearly grounded in Holy Scripture and is, moreover, neither against nor contrary to the universal Christian church’.

The restoration of unity in the truth presents an ongoing challenge. Will Lutherans, while rightly insisting on the doctrine of justification as central, resist the temptation to read article 7 in an overly simplistic way? That runs the danger of denying the shared heritage of Lutherans and Catholics across 2000 years. Will the Roman Catholic Church, while rightly insisting on the unity of all truths of faith, be careful never to obscure this most precious truth of justification? The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, agreed to in 1999 by the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church, is a sign of hope.

In paragraph 18 Lutherans and Catholics agree:
‘[T]he doctrine of justification … stands in an essential relation to all truths of faith, which are to be seen as internally related to each other. It is an indispensable criterion which constantly serves to orient all the teaching and practice of our churches to Christ. When Lutherans emphasize the unique significance of this criterion, they do not deny the interrelation and significance of all truths of faith. When Catholics see themselves as bound by several criteria, they do not deny the special function of the message of justification.’

May God restore our unity in truth!

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Immanuel Lutheran Church at Novar Gardens in suburban Adelaide is situated between a Lutheran college and primary school which each bear the same name, meaning ‘God with us’. Its geographical setting gives the church extra opportunities to minister to and serve children and families. Church pastor Nigel Rosenzweig says it is a privilege to serve the Lord – and learn from children – in this context.

Many of us were positively influenced by children’s ministry when we were young. It was in these years that we discovered who we are in Christ and the mission God invites us to participate in.

Children’s ministry involves sowing into receptive soil before the troubles of life come and make growth harder. Being involved in this ministry can transform not only the present generation but also influence generations to come, because children are actually the church of both the present and the future.

Every congregation needs to ask the hard question, how are we working together to nurture our children? In recent years I have discovered that children’s ministry is best done with all ages together.

Sunday school still has value in enabling age-appropriate teaching, but I no longer see it as the only way our church should provide children’s ministry. I believe the tide is turning towards doing children’s ministry more often in an all-age environment.

The church is not just for adults – it is for people of all ages who journey together and inspire each other as the Spirit leads us and helps us grow up in Christ. I believe adults can learn as much from being church with children as the children can learn from adults!

Children make great learners. They also make great missionaries. God can reach parents through their children! When parents see their children engaged, they too become receptive to new learning.

When we invest our time and energy into engaging with our children and are willing to enter into their world, we are creating a better present and shaping an amazing future. ‘Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the Lord your God gives you for all time’ (Deut 4:40).

There is also great significance in the old saying: ‘It takes a village to raise a child’. All generations can work together to support families in passing on the faith to the next generation.

When children’s ministry is working well, children model for adults what it means to be receptive.

In churches, as in homes and in schools, we have a precious opportunity to sow the seeds of faith into the lives of children and families. If there is a worthy investment we can make with our time, talents and resources, it is in children’s and family ministry.

Children have so much potential. They are missionaries, they are the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, the apostles and prophets in our midst. The question really becomes: will we listen and learn and let them lead?

Sowing seed bears fruit

The Holy Spirit is leading children to grow in their faith through the presentation of the gospel at Immanuel Primary School.

From time to time children are led to express their interest in baptism. Last month four children from three school families were baptised. Sometimes these baptisms occur in the regular congregation, while at other times joint school and church services are held and members of the congregation are invited to be part of baptism services at the school.

When children learn about baptism, they also learn about the many different ways water is applied in baptism. More children are expressing
a desire to be baptised by ‘full immersion’ and so far Immanuel has been able to accommodate this request with help from ecumenical partner churches (see top photo above).

The congregation has a deliberate plan to further develop its partnership
with the primary school to support the faith formation of families. A year
ago the church reformed an Immanuel campus spiritual life team which brings together leaders from the college, primary school and congregation to further enhance the spiritual life of the entire Immanuel campus. This is already bearing fruit!

