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LUTHERAN CHURCH
The Lutheran informs the members of the LCANZ about the church’s teaching, life, mission and people, helping them to grow in faith and commitment to Jesus Christ. The Lutheran also provides a forum for a range of opinions, which do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editor or the policies of the Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand.
Making a stand
After a busy time ‘attending’ General Pastors Conference and General Synod at Concordia College in suburban Adelaide recently, Convention veteran ‘Marty’ gets set to relax with some reading material just made for him. The metre-tall replica of the statue of Martin Luther in Wittenberg, Germany, was a gift to the LCA as part of global commemorations of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017.
Send us a photograph featuring a recent copy of The Lutheran and it may appear on page 2 of a future issue and on our website at www.thelutheran.com.au
People like YOU bring love to life
Supporting
Synod
The LLL really brought the LCANZ’s 21st Regular Convention of General Synod to life as the major sponsor of the triennial event – including through the gift of barista coffee to delegates, volunteers, staff and visitors during the four-day event (see also page 19). On hand – and all smiles – at one of LLL’s expo stands at Synod were Heidi Schalk (from LLL outreach ministry Lutheran Tract Mission), Marketing Manager Rhianan Strangways and Communications Officer Jason Phelan. Learn more about how LLL provides business and financial support to the LCA as a partner in mission and ministry at www.lll.org.au
Let the light of someone you know shine through their photo being featured in The Lutheran and LCA Facebook. With their permission, send us a good quality photo, their name and details (congregation, occupation and most treasured text) and your contact details.
EXECUTIVE
When I walked out of the business room at Convention for the last time, I asked to keep my lanyard and nametag, as a memento. It will be my last face-to-face General Synod. God-willing I’ll be retired by 2027. I took a long look back at the room, at people packing up, saying goodbyes. Some I’ll see again, many I won’t.
On the face of it, that room was just another school gymnasium transformed into a convention space, but the emotions sparked by the historic resolution of Synod that happened there will be etched on LCANZ people’s memories for a long time, perhaps as long as they live.
At the closing worship service that morning you saw some pastors reeling from the Synod decision. Confused, conflicted, shell-shocked, they still turned up to worship, some digging deep to hold it together. What will they do now? What is God asking them to do? Please pray for these men of God and all who are wrestling with life-altering questions.
Taking communion alongside them were some women who have longed for decades to fulfil their call to be pastors, now overwhelmed with joy, but holding that joy in tight restraint for the sake of their hurting brothers and sisters. They have been there, too; they know what the pain of a Synod decision feels like. What will they do now? What is God asking them to do? Please pray for these women of God and all who are discerning next steps. Everywhere you saw tears – brimming in eyes, rolling down cheeks, held tightly inside hearts. There were tears of exhaustion, tears of elation, tears of loss, and tears of heart-ripping grief.
And tears of togetherness.
If you’ve never been able to attend a General Synod worship service, you’ve missed something extraordinary. There you see the people of God in this little LCANZ of ours coming together with all their differentness, each with empty hearts to receive what God pours into them. There we are sinners and saints together. There we rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Despite all that’s been and all that is to come, there we see and know that we are one.
This is the gift of God. It's grace that unites us.
Whenever I hear Robin Mann’s Bread of Heaven I think of General Synod, where it is invariably sung at the closing communion service. Every time the tears well up as the lyrics sink deeply into my heart, as I look at my brothers and sisters with opposing opinions on various matters, who have spoken passionately on different sides of a debate, who have wept with joy and wept with grief – and here they are, side by side, together at God’s table. It’s the closest thing to heaven we’ll experience this side of it.
Jesus, Bread of Heaven, as we step into a new chapter of our LCANZ … give us new hearts, teach us how to love and share; all are equal at the table, make us equal everywhere. Bread of heaven, here you make us one, may it be a taste of what's to come, bread of heaven, for the life that never ends.
Synod enables ordination of women and
‘A space between the places’: a message for the church
LCANZ elects mission leader as Assistant Bishop
Gathering under grace –worship at Convention
Bishop’s report
Synod elects General Church Board
Board reports to General Synod – some key points
Training and accreditation authority approved
Congregations supported in mission
Offering to support Indonesian study centre
Young Lutherans share hope and inspiration
Thanks to our volunteers
Chaplains provide prayer and care
Because we bear your name: Bishop Paul’s letter
Our cover: LCA Queensland District Bishop Mark Vainikka leads the Holy Communion liturgy during the closing service of the Convention of General Synod.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that the following pages may contain images of people who have died.
PS – Thanks so much to Linda for writing this editorial while I’ve been busy putting the post-Synod edition together. Thank you, too, to Elise Mattiske and Beth Marsh for their support and to volunteer Convention photographers Andrea Winter and Anthony Bothe.
Photo: Anthony Bothe
BISHOP PAUL’S LETTER Because we bear your name
‘Concordia’ is the name of our Lutheran college in Highgate in suburban Adelaide, South Australia. It is where delegates from across our church, including those from across the Tasman Sea, gathered for the 21st Convention of our General Synod in early October.
Concordia is a Latin word which means ‘with one heart’. It is a historic name of our Lutheran Church as ‘Concordia’ was also the simple title of the original collection of writings that we know today as The Book of Concord.
The name ‘Concordia’ reflects the common purpose of those who gather. In the church, the idea of being of ‘one heart’ goes right back to the very first Christians who gathered together after the day of Pentecost. We are told in the book of Acts chapter 4, about those who were ‘of one heart and soul’.
So, it was fitting for us to gather at ‘Concordia’ for the decisions of our Convention, including the Way Forward proposal. Our General Pastors Conference and General Synod expressed the desire to go forward together, to be of ‘one heart’ as people of the Lutheran Confession both in New Zealand and Australia.
Some in our church are troubled by the outcomes of the Convention. They may not have voted in favour of some proposals. But we have gathered purposefully to be of one heart together, to serve one another and to listen to one another.
Following the Convention at Concordia, we have much to do. There are documents to prepare and support to give to one another. We received many reports, including some about the relocation of our Australian Lutheran College and Churchwide Office to our new building on Frome Street in the city centre of Adelaide, with the expectation that the move will be completed in 2025.
OUR GENERAL PASTORS CONFERENCE AND GENERAL SYNOD EXPRESSED THE DESIRE TO GO FORWARD TOGETHER, TO BE OF ‘ONE HEART’ AS PEOPLE OF THE LUTHERAN CONFESSION.
When I think of this ‘one heart’, I am reminded of the symbol of Luther’s Rose, in which the heart is at the centre, and at the centre of the heart is the cross of our Lord. To be of one heart is to be committed to serving together as witnesses to all that the Lord has done for us, to the ends of the earth.
At every baptism, the pastor repeats this image when he makes the sign of the cross over the forehead and the breast of the person to be baptised. Speaking the person’s name, the pastor says, ‘Receive the mark of the holy cross † as a sign that Christ the crucified has redeemed you’. Our hearts are changed by the good news of Jesus Christ. When the disciples on the way to Emmaus heard the gospel from the risen Lord, they declared, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us?’
We have much to do but with a common purpose with ‘one heart’. Let us pray to the Lord, for one another and for the world, as we go into the world as people of the gospel. We remember that, at all times, we bear Christ’s name, as in the words below.
In Christ,
Lord Jesus, we belong to you, you live in us, we live in you; we live and work for you –because we bear your name.
