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‘We need a way forward’: Delegates reflect on Synod decision

Delegates at General Synod voted by a strong majority to seek a way forward in the decades-long ordination debate. They asked the General Church Board and College of Bishops to explore how the LCANZ might operate as ‘one church with two ordination practices’. We asked eight Synod participants for their reflections on the resolution. Excerpts of their responses follow; read their full responses at www.lca.org.au/we-need-a-way-forward-delegates-reflect-on-synod-decision

ROB EDWARDS, PASTOR DELEGATE QLD

As I stood up at Synod to speak, I was acutely aware there was nothing I could say which would change the minds of anyone in the room about ordination. We had discussed this topic for 30 years. What we needed was a plan, a way to move forward, and move forward together. Our job as delegates was to come away from that meeting with a plan. Our congregations expected it and needed it. To do anything less would be to provide a leadership vacuum that could lead to chaos. We had to come up with a plan which would provide a way in which we could remain united as a church, respect one another’s stand and get on with the business of the church. The question was not whether or not we ordain women. We had already discussed that and it is pointless to continue. The question is, ‘how do we function as a church with these two ways of thinking?’ Is it possible to carry out the great commission together? Ordination is not the most important matter facing the church, but it is where we are spending all our time. Of far greater importance is the great commission. I encouraged the church to grab this plan and run with it. Not because it was the best plan ever, nor that it would solve all our problems, but because it gave us an opportunity to stay united as one church. We need a plan which recognises where we are and what we are called to do; which recognises our differences but also our calling. And we need to broaden our definition of ministry to include all believers.

DAVID WEAR, SYNOD CHAPLAIN VIC

We’ve now had five votes on allowing the ordination of women in the LCA and we’re on track to have a sixth vote next year. If we were to have ‘one church, with two practices’ – essentially two contradictory teachings – how could we come together, with true unity, for a General Pastor’s Conference or Convention of General Synod? There are going to be women and men who cannot commune, in good conscience, with a female pastor officiating. As sad as that might seem, it’s the reality we need to face. We need to be set free from this debate but also adequately deal with the reality of our disunity, and the nature of our disunity. Maybe a peaceful and orderly separation into two synods would glorify God, give a better witness of love to the world, and enable a more genuine unity as outlined in Scripture (e.g. 1 Cor 1:10; 2 Cor 13:11). I think we need to prayerfully consider that in the light of Scripture. I feel like we are the Israelites up against the Red Sea, with no viable way forward – but God can provide a way. Let’s keep loving one another, trusting God our Father and praising Jesus. I also hope we will draw upon the Holy Spirit who works through Scripture more than he works through pragmatic arrangements and convenient compromises. If God were to show us that two synods was the way forward, that wouldn’t mean an end to love (1 Cor 13:4–8a) and partnership in the gospel.

MANUELA SWIFT, LAY DELEGATE WA

Exploring what the church would look like as one church, two practices is a really healthy step forward. On a community or congregational level, it is important that we begin having conversations about this. We need people to be prepared and aware of the steps the LCANZ is taking and don’t want people to feel hurt or left out of the loop, especially leading up to the Synod 2024. Thank you to our leaders for willingly following God’s calling and serving our church in this way. I know it isn’t easy, but trust that the Lord will give you strength in your task. I encourage our church leaders who are putting this proposal together to think outside of the box, think big, crazy and bold because God will make what seems impossible, possible and we can trust in that.

MARK TUNG, LAY DELEGATE NZ

The 2023 synod was the first one I attended but I was surprised that this one topic could take up so much time while other important topics – such as preaching to the immigrants, cross-cultural missions, and growing our youth – are all put on the back burner. These are critical things we need to do. I’m backing this one-church, two-practice model as it can finally put the debate aside and get the church moving again. Each of us individually needs to keep an open mind – knowing that a lot of our Lutheran brothers and sisters around the world are already having women ordained and even have had female bishops for a long time. As congregations and communities, we can keep an open mind and give it a try! Stop judging and restart the mission!