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by Elizabeth Delaney

As part of the lead-up to the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017, an ecumenical working party of Lutherans and Catholics has been planning a program of projects and events to jointly commemorate the occasion. One is a series of articles, written by Lutheran and Catholic authors from around Australia, to be published in both Lutheran and Catholic publications. The fourth piece in our series of six is by Sister Elizabeth Delaney, a Sister of the Good Samaritan of the Order of St Benedict and General Secretary of the
National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA).

Why do I find joy in our shared faith?

It is not so much the statement of faith but the journey to this day that encourages and gives me hope. Glimpses of the way ahead for our churches deepen this hope.

‘When the Western Church divided at the time of the Protestant Reformation the understanding of the doctrine of justification was at the heart of the separation.’ So begins the 1998 document Justification, A Common Statement of the Australian Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue. The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification by the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church, signed on 29 October 1999, echoed this. These documents illustrate the journey our churches have travelled.

I am an enthusiast rather than a scholar of ecumenism, and so it is the ecumenical statements in these documents which cause my spirit to leap.

The quote often attributed to Spanish poet Antonio Machado that ‘We make the path by walking’ comes to mind. The Joint Declaration exemplifies this principle. For while the participants understood they had taken some steps, they knew more were to come: ‘[The Declaration] does not cover all that either church teaches about justification’.

The Australian statement also recognises the need for further discussion and elucidation, reminding us this growth is the work of the Spirit: ‘It is our prayer that the Holy Spirit will continue to lead and guide us into an ever fuller understanding of this central truth of the gospel’.

I frequently look back, recognising new learning, often from mistakes. I love to see a similar learning in theological understanding – not just for myself, but for my church and all our churches. The participants in the international dialogue affirmed the Declaration was ‘shaped by the conviction that in their respective histories our churches have come to new insights’.

Receptive ecumenism provides a wonderful framework for our churches to continue to discover new insights.

Following the signing of the Joint Declaration in 1999, on 23 July 2006 the Methodist World Council affirmed the Declaration with a Statement of Association. At the NCCA Forum in Brisbane in 2007, one of the church leaders commented, ‘Perhaps our church might consider associating with the Declaration’.

May many church leaders take such steps!

We offer together…, we have been able to do behind this apparent difference … we have come to see … we recognise …. How frequently the pronoun ‘we’ is used in the Common Statement. And each use is deliberate.

May we, urged on by God’s Holy Spirit, broaden its use.

The way we have travelled so far gives me joy in the belief God’s Holy Spirit is guiding our churches together along a wonderful path!

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No cure but God’s promises

by Colleen Fitzpatrick

My confirmation text offers me comfort and encouragement and is one I often recall: ‘I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 1:3-6).

The promise in that text applies to all of us – no matter what age we are, or what frailties we have.

My husband has his birthday in August and I’m wondering what sort of tacky messages will emerge on his birthday cards. Will there be references to uncontrollable bodily functions? Or will there be bottles of wine (he likes an occasional glass), golf clubs (he has terrible ball skills), or sailing boats (he comes from Port Adelaide)? Or a reference to the fact he is getting older and must be entering his dotage?

One of the challenges of ageing is the increasing frailty of people around us. We also develop a growing awareness of our own declining health and wellbeing, whether physical, emotional or mental. One of the scariest possibilities may well be dementia – whether it is a personal diagnosis or affecting someone near and dear to us.

Some people choose to accept what is happening, and adapt their lifestyle accordingly. Others will seek information and treatment if it is available. Both are valid choices.

There is no magical cure for dementia. But you can get help and support from sources such as Alzheimer’s Australia at fightdementia.org.au or on 1800 100 500 or, if you are in New Zealand, www.alzheimers.org.nz or 0800 004 001.

And if living with dementia is your destiny, God will always be there for you and for those dear to you. I love the pictures in these words: ‘There is no-one like the God of Jeshurun who rides on the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms’ (Deuteronomy 33:26,27).

Recently I wrote a booklet on dementia for Lutheran Media. Through it I shared the stories of some courageous and generous people, regarding their experiences living with this debilitating and seemingly indiscriminate disease. For them and all of us, there is hope through the promises of God. The following are excerpts from that booklet.

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