Church Leaders Say Contributions Provide Stability for Critical Work
LWI Council Press Release No. 11/2011 | GENEVA, 10 June 2011 (LWI) – The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Council is exploring ways to encourage increased financial ownership of the organization by its member churches in order to ensure stability in the future.
In response to the financial report for 2010 from LWF Treasurer Ms Christina Jackson-Skelton, church delegates debated strategies to reverse a two-year trend of declining membership fee contributions.
“There needs to be an honest discussion on the subject,” said Bishop Susan C. Johnson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. “We need to figure out a respectful way.” She stressed that fees needed to be paid and not considered as a donation.
Oberkirchenrat Norbert Denecke of the LWF German National Committee also expressed concern about decreased contributions by member churches that had been paying in the past.
LWF General Secretary Rev. Martin Junge cautioned that “some member churches from the South have found difficulty to pay due to the reduction rate in their membership.” However, they had showed ownership by bringing their delegates to be a part of the Council.
Mr Pauli Rantanen, director of the LWF Office for Finance and Administration, explained the impact of the high exchange rate for the US dollar in 2010 when compared to the Euro. “This made a difference in the decrease in the membership contribution by some churches,” he said.
Rev. Dr. Augustine Jeyakumar, executive secretary for the United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India, emphasized that “the membership fee is mandatory and we [member churches] need to follow it strictly.” He stated that churches from the global South needed to give attention to increasing the stability of the communion.
Ms Jackson-Skelton said that the LWF was working on a strategy around the 1999 “fair membership fee” formula that indicates the relative wealth of the member church country compared with other countries and considers a possible waiver of part or all of the fee for member churches facing financial difficulties.
Still, Ms Danielle Dokman of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Suriname underlined that “the responsibility lies on the Council member to tell people that [the] LWF is not an office but a communion of member churches. We all have a role to play.” (381 words)
Council 2011 News | Photos | Documents
See also:
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- LWF Reserves Increase but Challenges Remain in Other Areas Says Treasurer
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- Membership in LWF Member Churches Reaches Just Under 68.5 Million
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