German National Committee of the Lutheran World Federation
Who we are and what we do
The 11 member churches of the Lutheran World Federation in Germany comprise the German National Committee of the Lutheran World Federation (GNC/LWF). They are
- Church of Lippe (Lutheran Section)
- Evangelical Church in Central Germany
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Baden
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Württemberg
- Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover
- Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony
- Evangelical Lutheran Church of Schaumburg-Lippe
The GNC/LWF represents the global Lutheran communion in Germany, coordinates the contributions of the German member churches to the LWF, and supports the LWF in its theological, missionary and diaconal work.
Chairperson of the GNC/LWF is Dr. h.c. Frank Otfried July, Bishop emeritus of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Württemberg.
Vice-Chairperson is Kristina Kühnbaum-Schmidt, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany.
The church office is in Hanover.
Specific tasks and responsibilities of the GNC/LWF are:
- Representing the eleven member churches of the LWF with their approximately 10,3 million members in Germany,
- Ensuring the involvement and participation of these member churches in the activities of the LWF,
- Supporting programs and projects of the LWFs Department for Theology, Mission and Justice, and Department for World Service,
- Accompanying and supporting the LWFs theological work and ecumenical dialogues from the perspective of the Lutheran tradition in Germany,
- Awarding approximately 30 scholarships annually to Lutheran students and theologians from Germany and abroad,
- On a national level, collaborating with the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany (VELKD) as well as the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), the Association of Protestant Churches and Missions in Germany (EMW) and the Martin Luther Association (MLB), Bread for the World, and the initiative "Churches helping Churches",
- Supporting the LWF Center Wittenberg and its seminars, and
- In collaboration with the LWF, developing the "Luthergarten" project in Wittenberg – an ecumenical and interactive symbol of the global significance of the Reformation.
Several committees contribute to and support the activities of the GNC/LWF:
- Executive Committee
- Committee for Church Cooperation and World Service
- Scholarship Committee
- Youth Committee
- Historical Commission
- Committee for Ecumenical Studies
Service