FRASER PEARCE, PASTOR DELEGATE SA

In principle, there is nothing wrong with having a variety of practices in the church. However, when different practices represent different, and even contrary teachings, then the unity and mission of the church are, at best, impaired. We have spent many years debating whether the prohibition of the ordination of women is the Lord’s command because we know that keeping his commands is central to carrying out our mission (Matthew 28:16–20). It is my conviction that our teaching does faithfully reflect Jesus’ will for the church. It is not clear how we would carry out our mission and be faithful to Jesus’ commands (with) different teachings on ordination, lived out in different practices. If the LCA were to allow all congregations to call and ordain women pastors, if they so desired, that is not something I could support. If the LCA were to break up into districts (with) different practices based on different teachings, it would seem the districts would hold different confessions and so be different synods/churches. This would be a lamentable outcome.

HELEN BRINKMAN, LAY DELEGATE QLD

The LCANZ is a church so loved by its members that not even 30 years of debate about ordination practice has broken it asunder. However, this Synod acknowledged the hurt created through this protracted, unresolved dialogue. So the Queensland District resolution to explore ‘one church, two practices of ordination’ is a vital step forward. During Synod, WA Bishop Michael Fulwood painted a beautiful picture of the Japanese art of Kintsugi, where broken pottery pieces are bound together with gold, building on the idea that in embracing our flaws and imperfections, we can create an even stronger, beautiful piece of art. I pray that God will bless our General Church Board as it works through the requirements to operate as one church with different practices. Despite our imperfections, I pray that God can use this process to create an even stronger church, in which our diversity is celebrated.

RICHARD SCHWEDES, PASTOR DELEGATE NSW

Focusing on Jesus is leading me to deeper prayer, listening to God and the different Christian perspectives around this and other issues as we go forward trusting God, even though we won’t have all the answers. I am looking forward to continuing to live and work with a diverse range of people in the Lutheran church and, most importantly, to keeping focused on being his missionary and disciple wherever God places me, so others can connect with him and gain life from him in our messy lives where people differ. Perhaps this is the message the world needs to hear at present … that God loves a diverse range of people, even people who see some aspects of life and the Bible differently. So, I pray that, as we move forwards into exploring being one church with two practices, Jesus and his gospel of forgiving and saving all remain our guiding and main focus.

HELEN MARTUL, LAY DELEGATE SA

This ongoing debate and division have crippled the church such that we have been unable to engage in meaningful dialogue about challenges in our ever-changing environment. It is time to confront reality in the context of our mission, focus on bringing Jesus’ healing gospel to our broken and despairing world. The resolution provides a clear timeframe and expectation for the ordination of women whilst maintaining one church. I pray that all members, congregations and pastors accept the clear Synod support for the resolution. Let’s embrace everyone, listening to each other rather than sabotaging. At the same time, leaders have a mandate to engage, consult, communicate and manage milestones that can be completed and celebrated. What an opportunity to walk with each other and God, trusting his love and grace.

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‘Let’s build each other up’

by Jess Smith

Two young consultants who attended the LCANZ’s Convention of General Synod in Melbourne in February have reflected on their experience as first-time attendees and offered a fresh perspective.

The journey to Synod began at a young adult forum in Adelaide for Eloise Quinn-Valentine, 25, a member at St John’s Lutheran Church in Unley, South Australia, and Christian Hansen, 23, who attends Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Rochedale, Queensland. The invitation to participate was extended to the pair after they attended the forum facilitated by Grow Ministries last year.

For Christian, the forum was the catalyst to get more involved in the church. ‘It was really encouraging to see the passion young people still have for the church, when a lot of people think young people are moving away from it’, he says. ‘It sparked a bit of hope and passion in me, that made me want to get involved a bit more in young adult ministry.’

While Eloise and Christian say that getting their heads around some of the Convention procedures and formalities was ‘challenging’, they agree that they have gained a lot by attending.