Help us receive each other, Lord, for you receive the least of us and come to us in them –because we bear your name.
Bless those who give us any gift, because they know that we are yours; reward them with your grace –because we bear your name.
Let us acknowledge those as friends who use your name to right a wrong but have not joined us yet –because we bear your name.
Let nothing that we do or say offend the weak so that they fall and lose their faith in you –because we bear your name.
Keep us from missing out on life; give hands that help, and single sight, and feet that walk your way –because we bear your name.
You are the salt that cleanses us, so clean us out, and make us fit for common life with you –because we bear your name.
REV PAUL SMITH Bishop, Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand
292 All Together Everybody
One Licence Words: Dr John Kleinig Music: Dr Robin Mann
Synod enables ordination of women and men
On 5 October at the 21st Regular Convention of the LCANZ, General Synod voted to enable the ordination of both women and men as pastors in the church.
Delegates resolved to support a proposal from the General Church Board (GCB) and College of Bishops (CoB) to remove from the LCA’s Theses of Agreement the paragraph (VI:11) that prohibits women from entering the pastoral ministry.
The resolution incorporated recommendations from the 2024 General Pastors Conference (GPC) and was passed with a 71.3 per cent majority, 269 votes for and 108 against, with all 377 registered delegates voting.
In effect, this means that the church’s teaching on the office of the public ministry remains unchanged apart from the requirement of the ordination of men only. The proposal passed by Synod included the expectation that the Commission on Theology and Inter-Church Relations (CTICR), together with the church’s pastors conferences and districts, will finalise a doctrinal statement on ordination in 2025, to be approved by an online General Pastors Conference and online Convention of General Synod.
The decision also confirmed the commitment to parishes and congregations that they may call a pastor who best meets their ministry needs. Parishes and congregations will not have to call a pastor who is a woman.
Synod delegates prefaced their debate with prayer led by Bishop Emeritus Mark Whitfield, who called for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, singing the prayer in both English and Te reo Māori. LCANZ Bishop Paul Smith said: ‘We commend this resolution to God, trusting his mercy, guiding our feet in the way of peace.’
In a pastoral statement to the Convention after the vote, the bishops of the church noted that the respectful dialogue of delegates showed ‘deep love for the church and the desire to find a way forward together’ and that the tone after the vote ‘reflected the grace of God among us’.
Despite more than three decades of theological study and debate, division has remained within the church about whether the Scriptures permit the ordination of women.
At the 2023 in-person sessions of the 2021–23 Convention of General Synod, delegates voted by a strong majority to direct GCB and CoB to find a way for the LCANZ to operate as ‘one church with two different practices of ordination’ and to report back with a detailed framework to the 2024 GPC and General Synod.
The Way Forward project team and working groups appointed by GCB-CoB worked through the theological, constitutional and governance requirements to allow this directive to be accomplished.
When the Way Forward Detailed Framework was released in July this year, it was the result of the most consultative, collaborative project in the LCANZ’s history, with feedback from across the church shaping the resolution put to GPC ahead of Synod.
The bishops of the church have reaffirmed a commitment to work through pastoral and relational matters following the ordination decision, including providing care and support for those in their districts who did not vote in favour of the change.
The bishops also called on church members to bear one another’s burdens.
A SPACE BETWEEN THE PLACES' A
time to pause, pray and listen
In a message to the church, LCANZ Bishop Paul Smith encourages us to pause and reflect on decisions made at the October 21st Regular Convention of General Synod. As well as sharing prayers for the church, he emphasises the importance of finding 'liminal spaces' in our lives. These are like doorsteps that enable us to move through to the next place.
Our Lord Jesus entered into a ‘space between the places’. In Matthew chapter 14, we read that after our Lord has fed the 5000 and before he meets the disciples, walking on the water, he enters a different ‘space’.
The Scripture tells us, ‘Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.’ In this ‘space’ he is alone in prayer with his eternal Father. He is alone and separated from the crowds and even from his disciples.
We need these ‘liminal’ spaces between places. A liminal space enables us to move through things required for the next place. The word ‘liminal’ comes from the ‘doorstep’ that we step onto as we enter a house. For the Christian, these are places where we pause to remember that we walk with our risen Lord.
As a church, we have made significant decisions at our October Convention, particularly regarding the resolution on ordination. I thank God for the respectful and purposeful dialogue of our pastors at both General Pastors Conference and Convention of General Synod and of all our delegates at Convention. We worked together to serve our Lord by serving one another.
I commend to you this time following our Convention as a time to pause: to pray and to listen; to listen to each other and to listen to the voice of our Good Shepherd.
In Christ, Pastor Paul Smith, LCANZ Bishop
we pray ...
Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, comfort the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love’s sake. Amen.
Gracious God,
– Attributed to Augustine
Wrap your arms of love, comfort and care around all the people of our LCANZ.
As we reflect on our church’s decision at the October Convention regarding our changed teaching on ordination, give us wisdom and peace that our hearts and minds are kept safe in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Lift our eyes to his cross, so that our trust would be in you alone, for you are our strength and our shield.
Fill us all with compassion and kindness for one another and help us all to be wounded healers for one another, as we follow our gracious Wounded Healer, Jesus.
We pray in his holy name. Amen.
– Adapted from a prayer written by Maria Rudolph
GENERAL SYNOD POPULAR REPORT AVAILABLE NOW
The Popular Report for the 21st Regular Convention of General Synod is now available. You can access the report on the LCA website’s Convention page at www.lca.org.au/popular-report
LCANZ elects mission leader as Assistant Bishop
The LCANZ’s General Synod has elected Pastor Stephen Schultz as Assistant Bishop of the church.
He was installed to the role during the closing service of Convention on 7 October at Concordia College in suburban Adelaide.
Assistant Bishop Stephen has been serving the SA-NT District in the role of Assistant Bishop for Mission since 2018. Prior to that, he served as pastor of two South Australian parishes: St Michael’s Hahndorf (2002–2017) and Bethlehem, Adelaide (1997–2002).
He has broad governance and leadership experience, having served throughout his pastoral ministry on numerous boards, councils and committees, including District Church Council and General Church Council, Australian Lutheran College Board and General Pastors Conference Planning Committee. His service on various district committees covers Aboriginal, tertiary, children, youth and family ministries.
As the role of Assistant Bishop is a volunteer one, he will continue to serve in his current role with the SA-NT District.
Former Assistant Bishop Neville Otto, who served in the post for one term, did not stand for re-election.
One of two pastors nominated by the LCANZ’s General Pastors Conference to Synod for election to the role along with Pastor Fraser Pearce, Assistant Bishop Stephen said he had ‘wrestled with accepting the nomination’ because of the time-consuming nature of his district position.
‘But I also recognise our Lutheran Church is at a critical time in its history’, he said after his election. ‘I love our Lutheran Church and feel so blessed to be part of it. I want to serve her
to the best of my ability, and I was encouraged by many of my fellow pastors, who I respect deeply, to allow my name to stand.
‘The role has a huge commitment and responsibility, and I feel a bit overwhelmed by it. I’m looking forward to discovering why God has called me into this role and how I can grow and serve through it.’
One challenge for the church would be ‘managing the differing reactions to our changed teaching and what this means at a churchwide, district, congregation/entity and personal level’, he said regarding Synod’s decision to remove the prohibition on the ordination of women as well as men in the LCANZ.
