Lutheran – Pentecostal dialogue

Following preparatory meetings at the Institute for Ecumenical Research in Strasbourg, France, the first international dialogue between Lutherans and Pentecostals took place from 2016 to 2022, resulting in a report entitled ‘The Spirit of the Lord is Upon Me’.

The first meeting took place from 15 to 20 September 2016, at Asia Pacific Theological Seminary in Baguio, Philippines, a seminary of the Assemblies of God. The focus of this meeting was “Sent by the Spirit – Identity in Christ”.

A second encounter took place from 24 to 30 September 2017, at the Colleg Wittenberg, Germany. The theme of this meeting was “God has anointed me to proclaim” and focused on our understanding and practices of mission.

The third meeting took place from 7 to 12 October 2018, at Casa de Retiro San Francisco Javier in Santiago de Chile. The topic of this meeting was “Proclaiming the Good News to the poor” and it focused on the situation of the materially poor and how our respective churches relate to them.

The fourth meeting was held from 7 to 13 September 2019, at the Center of the Malagasy Lutheran Church (MLC) in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. The theme of this meeting focused on healing and deliverance in light of Luke 4:18b, “Proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free”.

The fifth and final meeting of this round of dialogue was scheduled to take place in 2020 in California, USA, but due to the pandemic, had to be postponed until September 2022. During this meeting, participants worked on the final report, based upon presentations, discussions and encounters from the previous four meetings. They also “highly recommended the initiation of a second round which could focus on worship and formation” within the two communions.