‘It’s been good to sit and listen and take it all in, and speak to people and meet people, and to see how it all works and get involved’, says Eloise. ‘Seeing out the process and getting to the heart of matters has been an exercise in patience, but also in listening and trying to think about where people are coming from.’

With the subject of women’s ordination being a focus on the agenda, both Christian and Eloise say they respect and appreciate the debate that has been ongoing since before they were born but look forward to the church moving forward.

‘What I long to see at Synod is the day when we can actually really share God’s word and discuss it as a group – to talk about new and renewing churches, education, uni groups, young people and aged care’, says Christian.

‘We’d love to see those sorts of discussions be what is at the heart of Synod’, agrees Eloise. ‘So that we’re coming together to be building each other up and going back to our congregations and out into the world to do this work and energised to do it.

‘A big thing for me that’s become clear is that whatever “going forward” looks like, it needs to involve all parts and aspects of the church. Particularly, I think we need to do research with people who have expertise, but we must also really invest in education and training in God’s word so that people can be scripturally informed and oriented towards service and building up the church at all levels.

‘Ministry is not just what pastors do; we’re all part of ministry in the world, and I think we can’t just address the office of the ordained ministry, we must also address the ministry of the saints – they’re absolutely connected.’

Both Christian and Eloise say they have been excited to see many other young people, both at Synod and within the broader church, who are committed to its future. ‘There is a lot of passion and drive and care there’, says Eloise. Christian echoes the sentiment. ‘It’s exciting to see that there are people like that who are not only the future but the present members of the church.’

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New bishop for WA

Pastor Peter Hage has been elected as the next bishop of the LCANZ’s Western Australia District.

The pastor of St Johns Lutheran Church in Perth, he was elected unopposed last month for an initial four-year term during the District Convention of Synod at Concordia Lutheran Church Duncraig, in suburban Perth. Pastor Kim Kuchel, who has retired from Army chaplaincy and is serving part-time with the Katanning–Narrogin Parish southeast of Perth, was elected and installed as WA’s new assistant bishop during the convention, held from 3 to 5 March.

Bishop-elect Peter will succeed Bishop Mike Fulwood, who has retired from the part-time role he has served in since June 2017. The pair have been working together during a handover period since the election.

The assistant bishop of the district since 2018, Bishop-elect Peter will also continue to serve St Johns. A self-described ‘reluctant bishop’, he says he is excited to be able to continue in the parish role as well as supporting the WA District as bishop.

‘I say to people I was initially a reluctant pastor and I’m a reluctant bishop’, he said.

‘I just think of those words that Jesus said, “To him who is given much, much is required”. He says that in the context of the master giving servants various talents to serve with and in that context not everyone is given that same ability, but we just simply need to reflect on our gifts. While this has not been an aspiration of mine, I’ve had great encouragement from others that I should take on this role. So, with the encouragement of pastors and congregations and the support of people, I’ve accepted that God has led me in this way.

‘I’m happy to serve and I’m happy to support but to take the lead is a responsibility that needs to be covered by much grace.’

Excited, too, by the prospects for church planting in WA, along with what is already happening in the Rockingham–Mandurah area, Bishop-elect Peter believes his district role is also to give hope to congregations through changing times.

‘It’s very clear that the LCA is on the verge of significant changes, and in that uncertainty, we need to keep trusting in God’s Spirit that he will lead us and guide us’, he said. ‘It’s God’s church, it’s not our church. We need not fear the future but move into the future expecting something different.

‘I am happy to lead our District through a season of transition and change just trusting in the faithfulness of God and the promises that he gives to us that he is always with us.’

Ordained in 1990, Bishop-elect Peter began his ministry in Papua New Guinea and served there for 10 years, before accepting a call to Freeling parish in South Australia in 2001. He also served at Mount Barker in South Australia and Mount Gravatt in Queensland, before beginning his ministry at St Johns Perth in 2017.

He and his wife, Lois, have two adult children.

