| Lutheran World Federation | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| Type | Communion |
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Lutheran |
| Scripture | Protestant Bible |
| Theology | Lutheran theology |
| President | Henrik Stubkjær |
| General Secretary (CEO) | Anne Burghardt |
| Headquarters | [Chemin du Pavillon 2,1218]Le Grand-Saconnex (Geneva, Switzerland) |
| Origin | 1947 |
| Members | 78,431,111 (2023)[1] |
| Official website | www |
TheLutheran World Federation (LWF;German:Lutherischer Weltbund) is a globalcommunion of national and regionalLutheran denominations headquartered in theEcumenical Centre inGeneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish city ofLund in the aftermath of theSecond World War in 1947 to coordinate the activities of the many differing Lutheran churches. Since 1984, the member churches are inpulpit and altar fellowship, with common doctrine as the basis of membership and mission activity.
The LWF has 154 member church bodies in 99 countries representing over 78 million Lutherans;[1][2] as of 2023, it was the sixth-largest Christian communion (seelist of denominations by membership). The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such asecumenical andinterfaith relations,theology,humanitarian assistance,human rights, communication, and the various aspects ofmission and development work.
The Department for World Service is the LWF's humanitarian and development arm. It has programmes in 24 countries and is the UNHCR ninth largest implementing partner. The LWF is a member ofACT Alliance.
On 31 October 1999, inAugsburg, Germany, the LWF signed theJoint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification with theRoman Catholic Church. TheCatholic–Lutheran dialogue is a series of discussions that began during July 1964 as an outgrowth of theSecond Vatican Council. The statement is an attempt to narrow the theological divide between the two faiths. The declaration also states that the mutual condemnations between 16th-centuryCatholic church andLutheranism no longer apply. A similar event took place inLund Cathedral on 31 October 2016, the 499th anniversary of the beginning of theProtestant Reformation, with the signing of theStatement on the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation with Pope Francis and Bishop Munib Younan in a special Catholic-Lutheran dialogue.[3][4]
As of 2016, 119 of the LWF's (then) 145 member churches (80%) ordained women as ministers.[5]
The LWF was founded atLund, Sweden, in 1947. It replaced the more informalLutheran World Convention, which had been founded in 1923 and assembled for conventions in 1923, 1929, and 1935. The headquarters (Communion Office) are based in Geneva, Switzerland. The goal was to coordinate international activities of the many Lutheran churches, to provide a forum for discussions on theological and organizational issues, and to assist in philanthropy, missionary activity, and exchange of students and professors. A key leader was Executive Secretary Sylvester C. Michelfelder (1889–1951), representing theAmerican Lutheran Church. He had been a leader in organizing $45 million in American help for the rebuilding of Protestant churches in Germany after 1945. By the time of his death in 1951, the federation represented 52 churches in 25 countries.[6]
The 20 largest member churches are ( 2023 statistics):
| Member Church | Reported Members |
|---|---|
| Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus | 12,000,000 |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania | 8,500,000 |
| Batak Christian Protestant Church | 6,333,000 |
| Church of Sweden | 5,484,000 |
| Church of Denmark | 4,253,575 |
| Malagasy Lutheran Church | 4,000,000 |
| Church of Norway | 3,611,670 |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland | 3,579,616 |
| Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church | 3,000,000 |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | 2,904,686 |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hanover | 2,302,547 |
| The Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria | 2,200,000 |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria | 2,143,233 |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Württemberg | 1,821,266 |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany | 1,772,953 |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea | 1,500,000 |
| Protestant Church in the Netherlands | 1,425,000 |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia | 853,522 |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cameroon | 700,000 |
The Lutheran World Federation has a dual leadership structure. The President serves as the moderator of the Council and the Assembly and as ecclesial leader of the Federation, while the General Secretary is the chief executive officer responsible for its administration and operations. According to the LWF Constitution, both serve as chief spokespersons of the Lutheran World Federation.