‘We can’t stop listening to each other and learning and loving’, Assistant Bishop Stephen said. ‘Some have suggested that with the ordination issue mostly “resolved”, we can finally focus on mission. But as I have moved about the church at the local level – in congregations, schools, aged care and other entities – I have seen that the people of our church have never stopped wrestling with their focus on mission.
‘What is different now is that we can have a far more intentional focus at every level of our LCANZ on what Jesus is up to in our church, communities and world and be up to the same things. I hope to see us be an even greater blessing to others.’
LCANZ Bishop Paul Smith was elected for two synodical terms in 2021 and so the role was not up for election in 2024.
Right and below right: Pastor Stephen Schultz (inset) was installed as LCANZ Assistant Bishop by Bishop Paul Smith, while former Assistant Bishop Pastor Neville Otto placed the pectoral cross of the office on his successor, during the closing service of the Convention of General Synod on 7 October.
Gathering under grace
Every day of Synod commenced with either a worship service or devotion, in which our bishops and chaplains pointed delegates, visitors and volunteers again and again to the Convention text and theme: ‘It’s grace that unites us.’
Grace was indeed the word and theme as NSW–ACT Bishop Richard Schwedes preached for the opening worship service for Convention, while LCANZ Bishop Paul Smith shared the ‘five Gs of gospel life’ with those gathered for Sunday worship. Pastor Neville Otto, in his final service as the LCANZ’s Assistant Bishop, encouraged worshippers at the closing service to ‘walk wet’ in their baptisms.
A team of chaplains, led by District Bishop Emeritus Robert Bartholomaeus, were available throughout Convention for confidential care and prayer (see page 22).
We know that all across Australia and New Zealand, people in their congregations, small groups and families, were surrounding Synod in prayer.
You can access the Synod worship services and sermon texts on the LCA website at www.lca.org.au/synod-worship
‘Four words that describe our common purpose as people of grace: Gift – Grace – Gathered – for Good works ... [and] a little hidden fifth one ... It is a sending word – go.’
- LCANZ Bishop Paul Smith
‘Together we walk wet [in our baptisms] in our family life, in our work life, in our congregation life and also on God's path and his mission to the whole world.’
- Assistant Bishop neville otto
‘God’s
grace creates and gives life. God’s grace unites us with Christ and each other. God’s grace shapes who we are and what we do.’
- District bishop Richard Schwedes
BAPTISED INTO CHRIST'
Edited sections from the LCANZ Bishop’s report to General Synod
The full report is available for download at www.lca.org.au/book-of-reports
As we walk together as people of the LCANZ, our Convention Scripture and theme calls us to see each other ‘in Christ’. We gather as sisters and brothers united by our one Lord in the one faith with one baptism.
MISSION DEMOGRAPHY
Historically, the Conventions of the Church received formal ‘statistician’s reports’, but the last of these was in the 1990s. In my report, I have included some basic demographic information about our LCANZ communities that was provided at a recent General Church Board (GCB) meeting. I commend it to you and your communities for discussion and deliberation regarding how it can benefit your Christian witness and your collaboration with neighbouring sisters and brothers in Christ.
LUTHERAN WORLD FEDERATION (LWF)
In September 2023, I was privileged to attend the LWF ’s General Assembly in Krakow Poland. At the end of this report to the Convention, I have included my report on the Assembly which I tabled at our GCB last November and this includes the official statement for the Assembly.
MINISTRY FUTURE
Towards the end of 2023, Bishop Emeritus Greg Pietsch provided the College of Bishops with a comprehensive update on the project and of key matters in preparation for the final report for this Convention. The three key priorities which emerged from his conversations are: 1. Pathways; 2. Regionalisation; 3. Ordering of ministry. Together, let us ask the Lord to raise up workers for the harvest.
INTERNATIONAL MISSION
Throughout the past synodical term, Pastor Matt Anker and Erin Kerber faithfully served the church in the extraordinary world of international mission partnerships. In August 2023, we were privileged to host 11 ephorus (bishops) of the Indonesian Lutheran churches who oversee approximately 7 million members. In July 2024, Pastor Matt Anker accepted a call outside our church and subsequently resigned from the LCANZ Roll of Pastors. GCB is calling for applications for the role of Assistant to the Bishop – International Mission.
SCHOOLS AND EARLY CHILDHOOD
Across the districts of the church, we continue to maintain 78 schools and 58 early childhood centres, touching the lives
BY REV PAUL SMITH
of over 44,000 young people along with their families in our schools and over 4,000 in our early childhood centres. The Board for Lutheran Education Australia (BLEA) continues to provide strong leadership development programs, but we also need appropriately skilled women and men of the church to offer their gifts in service as leaders for our schools.
Australian Lutheran College (ALC)
In December 2023, we farewelled Pastor James Winderlich from his service as principal at our ALC. On 18 February 2024, Dr Tim Stringer was installed as our new ALC principal.
COLLEGE OF BISHOPS
In 2023, CoB welcomed two new bishops: WA District Bishop Peter Hage and SA–NT District Bishop Andrew Brook. In the same year, we farewelled Bishop Emeritus Mike Fullwood (WA); Bishop Emeritus David Altus (SA–NT) and Bishop Emeritus Mark Whitfield (LCNZ). Also in 2023, the LCNZ deferred its election of a new bishop until 2025. In the interim, the LCNZ negotiated with the NSW and ACT District to receive the oversight of the NSW–ACT bishop for the LCNZ. We thank God for the willingness of Bishop Robert Bartholomaeus of the NSW and ACT District to take up the extra duties. At the 2024 NSW and ACT Convention, Pastor Richard Schwedes was elected to serve as the district’s bishop.
A FINAL WORD: Heritage of Mission
On 12 October 1838, two Lutheran pastors arrived in South Australia, commissioned to evangelise the Indigenous Kaurna peoples of the Adelaide Plains. These were Pastors Teichelmann and Schürmann. Struggling with financial hardship and isolation and having to deal with the close of the mission with the Kaurna people, Pastor Teichelmann could not have imagined that his language and translation work with Pastor Schürmann in the 1840s would be the means in the 21st century for a whole new generation of Kaurna people to cultivate their language and their identity. Pastor Teichelmann gives us a tremendous legacy of Lutheran witness and service, as we set our mind on the things of God, trusting that our gracious God will lead us on the way of the cross, to God’s glory and for the blessing of the people we serve.
May the Lord of the cross and empty grave keep us in the grace of baptism, that we would walk by faith as people of hope.
Synod elects G eneral
C hurch B oard
All six General Church Board (GCB) members who stood for re-election will serve the LCANZ again in the 2024–27 synodical period, after Synod delegates voted them back in for another term.
The re-elected members are (pictured above from fourth left) Kim Baumeler (St Peter’s Hobart, Tasmania), Pastor Ben Hentschke (pastor representative, Queensland District), Tim Wiebusch (St Paul’s Box Hill, Victoria), Charmaine Harch (Good News Middle Park, Queensland), Peter Zweck (St Paul’s Henty, NSW) and Paul Argyle (St Luke’s Palmerston North, New Zealand).
New to the board is Kelly Matthews (above, third from left), who takes the place vacated by retiring GCB member Mel Zerner (inset).
Mel has served on GCB – and its predecessor the General Church Council –since February 2009 and has been involved with many GCB/GCC task forces and working groups over that time. Involved with district and churchwide councils and boards since 1993, Mel is also retiring from the LCA’s Standing Committee on Finance, Audit & Risk (FAR), which he has served for a decade.