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NZ treasures hide in plain wrapping

by Rosie Schefe

Three plastic-wrapped pallets sit in a Wellington loading dock. Not much to see here. But this 945-kilogram load holds taonga (treasure), both historical and spiritual – sacred even. This is the archive of the Lutheran Church of New Zealand (LCNZ), ready to depart from Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa (the National Library of New Zealand) and bound for Lutheran Archives in Adelaide.

The Alexander Turnbull Library (which holds non-government archival material) has been the custodian of this collection since 1976, but the LCNZ archive has always remained the property of the church. Almost four years ago, the LCNZ Synod voted to send this collection to Lutheran Archives so that the history of Lutherans in New Zealand and Australia would be able to be told side by side.

Following early scoping work by Lutheran Archives Director Rachel Kuchel and Pastor Jim Pietsch, in December 2019, the LCNZ Council of Synod appointed Robert Nippert (a member of St Paul’s Lutheran Church, Wellington) to manage the project. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed its completion. As a part of New Zealand’s written history, the collection fell under the protection of Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Final permission to leave the Alexander Turnbull Library was only granted by Te Tari Taiwhenua, the Department of Internal Affairs, late in 2022.

A little drily, perhaps, the collection is variously described as ‘19 linear metres of documents pertaining to the Lutheran Church of New Zealand’ or ‘a range of documentary material including meeting minutes, correspondence, Parish magazines, registers and photographs dating from 1874–2006’.

But, as library staff and LCNZ representatives gathered in the loading dock earlier this year to conduct a poroporoaki (farewell ceremony, pictured), the importance of this taonga and the memories it holds was on display. The poroporoaki acknowledged the links to the past held within these documents, links to the people who went before.

Performed in te reo Māori, English and one hymn verse in German, the ceremony contained elements of both Māori culture and Christian ritual. Former LCNZ District Administrator Dr Tanja Schubert-McArthur – who now works as a learning facilitator at Alexander Turnbull Library – liaised with Bishop Mark Whitfield and cultural representatives to tailor the form of the rite.

Bishop Mark Whitfield chose to begin his part of the poroporoaki with verses from Matthew 1:1–17, the whakapapa (genealogy) of Jesus and outlining the journey of the gospel from Jerusalem (Acts 1:8) to New Zealand.

 

With waiata (songs and hymns), prayers, including the Lord’s Prayer (in te reo Māori), and mānawatanga (blessings), the rite ended with all participants laying hands on the pallets in farewell.

In Adelaide, the collection will remain accessible to New Zealanders and other international researchers through the Alexander Turnbull Library digital catalogue, referencing its new home at Lutheran Archives.

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‘Keep our schools Lutheran’

Lutheran Education Australia (LEA) is calling for faith-based schools to retain the right to uphold their unique ethos, as part of the consultation process on proposed changes to federal anti-discrimination laws in Australia.

The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) has sought submissions from stakeholders in response to its consultation paper Religious Educational Institutions and Anti-Discrimination Laws, which addresses the way that proposed reforms apply to religious schools and other educational institutions.

The consultation paper sets out four general propositions supported by 14 technical proposals for reform. LEA submits that, if adopted, some elements of the proposed changes ‘would severely restrict the ability of Lutheran schools to build a community of faith’.

LEA Executive Director, Assoc Prof Lisa Schmidt says: ‘We do not seek the right to discriminate on the basis of a protected attribute, but simply to be able to employ staff who share or are willing to uphold the ethos of the religious educational institution.’

In the submission, she points out that a critical mass of Christian staff is needed to uphold the ethos of a Christian school. ‘The likely outcome [if the proposals are adopted] is faith-based schools becoming indistinguishable from state schools, effectively removing the ability of parents to choose to educate their children in accordance with their beliefs and values’, she says. ‘The proposals do not fully consider the totality of the role of a teacher and student learning outcomes beyond content knowledge, the importance of holistic education of the individual child supported by all staff, and the role of the entire school community in establishing and upholding an ethos.’

