The Lutheran World Federation

Department for Theology and Studies

Theology and the Church

I. Current Study Program

The One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church: Lutheran Perspectives

Fifth anniversary of the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, October 2004 © LWF

This new LWF/DTS study program seeks to interpret, from a Lutheran perspective, the confession of faith in the “one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church,” as stated in the Nicene Creed.

• How is this vision of the Church relevant for Lutherans today in their different cultural, religious and social contexts?
• What is the Church’s role in salvation?
• What is the significance of the "one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church” in dialogues between different denominations?

The first conference within the framework of the study program was held in June 2008 at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey. Participants underlined the importance of worship as the core of the Church and stressed the Church’s ongoing missionary task. The international group of theologians urged congregations to profess more often the commonly shared Nicene Creed as a visible and audible sign of communion with Christians from other confessions.

The next meeting of the DTS study program will take a closer look at the four marks of the Church—oneness, holiness, catholicity and apostolicity—and their impact on Lutheran church life in diverse cultural, religious and social contexts.

Please click here for further information about the June 2008 conference and a list of contributors.

For information, please contact Rev. Dr Hans-Peter Grosshans.

II. Recent Study Programs

Leadership and Power in the Ministry of the Church

There are many questionable if not controversial ways in which leadership and power are exercised in churches. This often simmers beneath the surface, without being discussed or addressed openly.

The 28-page booklet Leadership and Power in the Ministry of the Church [Please click to order. Free of charge, postage and packing costs for bulk orders] is intended to stimulate reflection and discussion in churches, in light of central biblical and theological understandings. It draws upon key biblical perspectives, as well as Lutheran confessional understandings, such as the relation between the relation between the priesthood of all believers and ordained ministry.

How can power and leadership be exercised in ways that are consistent with what the church preaches and teaches? Questions encourage readers to apply these understandings to their own situations.

The booklet can be downloaded here. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)   

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The Authority of the Bible in the Life of the Church

Rev. Manmasih Ekka, India, leads worship. © LWF/S. Sinn

The Bible is central in all churches. In the Lutheran tradition, the Bible is considered the authoritative norm for preaching, teaching and living out the faith. Given that the way in which we listen to, read and interpret the Bible is shaped by our personal context and life experiences, we may reach different conclusions and results as we apply the Bible to particular issues. This poses a problem for a communion of churches which base their faith and teaching on the same Bible, share a confessional tradition, and consider themselves called to a common witness in the world.

How do we interpret what we hear when we listen to the Bible? How can we make sure of what the Bible is actually saying rather than having it say what we want to hear? How can we meaningfully communicate within a communion of churches despite our different ways of understanding the Bible?

Witnessing to God's Faithfulness: Issues of Biblical Authority brings together a set of articles written by a study team in response to such questions. [CHF 18, USD 15, Euro 12, plus postage and packing. To order, please click here.]

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The Diaconal Ministry in the Lutheran Churches

A malnourished 21-year-old woman receives treatment at the Wanyerukula Nutrition Center near Kisangani, DRC.
© Diakonisches Werk/R. Schlott

"The Diaconal Ministry in the Lutheran Churches" was the focus of an international consultation in October 2005, in São Leopoldo, Brazil. It served as a forum to discuss experiences with diaconal ministry and identify key elements of an understanding of the diaconal ministry of deacons and deaconesses that is solidly grounded in the Bible, in line with the Lutheran Reformation and open to different contexts.

The Diaconal Ministry in the Mission of the Church contains the presentations and statement from the consultation. [CHF 12, USD 10, Euro 8, plus postage and packing. To order, please click here.] The statement of the consultation is available for download in English, German, Portuguese and Spanish. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)   

For further information, please contact Rev. Dr Hans-Peter Grosshans,
Phone: +41/22-791 6194, Fax: +41/22-791 6629.