A specialist in property-related matters and a certified valuer, Kelly also has broad hands-on governance experience in a variety of church and communityrelated settings. She has served on the FAR Committee for two years.
In a statement of her reasons for nominating to serve on GCB, Kelly said: ‘I feel as though I have been called to serve at a higher level. As a younger person in our congregations, I have been encouraged to use my skills in management and business to serve in the wider church.
‘I believe that I can serve GCB well with my governance experience on several other boards, as well as provide financial/property/management/governance strength to GCB.’
Kelly is a member of Birdwood Lutheran Church in South Australia.
The other two members of GCB by virtue of their elected positions are LCANZ Bishop Paul Smith (above, second from left) and new Assistant Bishop Stephen Schultz (above, left). GCB members, including Pastor Stephen, were installed into their responsible offices during the closing service of Convention.
In a separate matter before Synod, a proposal to reinstate district bishops to GCB membership was not passed.
IN MEMORIAM
General Synod remembered these servants of the church called home since the previous Convention.
pastors
2023
Trevor Keller (February)
Lloyd Boughen (March)
Tim Zanker (March)
Vernon Kleinig (May)
Ronnie McNamara (June)
Claud Scherer (July)
Leo Doecke (July)
Ian Kleinig (November)
Peter Ravikumar (November)
Evan Koch (December)
2024
Bruno Matuschka (February)
Peter Pfitzner (February)
August Fricke (June)
Karl Kirsch (June)
Harry Wendt (July)
Andy Gierus (August)
PASTORS' WIVES
2023
Judy Schmidt (May)
Eunice Fiegert (May)
Audrey Larsen (May)
Rosemary Winderlich (May)
Dawn Weiss (September)
Una Reuther (October)
Christine Uebergang (October)
Margaret Mayer (November)
Edna Rudolph (December)
2024
Gloria Kirchner (March)
Cynthia Grosser (April)
Valmai Stiller (July)
Ruth Rathjen (July)
LAY PEOPLE
2024
Stephen Hoffmann (April)
Maria Price (May)
BOARD REPORTS to General Synod
– SOME KEY POINTS
Full reports may be read and downloaded from www.lca.org.au/book-of-reports
GENERAL CHURCH BOARD
Sale of North Adelaide property
The properties currently occupied by Australian Lutheran College (ALC) and the Churchwide Office have been sold. A net sale price (after deduction of costs) of $52.5 million is anticipated, which is above the market evaluations. The majority of the proceeds are payable in July 2026.
Purchase of new premises for Church House
A new building has been acquired at 139 Frome St Adelaide, which will become the new home for ALC and the Churchwide Office, as well as provide the opportunity for other church entities to co-locate. The purchase of the building is also expected to provide benefits in common mission approaches as well as streamlining some back-of-office operations.
Churchwide Office restructure
As foreshadowed at the previous Convention, a $1.5 million per annum deficit had been identified. As part of the response, a restructure of the Churchwide Office was undertaken, with 11 of our valued staff being told their roles would not continue beyond the end of 2024. Further changes were made, with some contracts not being renewed or replaced on departure.
Operational achievements
As well as the restructure, the Churchwide Office has made significant changes to improve its services and operations. The approach adopted has been to: re-platform the Churchwide Office to better meet the current and future needs of the church; better serve our congregations; and improve collaboration between entities within the church. Highlights reflecting the focus on those three areas may be viewed in a short video at www.lca.org.au/synod-media/#gcb-video
Redress Scheme
There has been a continuing focus on redress (and common law abuse claims) made against the church and its entities, with claims coming primarily from congregations and schools. During the first two years of the redress scheme, compensation was approximately $800,000 per annum. In the last financial year this increased to approximately $1.2 million and in the financial year ended 30 June 2024, this increased again to $2.3 million. In addition, legislative changes have been introduced in 2024 that have the potential to increase the level of compensation that may become payable going forward.
AUSTRALIAN LUTHERAN COLLEGE (ALC) BOARD
Major reorganisation
To demonstrate good stewardship of the resources gifted to it by the church, and to ensure ongoing viability in the face of declining enrolments, the college underwent a major reorganisation in 2022. Various measures were implemented to reduce costs and streamline services.
New study options
To demonstrate its optimism for the future, ALC has been proactive in developing new study options including expanding Discover, the undergraduate vocational discernment year course; to include a practical-based Diploma in Ministry to complement the successful Diploma of Theology; a Professional Practice Doctorate; and a more formalised training program for Specific Ministry Pastors (SMP) that includes study pathways for SMPs to become General Ministry Pastors. The college continues to develop online, self-paced training programs in partnership with the College of Bishops and LCANZ departments; and encourages and enables staff to deliver tailored programs to LCA agencies, entities and international partners.
Responding to ministry needs
ALC stands ready now to prepare both men and women for ordination. The college is also ready to enact the recommendations scoped in the Ministry Future project report and anticipates a close working partnership with the College of Bishops in determining and resourcing the future ministry needs of the church.
Paul Argyle presents the Churchwide Office Operations segment of the GCB report.
ALC Chair Andrew Long reports to Synod.
LUTHERAN CHURCH AUSTRALIA
21st Convention of General Synod 4-7 October 2024
Book of Reports
Board for Lutheran Education Australia Chair Jill Lange-Mohr reports to Synod.
BOARD FOR LUTHERAN EDUCATION AUSTRALIA
Child safety
The Board for Lutheran Education (BLEA) has concluded its reporting cycle to the National Office for Child Safety. The final national report against the 10 National Principles for Child Safe Organisations is on the LEA website (https://www.lutheran.edu.au/about/lutheraneducation/ – See the ‘Our commitment to child safety’ tab).
Worship and devotion resources
We are excited to announce that a new suite of resources to support worship and devotions in LEA learning communities was launched in 2023. This is the result of a collaborative effort between LEA, LCANZ’s Commission on Worship, Grow Ministries and representatives from regional offices, schools and Early Childhood Services. This resource has been developed in response to a request for support from and for our increasingly diverse chaplains and other staff. The new Worship + Devotions website is at https://worshipanddevotions.lutheran.edu.au/
Ministry personnel accreditation
After extensive consultation over many years into the needs of incoming chaplaincy staff in Lutheran education – many from other denominational backgrounds – a new accreditation policy and process has been approved by the General Church Board (GCB)/BLEA and is being implemented.
Free to Flourish
The reimaging of the Vision for Learners and Learning in Lutheran education involved reference and writing groups across the country, resulting in a new foundational statement for Lutheran education: Free to Flourish
Statistics and demographics
In our 2021 synod report, we highlighted the demographic challenges facing Lutheran education and provided data comparing LEA with other denominations. Parents are seeking out Lutheran schools, and it is a credit to the high-quality education and demonstrated values of our schools that there is national enrolment growth. However, enrolment growth requires more staff and more Christian and Lutheran staff in particular. The Australian population trend shows a decreasing number of Christians and Lutherans.
FINKE RIVER MISSION (FRM)
Malcolm Willcocks was installed as specific ministry pastor in late 2023. Abraham Poulson’s pre-ordination training has been completed, and his ordination is expected soon. Several Indigenous candidates are being trained in preparation for nomination, with a number almost ready for ordination.