In the submission, Assoc Prof Schmidt points out the important leadership role all staff play in sharing and upholding the ethos of the school, noting the consultation paper’s ‘narrow view of leadership’ by restricting it to executive officers such as the principal. ‘Restricting the ability of faith-based schools to selectively preference people of that faith only for leadership roles with executive titles rather than all roles would severely impact on the ability of Lutheran schools to have the leadership in place to be Lutheran schools’, she says. 

You can read the full LEA submission at www.yourlca.com/LEA-alrc

More information on the proposed reforms and consultation paper are available at
www.alrc.gov.au/publication/adl-cp-2023

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Church to address deficit

Meeting in Melbourne for the in-person sessions of the 20th General Convention of Synod, delegates were informed in a presentation by GCB member Mel Zerner that the church’s headquarters in North Adelaide is operating with an annual shortfall of approximately $1.5m.

While the deficit can be addressed in the short term by drawing on reserves, ‘naturally, this position is not sustainable’, Mr Zerner said. He said that, while the financial situation for the Churchwide Office is concerning, it is not unique across the church.

‘We are seeing reduced income across the entire church. Congregations are facing a range of pressures from several directions. Many are battling to stay afloat, let alone contribute to the District and Churchwide office budgets’.

But reduced congregational giving, particularly post-COVID, is only one reason for the Churchwide Office’s bleak financial situation, Mr Zerner said. The LLL, a major contributor to LCANZ ministries, is facing its own challenges, with low-interest rates over a number of years, coupled with limited lending opportunities as churches stagnate rather than expand as they have in past decades. The flow-on impact is that the LLL has needed to reduce its distribution to the LCANZ to support its work.

Brett Hausler, Executive Officer of the Church, thanked the GCB for the opportunity for the Churchwide Office to achieve a target of break-even for the 2025 budget.

‘This provides time to address the financial shortfall in a sustainable way, but also to consider how the structure and services can be designed to support the future needs of the LCANZ’, he told delegates.

‘Importantly, it gives us the opportunity to undertake broad engagement across the church, so that we understand what sorts of support our congregations want from us. We do not want to stop doing something you value and retain something you don’t value.’

Mr Hausler stressed that, while no-one can predict exactly how the changes will impact on our churchwide community, ‘we are in this together, and we will be seeking the views of the wider church as we plan the way forward’. ‘One thing we can be sure of, the status quo is simply not feasible’, he said. ‘We will be moving forwards through these challenges in an open and considered way, and regularly seeking your input.’

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ALC welcomes new teachers

Australian Lutheran College (ALC) has engaged three experienced practitioners to teach in its higher education program.

Dr Tania Nelson, the LCA’s executive officer for local mission, and Ms Sue Westhorp, a clinical pastoral educator, will be teaching units in ALC’s new practical-based Diploma in Ministry. Dr Tim Stringer, who is pastor of Victoria’s Greensborough Parish and holds a Doctor of Ministry degree in Biblical Preaching, will be teaching the unit Preaching the Word.

‘We are confident that students enrolling in ALC’s new Diploma in Ministry will be greatly blessed by the personal experiences these skilled practitioners in ministry bring to their teaching’, said ALC Principal James Winderlich.

‘While God’s word has not changed, the context in which our graduates are serving has changed and will continue to change. Our new ways of teaching at ALC demonstrate how we are responding to our church’s changing training needs.’

Tania agreed that understanding context is critical to effective mission and ministry. ‘With God’s mission as a foundational concept in their ministry journey, the students are well-placed to contextualise their learning where God has placed them’, she said.

‘As St Paul said in his first letter to the Corinthian Christians, “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some”. That’s contextualisation 101! My prayer is that the students bring Jesus into all they do. That’s how we all contribute to the wider church.’

James said the Diploma in Ministry offers the ideal foundational training for people exploring God’s call towards vocations in local mission, chaplaincy and those seeking to one day be ordained for the pastoral ministry. ‘And remember that you don’t need to relocate to Adelaide for this or any other ALC program. We are wherever you are.’