The president presides at meetings of the Assembly, Council, and Executive Committee, and oversees the life and work of the federation in consultation with the General Secretary.[7]
| No. | Portrait | Name | Term | Church | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Anders Nygren (1890–1978) | 1947–1952 | Church of Sweden |  Sweden |
| 2 |  | Hanns Lilje (1899–1977) | 1952–1957 | Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Hanover |  Germany |
| 3 | Franklin Clark Fry (1900–1968) | 1957–1963 |
|  United States | |
| 4 | Fredrik A. Schiotz (1901–1989) | 1963–1970 | American Lutheran Church | United States | |
| 5 |  | Mikko Juva (1918–2004) | 1970–1977 | Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland |  Finland |
| 6 | Josiah Kibira (1925–1988) | 1977–1984 | Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania |  Tanzania | |
| 7 | Zoltán Káldy [de] (1919–1987) | 1984–1987 | Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Hungary |  Hungary | |
| 8 | Johannes Hanselmann [de] (1927–1999) | 1987–1990 | Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria | Germany | |
| 9 | Gottfried Brakemeier [pt] (born 1937) | 1990–1997 | Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil |  Brazil | |
| 10 | Christian Krause [de] (1940-2024) | 1997–2003 | Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick | Germany | |
| 11 |  | Mark Hanson (born 1946) | 2003–2010 | Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | United States |
| 12 |  | Munib Younan (born 1950) | 2010–2017 | Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land |  Palestine |
| 13 | Musa Filibus (born 1960) | 2017–2023 | The Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria |  Nigeria | |
| 14 |  | Henrik Stubkjær (born 1961) | 2023–present | Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark |  Denmark |
The Lutheran World Federation Council elects the General Secretary for a seven-year term. The person appointed is eligible for one re-election. The General Secretary conducts the business of the federation assisted by the Communion Office Leadership Team, comprising department and unit heads appointed by the council, and carries out the decisions of the Assembly and Council. Together with the President, the General Secretary serves as the chief spokesperson of the Lutheran World Federation.[8] On 19 June 2021, the LWF Council elected Estonian theologian Anne Burghardt as the next General Secretary. She is the first woman and the first person from Central Eastern Europe to serve in this role and assumed office on 1 November of that year.[9]
| No. | Name | Term | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sylvester Michelfelder (1889–1951) | 1947–1951 | United States |
| 2 | Carl Lund-Quist [de] (1908–1965) | 1951–1960 | United States |
| 3 | Kurt Schmidt-Clausen [de] (1920–1993) | 1960–1965 | Germany |
| 4 | André Appel [fr] (1921–2007) | 1965–1974 |  France |
| 5 | Carl Henning Mau Jr. (1922–1995) | 1974–1985 | United States |
| 6 | Gunnar Stålsett (born 1935) | 1985–1994 |  Norway |
| 7 | Ishmael Noko (born 1943) | 1994–2010 |  Zimbabwe |
| 8 | Martin Junge [de] (born 1961) | 2010–2021 |  Chile |
| 9 | Anne Burghardt (born 1975) | 2021- |  Estonia |
This map shows the global distribution of Lutheranism based on The LWF 2019 membership data.[10][a]
| Year | Number of denominations | Number of individual members | % of global population[11] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009[12] | 140 | 70,053,316 | 1.01% |
| 2013[13] | 142 | 72,268,329 | 0.99% |
| 2015[14] | 145 | 74,261,862 | 0.99% |
| 2019[15] | 148 | 77,493,989 | 0.99% |
| 2023[1] | 150 | 78,431,111 | 0.97% |
Between 2009 and 2023, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) grew from 140 to 150 member denominations. In the same period, individual membership grew from 70,053,316 to 78,431,111 people.[12][1] This represents a growth of 11.95% in 14 years. In the same period, the global population grew by 18.22%.[11]
LWF statistics from 2009 to 2023 show growth in membership in Africa and Asia. At the same time, membership is declining in Europe and America.[12][13][1] The Lutheran World Federation reports the membership of each member church as illustrated in the following chart:[16]
| Member Church | Number of Members | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Evangelical Lutheran Church of Angola | 92,051 | 2023 |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Botswana | 26,023 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cameroon | 700,000 | |
| Church of The Lutheran Brethren of Cameroon | 225,378 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Central African Republic | 120,000 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Congo | 98,123 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church of Eritrea | 11,000 | |
| Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus | 12,000,000 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya | 100,000 | |
| Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church | 15,000 | |