Pastor Stephen Radke was installed as an FRM support worker in May 2024. Alice Springs Lutheran Church appointed a part-time pastoral care worker, primarily for hospital visits in the second half of 2023. FRM funds are being contributed to this role and a MOU (memorandum of understanding) has been established. An additional pastoral support worker (0.3 FTE) commenced in 2022.
Bush courses held for men and women in various communities continue to be a highlight, supported by ALC.
COUNCIL FOR LOCAL MISSION
The ongoing work of the council and the committees and departments within its overview (Care Ministries, Child Youth and Family Ministry (Grow Ministries), Cross-Cultural Ministry and New and Renewing Churches) have faced staffing reductions (staffing of Grow Ministries and Care Ministries has ceased), and the Executive Officer for Local Mission position (vacant since September 2023) will not be filled. Lutheran Media has not been affected by these budget-related decisions (refer to GCB report: Churchwide Office Restructure) because of its external funding sources.
These changes led to the commitment to improved collaboration across the church, including the new Local Mission Fund. In response to the call for missional collaboration, there has been a review of the responsibilities and membership of the council and governance arrangements for local mission. The council remains confident that, within these times of change, God continues to call and equip all of us to partner with him in his mission.
AUSTRALIAN LUTHERAN WORLD SERVICE (ALWS) board
ALWS lives out the LCA imperative to ‘Go’ through its three strategic imperatives: life-changing action led by those we serve, Australians inspired to joy-filled action and resources maximised for those who need them most.
Through ALWS, the Lutheran Church supported development and humanitarian projects in 19 countries. This vital work supported 1,633,760 people; providing emergency aid when it is needed most, empowering the most vulnerable and fostering sustainable development.
ALWS achieved year-on-year record financial contributions to international programs. ALWS also grew community education, delivering 668 workshops in Lutheran schools to 56,121 students and 137 presentations to Lutheran church groups to 8567 people.
Synod approves training and accreditation authority
A Training and Accreditation Authority will be established in the LCANZ. The body will assess training and accreditation needs across the church and ensure that effective strategies are in place or developed to respond to them.
Synod approved the establishment of the body proposed by the General Church Board following a presentation by Pastor Greg Pietsch (pictured, right), who led the Ministry Future project established by the College of Bishops. He said that, as a result of this churchwide research, the LCANZ is better positioned to understand the ministry personnel learning needs across the church and respond accordingly in developing training and accreditation opportunities.
‘Historically the church prepared pastors and lay workers for its congregations and other ministries, and teachers for its schools, through full-time pre-service study over a number of years in our seminary and teachers college in Adelaide’, Pastor Pietsch said. ‘But, as the Ministry Future project shows, pre-service training has all but disappeared.’
He said there is now a much greater focus on in-service training, ‘usually with the desire for specialised training specific to the particular type of ministry, such as school chaplain, aged-care chaplain, pastoral carer and specific ministry pastor’.
Pastor Pietsch also highlighted the impact of the growing number of pastoral vacancies on lay people.
‘Increasingly, pastoral vacancies are permanent and increasing in number, with local lay people taking leading ministry roles in ways they haven’t before, and without a pastor there to train them. Learning in-place for lay people is, of course, essential.’
The Training and Accreditation Authority will map ministry roles across the church, whether ordained or lay, paid or voluntary, including specialisations, and research initial and ongoing ministry accreditation and incorporate this into a Ministry Personnel Framework.
The body will include representatives from the College of Bishops, Australian Lutheran College, Lutheran Education Australia and LCANZ Church Worker Support, as well as district mission directors and representatives from Lutheran service organisations.
It will also connect closely with the Congregational Life Resource Hub project, under which resources and services from across the church are being collated and curated in a central website location, easily accessible by members of the church (see also page 25). Ongoing, these resources will be refined and structured to align with the training needs identified by the Training and Accreditation Authority.
The establishment of the Training and Accreditation Authority marks a significant step in ensuring that ministry personnel are effectively equipped to serve the church, Pastor Pietsch said.
For more about the Ministry Future project, including Pastor Pietsch’s full report, go to www.lca.org.au/ministry-future
ALC’s accelerated pathway to ordained ministry aims to prepare a cohort of
candidates for possible ordination in 2027. Scholarships available. The program commences in late January 2025.
Congregations supported in mission
Ten congregations from around Australia will be supported in their outreach endeavours through the inaugural grants from the LCANZ's Local Mission Fund.
This new approach to local mission is designed to support congregations, districts and agencies of the church as they seek new ways of reaching their neighbours and local communities with the gospel through collaboration and partnerships. The General Church Board authorised the fund’s establishment to enhance a mission culture across the church.
Under the fund, two tiers of grants were available for approved applicants – Seed Fund or minor grants of up to $10,000 each and major grants of up to $100,000, all to a total of $400,000.
LCANZ Local Mission Coordinator Jodi Brook said successful projects have broad churchwide applications, which will then provide examples for future projects across the church. ‘As well as enhancing and building a missional culture, this fund will equip people and congregations for mission’, she said when the grants were announced at the Convention of General Synod in October.
The grants were awarded as part of a mission-focused opening day at the Convention, which also included presentations by District mission directors, as well as local mission stories from across the church. You can get a taste of the encouragement and inspiration delegates received during this special time at Synod by watching local mission story videos online at www.lca.org.au/synod-media
Seed fund recipients for the inaugural grants are St James Lutheran Church, Hervey Bay, Queensland, for its Community Connection and Growth Project; Zion Lutheran Church, Glynde, South Australia, for its project entitled ‘The Future is Youth: Growing faith and love in a multicultural community’; St Paul Lutheran Church, Blair Athol, SA, for a word and
music-focused ministry building connections with school and playgroup families of the local community; Victor Harbor Lutheran Church, SA, for a Combined Church Welcome Pack; and Kadina Lutheran Church, SA, for hosting mission outreach events.
Major Local Mission Fund grants have been awarded to Trinity Lutheran Church, Ashmore, Queensland, for a congregation and college ministry partnership; Grace Lutheran Chinese Church, Perth, Western Australia, to support it as a sending church for a church plant to Mandarin speakers in the northern regions of Perth; St Andrew’s Lutheran Church, Brisbane, for a Korean-language ministry in the Queensland capital; St Petri Lutheran Church Nuriootpa, SA, for a regional learning hub to grow the missional workforce in the Barossa Valley; and Wodonga Lutheran Church, Victoria, for a community and college outreach.
After representatives of the grant recipient congregations were presented to General Synod, Andy Enever, from Wodonga Lutheran Church thanked the LCANZ for supporting local mission. ‘I would like to share with you the Bible passage Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”’, he said. ‘The LCA’s heart is definitely tied to what they value most. I thank the church for their financial generosity and support towards local mission.’
Local Mission Fund grants will open again in 2025. For more information about the annual fund, see www.lca.org.au/local-mission-fund
The LCANZ’s new Congregational Life Hub, which will bring together a wide range of resources online to support congregations in all their many functions, was also launched on the first day of Synod. Learn more on page 25.
LCANZ Local Mission Coordinator
Jodi Brook (centre) with representatives of Seed Fund grant recipient congregations
Hervey Bay NSW, Blair Athol SA, Kadina SA, Zion Glynde SA, and Victor Harbor SA.
Synod song a gift to the church
The General Synod theme song, ‘The Gift of God’, which was launched at the recent Convention in suburban Adelaide, is the result of contributions from almost all of the districts of the LCANZ.
