Bishop Juhana Pohjola (left) and Dr. Päivi Räsänen (right) at the appeal hearings in Helsinki. Photo: ELMDF. FINLAND – The Supreme Court of Finland has announced it will allow prosecutors to appeal the exoneration of Finnish Member of Parliament, Dr. Päivi Räsänen, and Bishop Juhana Pohjola of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland. A date for the trial has not yet been set. Dr. Räsänen and Bishop Pohjola were first charged with hate speech in 2021 for their articulation of historic Christian teaching on human sexuality. They stood trial at the Helsinki District Court in 2022 but ..read more

Participants stand in front of the Church of St. Anne with Eisleben in the background. From the left: Rev. Johanesa Andriamanarinjato, Bishop of Fisakana Synod, Malagasy Lutheran Church (FLM); Rev. Dr. Yohana Nzelu, Bishop of South East of Lake Victoria Diocese, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (SELVD-ELCT); Rev. Ambele Mwaipopo, Bishop of Lake Tanganyika Diocese (LTD-ELCT); Rev. Fredirick Flores, Secretary of North Luzon Highland District, Lutheran Church in the Philippines (LCP); Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison, President of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS); Rev. Peter Abia, Presid ..read more

The Augustana Working Group holds its inaugural meeting in Rome on March 1, 2024. On March 1, 2024, the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity (DPCU) hosted the inaugural meeting of the Concordia Lutheran–Catholic Augustana Working Group, which met in Rome until March 2, 2024. Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the DPCU, welcomed the members of the working group and encouraged them to explore the pre-confessional/ecumenical potential of the Augsburg Confession in more detail in view of the 500th anniversary of the Confessio Augustana in 2030. The Augustana Working Group includes representatives o ..read more

The Resurrection, tapestry from the workshop of Pieter van Aelst, c. 1530. (Design by the school of Raphael). by Klaus Detlev Schulz Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem still resonates in our ears from Palm Sunday’s Gospel in John. While sitting on a young donkey, the crowd received Jesus with branches from palm trees crying out loudly: “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” Five days later, this welcoming cry changes into “crucify Him.” Disappointment, frustration, and anger replaced hope in the person whom they thought would be their new Messia ..read more

HAITI – The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti (Église Évangélique Luthérienne d’Haiti – ELCH) is requesting prayer as the situation in their country continues to deteriorate. The nation of Haiti is in crisis as a result of political instability, widespread gang violence, and a collapsed economy. Well-organized gang attacks in February further destabilized the country, with thousands of prisoners set free from prisons and Haiti’s prime minister blocked from returning to the country. The prime minister eventually resigned, and attempts to form a transitional government continue to face armed ..read more

GHANA – The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana (ELCG) held its Delegates Conference in Bunkpurugu during the second weekend of March 2024, during which time the church elected Rev. Daniel Kofi Akoh to serve as its new President. The election of officers took place on March 9, with President Elect Akoh receiving 79 votes, compared to 36 for the nearest runner-up. Prior to his election, Rev. Akoh served the ELCG as Regional Pastor for the Volta region. An installation service is scheduled for early July in Accra. “On behalf of the International Lutheran Council (ILC), I want to congratulate y ..read more

Rev. Roger James at the ILC’s 2022 World Conference in Kenya. LCMS Communications/Erik M. Lunsford USA – The International Lutheran Council (ILC) is giving thanks for Rev. Roger B. James, who has transitioned out of his role as Assistant to the General Secretary. Rev. James has accepted a position as interim pastor at Our Hope Lutheran Church in Huntertown, Indiana. “My heart has always been with preaching and teaching and pastoral care,” said Rev. James, “but I treasure the few years I have had with the ILC. At its heart, the ILC is also about the Gospel and the Word of God—the same focus as ..read more

Left to right: CTSFW President Lawrence R. Rast, ILC General Secretary Klaus Detlev Schulz, LLDP Director Naomichi Masaki, and CTSFW Provost Charles Gieschen. USA – In January 2024, Concordia Theological Seminary (CTSFW) in Fort Wayne, Indiana formally dedicated two newly-funded faculty chairs. Rev. Dr. Klaus Detlev Schulz, General Secretary of the International Lutheran Council (ILC), was appointed as the new Roemer-Baese professor in Pastoral Ministry and Missions. Rev. Dr. Naomichi Masaki, Director of the ILC’s Lutheran Leadership Development Program (LLDP), was appointed as the new Reveren ..read more

Bishop Arne Olsson. SWEDEN – The Mission Province (Missionsprovinsen i Sverige – MP) in Sweden is mourning the death of their first bishop, Arne Olsson, who entered into glory on March 12, 2024. He was 93 years old. Bishop Olsson was first ordained in 1962 and served much of his ministry as a pastor in the Church of Sweden (SK). He was consecrated as the Mission Province’s first bishop on February 5, 2005 by Bishop Walter Obare of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya. In response, the Church of Sweden disqualified him from further service in the SK. The Mission Province was initially found ..read more

Participants in the ILC’s 2024 Africa Regional Conference. KENYA – From February 6-8, Lutheran church leaders from across Africa gathered in Nairobi for the International Lutheran Council’s (ILC) 2024 Africa Regional Conference. The bishops and presidents of 22 different African church bodies were in attendance, hailing from the nations of Benin, Burundi, Cöte d’Ivoire, Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda. LCN Archbishop Christian Ekong presents during the conference. Archbishop Joseph Omolo of the Evangelical L ..read more