Lutheran Denomination Adopts Statement on Worship
St. Louis, Missouri, United States—To help the nearly 6,200 congregations of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) come to a “God-pleasing harmony” on the issue of worship, the LCMS Council of Presidents recently and unanimously adopted a “Theses on Worship” after two years of study and discussion.
In October 2009, LCMS President Gerald B. Kieschnick sent the document via email to the synod’s 35 district presidents for distribution to pastors and other church leaders throughout the country. The document includes eight theses based on Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. The theses do not impose a certain style of worship, but rather encourage great care “in choosing forms, rites, and ceremonies because they either support or hinder true worship.” The theses state that “forms of true worship are in accord with the Word of God.”
Some highlights include
• The Scriptures and Confessions give the people of God considerable freedom in choosing those forms, rites, and ceremonies that aid the worship of God.
• Uniformity in forms, rites, and ceremonies while desirable, is not essential to the unity of the Church.
• The polarization that is affecting the Church concerning the issue of forms, rites, and ceremonies is sinful and hinders the proclamation of the Gospel.
“The Council of Presidents is keenly aware of the diversity of worship practices in LCMS congregations,” wrote Kieschnick in a memorandum sent via email with the theses. “This diversity in many instances has resulted in disharmony and even polarization. In order to foster God-pleasing harmony in this matter the COP encourages pastors, worship leaders, musicians, and other church leaders to engage in prayerful conversation with one another, in submission to God’s Holy Word and the Lutheran Confessions.”
While acknowledging the diverse opinions that exist around worship, Kieschnick said the district presidents are committed to helping the synod reach harmony on the issue. [LCMS/Vicki Biggs]
First Festival of Religious Freedom in Colombia Attracts 15,000
Bogotá, Colombia—A historic Festival of Religious Freedom was held September 26, 2009, in Bogotá, Colombia. Fifteen thousand people attended the event—the largest convocation of religious freedom ever organized in that country where, in years past, many were persecuted for their religious beliefs. Fortunately, the situation has changed in Colombia where religious liberty is now a reality.
The Coliseo de Camping was the sports arena chosen for the event that was part of a worldwide chain of festivals of this type. John Graz, director of the Public Affairs and Religious Liberty department of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, said the intent of the event organizers was to cover all the continents with great celebrations in stadiums, coliseums, gymnasiums, and churches. The main idea behind the festivals is to give thanks for religious liberty and create a positive environment of freedom and peace for the gospel proclamation.
Álvaro Uribe Vélez, president of the Republic of Colombia, spent more than an hour with the delegates who represented a broad range of faith communities—including Jews, Muslims, and Christians. He answered questions related to religious freedom, reaffirmed religious liberty as a fundamental human right supported by his government, and considered that historic congress of religious freedom as “a generator of peace for the nation,” says Pastor Álvaro Niño Escobar, co-organizer of the event. [Alfredo Garcia-Marenko]
First “Christian Parents Today” conference
Orebro, Sweden—More than 100 parents from different backgrounds and ages gathered October 9–11, 2009, for the first “Christian Parents Today” conference.
The brainchild of this event, Carina Lillback Larsson, Children’s Ministries director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Sweden, said that the conference was the fulfillment of a dream and hard work since 2008. Primarily directed to Seventh-day Adventist parents, it was also opened up to other parents.
Carina submitted articles to Christian family magazines and participated in local radio chat shows to promote the conference, with the result of 4 percent of the participants being outside the Adventist community.
The theme for the weekend was “Time Together.” It began in a practical way on Friday night, giving the participants the opportunity to have time together with God in praise and worship, and a story that introduced one of the recurring challenges of the weekend—“Time Thieves—How Do We Use Our Time?”.
During the Sabbath morning worship, Berny Carlsson, Family Ministries director of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Sweden, shared five points that reflect how God treats us as His children and how we, in turn, should relate to our children: accept their uniqueness, affirm their value, trust them with responsibility, correct without condemning, and love them unconditionally.
“Quality time versus quantity time” was just one aspect of time considered by Carina Lillback Larsson as she and the participants explored the responsibilities of parents in helping their children develop their own spiritual experience.
Practical workshops ran simultaneously in the afternoons, covering topics such as Parenthood in the Bible, Learning Styles and How We Communicate, Help—I’m a Mum, Being a Dad to Teenagers, Creative Worships, Teenagers, and Sex and Alcohol. Each day ended with a panel discussion where the participants shared practical ways in which they had created time in their lives for their families.
The event ended with a practical discussion led by Paul Tompkins and certified family life educator Karen Holford, on how to create margins or spaces in our lives so that we have time with our families and, most importantly, time with God. [Audrey Andersson/TED News Staff/TED News]