An initiative of the Commission on Worship’s Music and Song working group, the song includes verses written by Kathleen Mills from Victoria (verse 2), Rachel Stelzer from Queensland (verse 3), Pastor Mark Simpfendorfer from New South Wales (verse 4) and Pastor Mark Whitfield from New Zealand (verse 5). David Simpfendorfer, who heads up the working group and suggested including verses from different contributors, composed the song’s music, as well as writing verse 1 and editing the verse contributions.
David said members of the LCANZ are welcome to play the song and ‘reproduce it at their leisure’.
You can read the lyrics (right) and find the sheet music, a guiding recording of the song and a video of it being played on the LCA website at www.lca.org.au/synod-worship
Music: D Simpfendorfer
Words: K Mills, D & M Simpfendorfer, R Stelzer, M Whitfield
CHORUS:
The gift of God, it’s grace that unites us all, The gift of God, his grace that unites
VERSE 1:
When we hear the good news read we will know the truth of God Write it deep within the hearts of all who hear.
VERSE 2:
All who gather at the font with the water and the word, have been baptised into Christ, one family.
CHORUS
VERSE 3:
As we kneel before your throne confessing shameful deeds, Jesus comes with outstretched arms and sets us free.
VERSE 4:
With the bread and wine received Jesus meets us where we are, giving strength for all who come with humbled hearts.
CHORUS
VERSE 5:
The Synod theme song ‘The Gift of God’ was written by members of the Commission on Worship, including David Simpfendorfer, above, who led singing it at Convention.
Give us lips to sing your praise, your mercy to proclaim. May we share the hope of Christ and speak your name.
CHORUS
the sYNOD LOGO story
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – Ephesians 2:8
The logo for the LCANZ’s 21st Regular Convention of General Synod is a seemingly simple, yet nuanced and multi-faceted pictorial testimony about the power and miracle of God’s gift of grace to us, his treasured children.
The creation of The Lutheran graphic designer Elysia McEwen, this symbol’s elements all tell part of the story of grace.
• The hand of God holding us emanates from the cross, which is the means through which God has reconciled us to himself.
• Grace flows to us through the cross and from the cross – it is God who moves towards us. The people are passive – we cannot earn grace; it is God’s gift.
• God’s grace holds us together as one body. We are joined in his embrace, united for now and eternity as his dearly beloved and baptised children.
The General Synod offering will support the Lutheran Study Centre in Pematangsiantar, Indonesia and, as at The Lutheran’s deadline, more than $11,500 had been contributed.
Synod offering to support Indonesian study centre
At the time of writing, $11,595.15 had been contributed to the General Synod offering, which will support the Lutheran Study Centre (LSC) in Pematangsiantar in northern Sumatra, Indonesia.
Many churches in Indonesia have expressed a desire to deepen their understanding of Lutheran theology and to identify more closely with the Lutheran tradition. With 13 Lutheran synods in Indonesia (mostly in North Sumatra) and a total of more than 6 million members, it is one of the greatest concentrations of practising Lutherans around the globe. Being a Lutheran community in a predominantly Muslim country means access to theological learning can be difficult at times. That’s where the LSC steps in.
The LSC was opened in response to the growing need for Lutheran study opportunities in Indonesia. Currently, however, none of the four seminaries has a lecturer dedicated to the teaching of Lutheran theology. The largest (STT-HKBP) of these seminaries has more than 600 undergraduate students
and 100 postgraduate students. STT-Abdi Sabda is only a little smaller. Helping these students and faculty to develop a deeper sense of God’s grace in Christ would be a major contribution to the ministry and mission of the gospel in this land.
In collaboration with the Lutheran World Federation and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the LCANZ is helping sponsor the development of a Lutheran Study Centre to support these aims.
And we need your help. If your congregation didn’t send a contribution with your delegate to General Synod, it’s not too late to donate to this cause. Congregations and individuals can donate via the LLL (see details below) or send a cheque (payable to LCA Synod).
Deposit your offering into the Synod account with the LLL (at https://donation.lca.org.au/project?id=P21006) or use the details below to give via direct deposit.
Livestreams of the recent LCANZ General Synod shared Convention proceedings with congregations and individuals around Australia and New Zealand and reached viewers as far away as Canada and the United States.
Daily livestreams opened with worship and devotions, and featured business sessions, including proposals, amendments, discussions and voting, and concluded with closing prayers. Each stream, covering a full day of Synod activity, was viewed thousands of times across hundreds of hours. There was a total of 9,299 views over the four-day long weekend, with most people tuning in for the Saturday
afternoon business session, which included the Way Forward proposal presentation, debate and vote. Saturday alone accounted for more than 4,000 of the 9,000 views.
The total streaming hours exceeded 5,000. That’s more than 200 consecutive days’ worth of streaming across hundreds of viewers! Thanks to the LCA’s IT services team for ensuring that Synod streams were accessible for online visitors.
The worship services have been extracted from the recorded livestreams and are available for viewing on the LCA website at www.lca.org.au/synod-worship
Young Lutherans share hope and inspiration
When 10 young people spoke at the General Synod dinner at Concordia College on the first evening of Convention, those gathered were captivated. Delegates, visitors, staff and volunteers who sat and attentively listened to heartfelt reflections and moving testimonies later said how encouraged and inspired they were by the presentation.
The seven representatives of Lutheran churches in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, as well as three young Australian Lutherans, shared their thoughts on what grace is, especially as it relates to the Synod theme (The gift of God – it’s grace that unites us); what it means to be unified as a community of Christians; and how we as the church can most effectively share Jesus with those who don’t yet know him.
They prepared for the occasion with five weeks of online meetings with LCA Interim Assistant to the Bishop for International Mission, Erin Kerber. Erin believes what occurred at Synod was a result of their prayerful and Scripture-based preparation and the presence of the Holy Spirit.
‘The young people were invited to pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance to discern what God was wanting to say through them and, as they did so, I feel he did bless us with his words’, she says. ‘Considering the young adults have had minimal experience presenting to large groups, I believe it was a miracle – a real testament to God’s goodness.’
Although the young adults had limited time together online and in Australia, Erin says the connections they made were significant.
Febrieni Sumbayak, Emily Barr, Austin Gogel, Paul Giwisa, Seniman Kristiani Daeli, Judy Agena and Kendall Kahl.
‘While dwelling in the word across cultures, the Holy Spirit revealed a richness in the text they hadn’t discovered by reading it alone’, she says. ‘As they interacted, the differences between cultures remained but were not the focus. Instead, they were witnesses and imitators of God’s grace for one another. This is a gift we hope more of the LCANZ will be able to experience.’
Kimberley Owes Sep, Paul Giwisa and Judy Agena, from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea, contributed to the presentation, as did Trivan Fortunatus Mandapot Tua, Evaena Febrieni Sumbayak, Samuel Partogi Marulitua Siahaan and Seniman Kristiani Daeli, who are part of four different Lutheran synods in Indonesia. From the LCANZ, Austin Gogel, Emily Barr and Kendall Kahl took part.
‘Grace is the love of God, given to us freely’, dinner guests were told. ‘The love that we don’t deserve. A divine gift that cannot be obtained by human effort. Grace is the infinite love of God … that shows his goodness, kindness and generosity toward us.
‘Through grace, we are reconciled while we are still humans full of sin. We feud with God, but through his grace in Jesus Christ, we get to be reconciled. Through grace, we are justified in God. So, we are unified with him ...