Read more about ALC changes, the Diploma in Ministry and the new casual academics at www.lca.org.au/alc-welcomes-new-teachers

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Lutherans receive honours

LCA members Graham Lieschke and Fred Stolz were recognised in the Australia Day 2023 Honours List.

Graham Lieschke, from Ascot Vale in Melbourne, is a research professor in medical research for Monash University’s Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute and a clinical and research haematologist for the Royal Melbourne Hospital/Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. He was awarded an AM as a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia ‘for significant service to medicine as a haematologist, and to medical research’.

Fred Stolz, from Kippa-Ring in Queensland’s Moreton Bay area and the founding headmaster of Grace Lutheran College at Rothwell in the same region, received an Order of Australia medal in the general division for ‘service to secondary education’.

Professor Lieschke said the award was ‘a great honour’. ‘It feels very special, and it makes me very thankful not only for the people I’ve worked with but also to God for the opportunities and blessings he’s given me’, he said. Professor Lieschke, a member and musician at St Johns Lutheran Church Southgate in Melbourne, said his faith was also an important factor in the way he has approached his work. ‘My faith is really important in establishing values of integrity, honesty, care and compassion in the clinical and research work I do.’

Fred Stolz served as headmaster of Grace Lutheran College, Rothwell, from 1980 to 2009 and was a Mathematics teacher there until 2019. A member at Redcliffe Lutheran Church, he was also inaugural principal of Balob Teachers College at Lae in Papua New Guinea, from 1965 to 1979, and in 2018 became an Officer of the Order of Logohu, PNG, in recognition of his service.

He said while his OAM was a ‘very unexpected but very much appreciated’ honour, he views it as ‘an honour for our Lutheran education system’. ‘One of the reasons why I’m a great advocate of Lutheran schools is because it’s an opportunity to bring the gospel before so many young people’, he said.

The congratulations of the church are offered to these recipients and any other members honoured with awards.

Read the full story at www.lca.org.au/lutherans-honoured-in-australia-day-list-2023

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‘Please pray for our Synod’: LCANZ Bishop

LCANZ Bishop Paul Smith has urged the wider church to pray for the delegates, officials, organisers and volunteers who will meet for the in-person sessions of the LCANZ’s Convention of General Synod in Melbourne from 9 to 12 February.

The call for prayers comes in the lead-up to the meeting, which continues the 20th LCA convention opened with online sessions in October 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Adjourned until this month, the convention will consist of two full days of business at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, bookended by part-days with gathering and closing worship services.

In his ‘Because we bear your name’ column in this edition of The Lutheran (see page 4), Bishop Smith speaks of ‘our Lutheran ethos’, in which ‘the cross is central, … the word of God is properly distinguished as law and gospel and … God’s people strive daily to lead a holy life, even as Christ has made them holy’. Bishop Smith is calling on the Lutheran family in Australia and New Zealand to pray for those who will meet as Synod and that God will continue to build his church ‘through our Christian witness and service’.

‘In February 2023, we are gathering for the second part of our Convention of General Synod in Melbourne. Delegates will have significant matters before them, including proposals regarding whether only men or both women and men are to be ordained as pastors among us. Some are troubled about what is ahead for our church’, he says.

‘As we gather for Synod 2023, we continue this united common faith that we have received: to know Jesus Christ and him crucified. Nothing can be conceded or given up of this doctrine of the gospel. Please pray for those who gather in February, that the Lord would continue to build his church through our Christian witness and service, as people of the Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand.’

As part of convention preparations for delegates, in November-December last year the church hosted three ‘town hall’ online sessions on the ordination proposals to go before General Synod.