| Lutheran Church in Liberia | 118,000 | |
| Malagasy Lutheran Church | 4,000,000 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi | 150,000 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mozambique | 18,163 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia | 853,522 | |
| German-speaking Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia | 4,200 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia | 420,000 | |
| Lutheran Church of Nigeria | 65,000 | |
| Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria | 2,200,000 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church of Congo | 3,908 | |
| Lutheran Church of Rwanda | 7,200 | |
| The Lutheran Church of Senegal | 8,000 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone | 6,565 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (Cape Church) | 3,950 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa | 580,000 | |
| Moravian Church in South Africa | 80,000 | |
| Northeastern Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa | 9,300 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania | 8,500,000 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zambia | 5,284 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe | 309,881 | |
| Lutheran Church of Australia | 140,000 | |
| Bangladesh Lutheran Church | 6,270 | |
| Bangladesh Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church | 12,070 | |
| Lutheran Church in Cambodia | 1,080 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land | 2,500 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong | 18,000 | |
| Hong Kong and Macau Lutheran Church | 2,399 | |
| Chinese Rhenish Church Hong Kong Synod | 13,500 | |
| Tsung Tsin Mission of Hong Kong | 12,800 | |
| South Andhra Lutheran Church | 95,000 | |
| Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church | 20,926 | |
| Manipur Evangelical Lutheran Church | 11,527 | |
| Christ Lutheran Church | 15,900 | |
| Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church | 100,000 | |
| Acrot Lutheran Church | 44,689 | |
| Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chotanagpur and Assam | 242,803 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Madhya Pradesh | 23,000 | |
| Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church | 101,722 | |
| India Evangelical Lutheran Church | 150,000 | |
| Bodo Evangelical Lutheran Church | 12,479 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Himalayan States | 40,064 | |
| Jeypore Evangelical Lutheran Church | 150,000 | |
| Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church | 3,000,000 | |
| The United Protestant Church | 20,000 | |
| Protestant Christian Church in Mentawi | 39,892 | |
| Communion of Protestant Christian Church | 51,125 | |
| Indonesian Christian Lutheran Church | 23,000 | |
| Batak Christian Community Church | 37,718 | |
| Christian Communion of Indonesia Church in Nias | 26,250 | |
| Christian Protestant Angkola Church | 30,128 | |
| Pakpak Dairi Christian Protestant Church | 42,785 | |
| Protestant Christian Batak Church | 6,333,000 | |
| Protestant Church of Niha Keriso in Indonesia | 42,536 | |
| Simalungun Protestant Christian Church | 227,690 | |
| Protestant Christian Church (BNKP) | 464,012 | |
| Inondesian Christian Church | 200,893 | |
| Christian Protestant Church in Indonesia | 274,685 | |
| Kinki Evangelical Lutheran Church | 2,535 | |
| Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church | 21,558 | |
| Japan Lutheran Church | 694 | |
| Basel Christian Church of Malaysia | 65,000 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia | 4,250 | |
| Lutheran Church in Malaysia | 6,736 | |
| Protestant Church in Sabah | 34,731 | |
| Lutheran Church of Myanmar | 2,000 | |
| Myanmar Lutheran Church | 3,830 | |
| Mara Evangelical Church | 21,879 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Myanmar (Lutheran Bethlehem Church) | 3,395 | |
| Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church | 1,385 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea | 1,500,000 | |
| Gutnius Lutheran Church - Papua New Guinea | 149,869 | |
| Lutheran Church in the Philippines | 58,000 | |
| Lutheran Church in Singapore | 2,727 | |
| Lutheran Church in Korea | 2,228 | |
| Lanka Lutheran Church | 5,324 | |
| Taiwan Lutheran Church | 9,502 | |
| Lutheran Church of Taiwan (Republic of China) | 1,517 | |
| Lutheran Church of the Republic of China | 431 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thailand | 4,000 | |
| Federation of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Russia and Other States | 20,000 | |
| Evangelical Church in the Republic of Croatia | 3,300 | |
| Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren | 58,521 | |
| Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church | 160,000 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Georgia | 1,700 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary | 176,000 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia | 250,000 | |
| Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Worldwide | 4,800 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lithuania | 18,100 | |
| Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland | 60,244 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Romania | 23,700 | |
| Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Romania | 10,773 | |
| Slovak Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Serbia | 50,000 | |
| Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Slovak Republic | 193,995 | |
| Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovenia | 8,327 | |
| German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine | 1,000 | |
| Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Austria | 247,834 | |
| Malagasy Protestant Church in France | 10,000 | |
| Union of Protestant Churches of Alsace and Lorraine | 220,000 | |
| United Protestant Church of France | 25,000 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony | 610,503 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church of Schaumburg-Lippe | 45,764 | |
| Church of Lippe (Lutheran Section) | 22,400 | |
| Evangelical Church in Central Germany | 615,855 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Baden | 2,444 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany | 1,772,953 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg | 371,688 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria | 2,143,233 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Württemberg | 1,821,266 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover | 2,302,547 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick | 293,979 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Italy | 6,000 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Switzerland and in Liechtenstein | 3,150 | |
| Protestant Church in the Netherlands | 1,425,000 | |
| Lutheran Church in Great Britain | 1,500 | |
| Evangelical Church of the River Plate | 25,000 | |
| United Evangelical Lutheran Church | 6,000 | |
| Bolivian Evangelical Lutheran Church | 3,731 | |
| Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil | 614,555 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chile | 2,500 | |
| Lutheran Church in Chile | 9,900 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church of Colombia | 2,100 | |
| Lutheran Costa Rican Church | 500 | |
| United Evangelical Church in Cuba Lutheran Synod | 1,500 | |
| Salvadoran Lutheran Church | 15,500 | |
| Augustinian Lutheran Church of Guatemala | 2,892 | |
| Guatemala Lutheran Church | 950 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Guyana | 15,594 | |
| Christian Lutheran Church of Honduras | 2,005 | |
| Mexican Lutheran Church | 1,200 | |
| Nicaraguan Lutheran Church of Faith and Hope | 10,200 | |
| Lutheran Church of Peru | 853 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Suriname | 4,000 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Venezuela | 1,250 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark | 4,253,575 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland | 3,579,616 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland | 227,259 | |
| Church of Norway | 3,611,670 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Free Church of Norway | 21,351 | |
| Church of Sweden | 5,484,000 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada | 40,171 | |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | 2,904,686 | |
| Total | 78,431,111 |
Sorted by country in alphabetical order
Some member denominations have recognized same-sex unions through marriage, a blessing rite, or special prayers. These include theChurch of Denmark,Church of Iceland,Church of Norway,Church of Sweden,Protestant Church A.B. in Austria,Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Chile,Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland,Evangelical Lutheran Church in Geneva,Evangelical Lutheran Church in Italy, a majority of the churches within theProtestant Church in Germany,Evangelical Church of the River Plate,Protestant Church in the Netherlands, and theUnited Protestant Church of France.[17]
On the other side, several churches, including theEthiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus,Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, theMalagasy Lutheran Church, theEvangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia and theEvangelical Lutheran Church of Lithuania, which recognize marriage as solely the union between a man and a woman, have broken ties with many of the churches supporting same-sex unions.[18]
TheEvangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil supportscivil same-sex marriage, but does not allow its ministers to celebrate same-sex unions, neither does it ordain ministers who are living in same-sex unions.[19]
| Bible (Scriptures) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundations | |||||||||
| History (timeline) (spread) |
| ||||||||
| Denominations (list,members) |
| ||||||||
| Theology |
| ||||||||
| Philosophy | |||||||||
| Other features |
| ||||||||