‘In unity, we embrace our gifts, diversity and purpose as a body of Christ. We form strong Christian connections … (which) call us to share this grace and love with gentle hearts to others. We do this with the posture and reminder that salvation is for everyone ... God calls us into … a kingdom that is for everyone. This is the mission of the church.’
Young Lutherans give a presentation at the General Synod dinner. They are from left: Samuel Partogi Marulitua Siahaan, Kimberley Owes Sep, Trivan Fortunatus Mandapot Tua, Evaena
On the sidelines
FOOD (AND DRINK) FOR THOUGHTS
Being a delegate to General Synod can test a person’s powers of concentration across four days of business sessions. The many volunteers, staff and visitors also need the right fuel to keep energy and brainpower levels high.
WINNING SERVES
It was described as ‘one of the best synods as far as catering goes’ on the LCA Facebook page and the food at the 2024 event has received literally hundreds of thumbs up from those who enjoyed Convention meals. Caterer Michael and his staff prepared more than 600 servings of morning teas, lunches and afternoon teas each day, leading our LCANZ volunteers as they served delegates, visitors, staff and other volunteers.
BREW HURRAH!
One of the most popular places during at Convention this year was the coffee van, with the smiling baristas and their brews being dubbed ‘a highlight of Synod’ on social media. Thanks to the LLL, who donated coffees for delegates, volunteers, staff and visitors, to the very generous tune of $10,000 as part of their major sponsorship of the event. Sebastian and his team made 2300 coffees across the four days.
SHARING THE BOUNTY
It was also good to know that leftover food from Synod was able to be collected and distributed by an Adelaide-based Lutheran homelessness service.
CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS
• 3,130 sweet biscuits were baked to serve at Synod
• 2,515 pieces of fruit were offered for afternoon tea
• 26 different dietary requirements were catered for, with 294 individual dietary-friendly meals prepared
• Approximately 95kg of chicken was used for the butter chicken lunch meal on day 1
• 200L of juice was supplied with lunch each day
– 800L in total
HISTORY LESSON
Synod delegates and visitors had the opportunity to learn more about the rich history of Lutherans in Australia and Papua New Guinea, thanks to the fantastic exhibition of Lutheran Archives onsite at Concordia College during the event. Learn more about Lutheran Archives at https://lutheranarchives.lca.org.au
Thanks to our volunteers
The decision to hold the gathering of the LCANZ’s General Synod at Concordia College at Highgate in suburban Adelaide rather than at a convention centre has saved congregations and delegates a considerable amount of money.
This saving was achieved through the contributions of at least 150 volunteers – from local congregations and the Churchwide and District offices – all organised and rostered by volunteer volunteer coordinator Pauline Renner.
The volunteers filled more than 20 distinct positions on each of the four days of Synod, or almost 100 shifts. They set up rooms for business, worship, meetings, lunches and morning teas - and packed them up afterwards. They served Synod-goers as car park marshals and chaplains, as meal servers, musicians and minute-takers. They helped those attending with directions, information, registrations, bag drop, session check-ins, first aid, electronic voting, livestreams, IT, sound, AV, transport, home-stay accommodation and onsite transport. Volunteers also helped to serve LCANZ pastors gathered for their four-day general conference (GPC) prior to General Synod. Oh, and some pastors also helped boost the volunteer numbers by helping to serve meals during both events.
The Synod Planning Team, which included Churchwide and District office staff, prepared for Convention for 18 months, addressing more than 900 tasks on the project plan across that time.
If you recognise people in these photos, please say a big ‘thankyou’ to God (and to them too, if you have the opportunity) for them and their wonderful service to delegates, visitors and all who attended.
We couldn’t have done it without you!
Volunteer musicians played important roles in daily worship and devotions.
Multi-tasking (and multi-talented) volunteers keep the whole event running well.
Taking minutes of business sessions is a large and vital task.
Volunteer PaulinecoordinatorRenner
Ensuring Synod attendees know where to park ahead of each day of business, worship and fellowship
Ready to register and check in andvisitors,delegates,staff volunteers
Keeping the hordes well-fed was a big job requiring many willing hands.
The LCANZ's District Administrators took on a wide variety of roles across the long days of Convention.
Team leaders keep each day's programs and technicalrunningrequirements smoothly.
OperatingpresentationsPowerPoint for business sessions keeps delegates informed.
Synod worship is streamed and recorded.
Chaplains provide prayer and care
Pastoral care is an important part of Synods and similar gatherings, especially when we are dealing with weighty or painful issues. Our chaplains provide a critical service, always on hand for confidential care and prayer.
At the recent Convention of General Synod, there were 12 chaplains – six pastors and six laypeople, led by Emeritus Bishop Robert Bartholomaeus. Pastor Robert describes the chaplaincy team as ‘a quiet, behind-the-scenes group appointed to assist those with special needs during Synod’.
‘The chaplain’s role is to listen and then pray with people’, he explains. ‘All the chaplains spent significant time listening to people over the four days of Synod. Whether it was with delegates during business sessions, with visitors watching the livestream or with delegates and visitors over mealtimes, the chaplains were attentive to how people were travelling.’
Individual chaplains also led prayers at the services at the beginning and end of each day during Convention. And they were called upon to pray before significant votes and after certain presentations.
Lay chaplain Verena Johnson believes it’s ‘vital to have chaplains at Synod to offer much-needed pastoral care’.
‘It's not just about issues that are being raised and discussed, but also about the personal struggles and concerns that people bring with them and are going home to after Synod’, says Verena, who has been a chaplain or prayer team member for a wide variety of Christian gatherings and felt God was calling her to accept the invitation to join the Synod chaplaincy team.
‘It was a real privilege to be allowed to hear people's stories and struggles and to be part of God's ministry to them. I was so
Unfinished business
Of the 13 major proposals presented to General Synod delegates in their 379-page Book of Reports, nine were addressed during the business sessions of the October Convention in suburban Adelaide.
Some of these, including the Way Forward ordination proposal, generated considerable discussion, debate and amendments on the floor of Convention, which meant time ran out on some business. The four remaining proposals have been referred to the General Church Board to determine how they will be dealt with.
blessed by the people I prayed with and for and blessed by the way I witnessed God working in their hearts and lives.
‘Chaplains provide a compassionate listening ear – a place to let it all out and receive what God has to offer. Chaplains pray with and for people who don't know what to pray and stand beside them as they approach the throne of grace.’
‘The chaplaincy group supplies a very important ministry to help delegates as they come together to decide the important matters before the church’, Pastor Robert adds. ‘So, if you have the gift of pastoral care or intercession, consider volunteering to serve at the next convention. It was a very rewarding experience for all of us.’
The referrals, along with their agenda reference, are:
• Adopt changes to complaints handling, appeals and discipline (Agenda 2.1.3)
• Alternate delegates from another parish to be lay members (2.1.6)
• Accept full participation of specific ministry pastors (2.2.1)
Above: Chaplains pray together.
Left: Verena Johnson, who was one of a team of 12 chaplains at General Synod led by Emeritus Bishop Robert Bartholomaeus, leads Convention delegates in prayer.
Double your Gifts of Grace joy!
Each Gifts of Grace catalogue comes with a FREE children’s book, Nathan and the Fluffy Fertiliser Factory!