More than 235 people attended the sessions as delegates or Synod consultants, while a further 164 people viewed the livestream of the sessions, facilitated by LCANZ Executive Officer of the Church Brett Hausler and General Church Board (GCB) member Charmaine Harch. Bishop Smith, and GCB members Tim Wiebusch and Pastor Tim Stringer made up the panel which addressed participant questions. Written responses to questions from the three sessions have been prepared and are available to read on the General Synod website at www.generalsynod.lca.org.au/town-hall-sessions-qa/

Meanwhile, the offering from General Synod will support a Finke River Mission (FRM) project revising and reprinting Lutheran song and hymnbooks in Central Australian Aboriginal languages.

Along with other volunteers and FRM staff, Pastor Rob Borgas, who formerly served as an FRM support worker, has been working on the revision of hymnals in three languages – Pitjantjatjara, Western Arrarnta and Alyawarr. In addition, the Pintupi-Luritja language worship resource will be revised.

Congregations can donate to the offering via the LLL (details below) or, if they prefer to put their offering on the plate during worship, can send a cheque made out to ‘LCA Synod’ or cash to Synod with their delegate.

To donate to the Synod offering:

Name of account: LCA Synod

BSB: 704942  Acct number: 100698743

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‘Please pray for our Synod’: LCANZ Bishop

LCANZ Bishop Paul Smith has urged the wider church to pray for the delegates, officials, organisers and volunteers who will meet for the in-person sessions of the LCANZ’s Convention of General Synod in Melbourne from 9 to 12 February.

The call for prayers comes in the lead-up to the meeting, which continues the 20th LCA convention opened with online sessions in October 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Adjourned until this month, the convention will consist of two full days of business at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, bookended by part-days with gathering and closing worship services.

In his ‘Because we bear your name’ column in this edition of The Lutheran (see page 4), Bishop Smith speaks of ‘our Lutheran ethos’, in which ‘the cross is central, … the word of God is properly distinguished as law and gospel and … God’s people strive daily to lead a holy life, even as Christ has made them holy’. Bishop Smith is calling on the Lutheran family in Australia and New Zealand to pray for those who will meet as Synod and that God will continue to build his church ‘through our Christian witness and service’.

‘In February 2023, we are gathering for the second part of our Convention of General Synod in Melbourne. Delegates will have significant matters before them, including proposals regarding whether only men or both women and men are to be ordained as pastors among us. Some are troubled about what is ahead for our church’, he says.

‘As we gather for Synod 2023, we continue this united common faith that we have received: to know Jesus Christ and him crucified. Nothing can be conceded or given up of this doctrine of the gospel. Please pray for those who gather in February, that the Lord would continue to build his church through our Christian witness and service, as people of the Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand.’

As part of convention preparations for delegates, in November–December last year the church hosted three ‘town hall’ online sessions on the ordination proposals to go before General Synod. The town halls were open to all church members; however, only delegates and alternates could pose questions electronically.

More than 235 people attended the sessions as delegates or Synod consultants, while a further 164 people viewed the livestream of the sessions, facilitated by LCANZ Executive Officer of the Church Brett Hausler and General Church Board (GCB) member Charmaine Harch. Bishop Smith, and GCB members Tim Wiebusch and Pastor Tim Stringer made up the panel which addressed participant questions. Written responses to questions from the three sessions have been prepared and are available to read on the General Synod website at www.generalsynod.lca.org.au/town-hall-sessions-qa/

Meanwhile, the offering from General Synod will support a Finke River Mission (FRM) project revising and reprinting Lutheran song and hymnbooks in Central Australian Aboriginal languages.

Along with other volunteers and FRM staff, Pastor Rob Borgas, who formerly served as an FRM support worker, has been working on the revision of hymnals in three languages – Pitjantjatjara, Western Arrarnta and Alyawarr. In addition, the Pintupi-Luritja language worship resource will be revised.

Congregations can donate to the offering via the LLL (details below) or, if they prefer to put their offering on the plate during worship, can send a cheque made out to ‘LCA Synod’ or cash to Synod with their delegate.

To donate to the Synod offering:
Name of account: LCA Synod
BSB: 704942  Acct number: 100698743

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