Leadership

Equal opportunities for women and men

What guides Lutheran leaders today and how are LWF’s shared vision and values applied in church leadership? The LWF leadership program invites church leaders and people in leadership positions to explore and reflect on leadership together and enhance their ability to uphold a strong sense of identity as leaders in the Lutheran communion.

The program seeks to inspire lifelong learning and nurture LWF’s values — dignity and justice, compassion and commitment, respect for diversity, inclusion and participation, transparency and accountability—in leadership. As a communion of churches, LWF strives for equal opportunities of all women and men to access leadership positions while promoting their meaningful participation in the church. Accompanying each other in leadership development, fostering mutual learning and sharing enables all people to utilize their full potential in the Lutheran communion.

Leadership Accompaniment and Continuous Learning

Retreat of Newly-Elected LWF church leaders (RoNEL) meeting in the Ecumenical Center, Geneva, 19-23 November 2018. Photo: LWF/A. Danielsson

Church leadership is a calling and at the same time an ongoing vocation that needs to be practiced and developed. There is always more to learn and explore for everyone. Diverse contexts and changing circumstances in which leaders carry out their ministries require willingness to develop skills and acquire knowledge. The LWF leadership program invites member churches to participate in a continuous journey of leadership and life-long learning.

LWF regional meeting of Young Reformers in Asia. Photo: LWF/Johanan Celine Valeriano

LWF regional meeting of Young Reformers in Asia. Photo: LWF/Johanan Celine Valeriano 

The LWF Communion Office supports member church initiatives in management and good governance. Rather than facilitating or granting financial support for one-time training the focus is on organizational development processes, which aim at sustainable results including changes in church structures, policies, practices and models in decision making. This kind of transformation goes beyond performing tasks and is often a matter of changing mindsets, attitudes and organizational cultures.

2019 LWF Retreat of newly elected leaders in Geneva and Wittenberg, September 2019. Photo: LWF/C. Kästner

2019 LWF Retreat of newly elected leaders in Geneva and Wittenberg, September 2019. Photo: LWF/C. Kästner

This is a leadership development process for newly elected church leaders, namely bishops and pastor presidents. The program consists of biblical, theological, leadership and management learning/sharing modules, which are implemented through a combination of individual and peer learning, online workshops and in-person retreats in Geneva and in Wittenberg, Germany. The retreats are organized in collaboration with the LWF Center Wittenberg.

Lay Leaders

LWF Third International Lay Leaders’ Seminar, held from 27 June to 6 July in Geneva and Wittenberg. Participants Mabel NGEE-FUI HO (Malaysia), Melkion PANUAITAN (Indonesia) and Anna Christine Ursula UNRUH-LUNGFIEL (Germany). Photo: LWF/S. Gallay

The leadership development process is aimed at non-ordained leaders of LWF member churches. The program consists of biblical, theological, leadership learning/sharing modules, which are implemented as a combination of individual and peer learning, online workshops and in-person seminars in Geneva and Wittenberg. The program is organized in collaboration with the LWF Center Wittenberg.