13-year-old Nathan from Burundi describes his life, illustrated with photos that show you why he needs support. Highlighted are the ALWS Gifts of Grace you can give this Christmas –including Nathan’s rabbits that are his Fluffy Fertiliser Factory!
Nathan’s book will also be used in Lutheran schools to give students a new insight into our church’s ALWS ministry.
Endorsed by LEA, and supported by ALWS Platinum Partner LLL, your new Gifts of Grace will bless those you love, as you bless those forgotten by the world. ALWayS.
NEWS FROM AROUND OUR CHURCH ...
New home purchased for churchwide bodies
A five-level building in the Adelaide CBD will become the new home for Australian Lutheran College (ALC) and the Churchwide Office.
The building is located at 139 Frome Street, Adelaide, in close proximity to Bethlehem and St Stephen’s Lutheran churches. Ample parking for visitors and staff is available onsite and within 200 metres.
The acquisition of this property follows the sale of the LCANZ’s properties in North Adelaide for a net price of approximately $52.5 million, which was above market valuations.
The purchase of the building is expected to provide benefits in working more closely on mission and ministry and sharing common facilities, as well as streamlining some backof-office operations. The new premises are also expected to provide the opportunity for other church entities to co-locate.
A five-level building in the Adelaide CBD will become the new home of Australian Lutheran College and the Churchwide Office.
Parts of the building are currently tenanted, and this is expected to continue, providing an ongoing income stream for the church.
Settlement on the property is due at the end of November when work will commence to fit out the floors to be occupied by LCANZ bodies. MPH Architects has been retained as the firm to design the workspaces in consultation with representatives of ALC
and the Churchwide Office. The project is being overseen by Tony Materne, a director of MPH and member of St John’s congregation, Unley.
The purchase has been funded through LCANZ reserves and deposit monies from the sale of the North Adelaide properties.
The majority of the proceeds of the sale are payable in July 2026.
Artists’ gifts bring life to exhibitions
Lutheran artists from across Australia have once again prepared a visual feast for the senses in the 2024 LCANZ Simultaneous Art Exhibition.
Following this year’s theme, ‘Tree of Life’, dozens of groups participated in the event. Artists of all levels of experience were involved, with the age range of artists spanning primary school students to agedcare residents. There were regional and suburban churches involved and Chinese and Finnish congregations also took part.
Some of the participating groups included St Paul’s Aged Care Caboolture, Immanuel Gardens Aged Care Buderim, Orana Aged Care Kingaroy and Northridge Salem
Aged Care Rockville, all in Queensland; St Matthew’s Lutheran Church Woy Woy, in New South Wales; Good Shepherd College Hamilton, in Victoria; Immanuel Lutheran Church North Adelaide and St Stephen’s Lutheran Church Adelaide, from South Australia and St John’s Lutheran Church
Perth, from Western Australia. This year’s exhibition marks the fourth churchwide art showcase, following successful exhibitions held in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Comprised of media including sculpture, mosaics, watercolours, acrylic, print, photography, drawing and mixed media, artworks were displayed in congregations, schools and halls, and as open-air exhibits, for local communities to enjoy.
Many exhibitions came from ‘artists in residence’ at aged-care centres. Orana Aged Care residents explored the theme through conversations and visual art workshops, resulting in more than 20 pieces of varying expressions.
Photo: McGees Property
Artists from St Paul’s Aged Care Caboolture, in Queensland, prepare their artworks.
RESOURCES FOR YOU TO ...
RESOURCING YOUR CHURCH COMMUNITY
Our congregations are where we gather as the body of Christ to worship God and to grow in our knowledge and understanding of his word. Congregations are our primary mission fields, where we love and serve each other and our communities.
Our congregational leaders, therefore, have a lot on their plates – and not just at a famous Lutheran bring-a-plate shared lunches! There are just so many aspects of congregational life that need attention, time, energy, knowledge and resourcing. Over the years, the Lutheran Church and its people have produced many great resources designed to support congregations.
But how much help will these resources be if the people who need them don’t know how to find them or, worse still, don’t even know they exist? That’s why, at the recent Convention of General Synod, the LCANZ launched its new Congregational Life web hub – to bring together all the kinds of resources that congregations need in one, easy-to-access place: www.lca.org.au/clh
WHAT’S THE NEW WEB HUB?
A joint project of the Churchwide communications staff and District mission directors, the Congregational Life hub features an expansive range of resources gathered to assist congregations and their leaders in fulfilling their many functions.
The first phase of resource collection and curation is expected to be completed by mid-2025. After that, Churchwide and District people will identify any gaps and work together to develop additional resources to better equip people for service in their local contexts.
Longer-term, the plan is to incorporate pathways to training into the hub, so that everyone serving in the church can grow their skills and confidence at a pace and level that matches their life circumstances and vocational goals.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?
You can find the Congregational Life web hub on the LCA website homepage (www.lca.org.au) by going up to the Navigation Pane and clicking on ‘Congregational Life’. By hovering over the Congregational Life heading, you'll see the very many resources organised by category in a drop-down menu. On the landing page (www.lca.org.au/clh), you’ll see the six main areas of the site: worship and faith life, mission and ministry, pastoral care, administration, leadership and teamwork, and churchworkers.
POSSIBILITIES FOR PASTORAL CARE
The pastoral care section includes information on what pastoral care looks like in a congregational setting, as well as resources for specific issues. The 10 common topics people may struggle with are organised in such a way that they can be used by individuals or congregations, or they can be shared with others who may have needs in a particular area.
You'll also find information about visiting as a Christian person and how to set up a visiting ministry, along with information about chaplaincy and becoming a chaplain to serve in different contexts.
BOLD OUTREACH PROGRAM A REAL GIFT!
BY JONATHAN KRAUSE
Rabbit poo … who would have thought something so humble could lead a bold new Lutheran outreach through Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS)?
This year is the 15th edition of ALWS Gifts of Grace. Our Lutheran family has bought more than 100,000 Gifts of Grace to give nearly $10 million of practical ALWS aid. Ours is not a large church, but the hearts of our people are. While we might have different opinions on things, when it comes to helping others, our Lutheran church comes together as one and lives out our mission to bring love to life.
A TAIL TALE OF LOVE IN ACTION
What’s unique about this year’s Gifts of Grace is that it features a free children’s book, Nathan and the Fluffy Fertiliser Factory
The aim is that the children’s book draws in many new people to help others through ALWS and, by so doing, they get a close-up look at a Lutheran Church committed to bringing love to life in real and authentic ways.
As readers enjoy Nathan and the Fluffy Fertiliser Factory, they will see certain words highlighted in blue.
These are gifts that can be given through ALWS Gifts of Grace – from Nathan’s rabbits ($23) to turning on a tap for clean water ($3) to a School Kit ($9) and even sports equipment, including soccer balls ($18).
According to some research, Australians throw away more than $900 million worth of unwanted Christmas gifts each year. Gifts of Grace are gifts that will be precious for a lifetime.
FORHOW
Every word BLUE in Nathan’s a gift you can a child like him! all gifts you can the ALWS GiFTScatalogue!
This year’s Grace Cards feature a gorgeous photo of Nathan with his bunny, along with a laminated press-out bauble to be a Christmas tree reminder of kindness. Each gift also has an A4 Grace Sheet that explains in more detail how the gift helps families like Nathan’s. We want Christmas to be about more than kind words. The Grace Card and Grace Sheets, along with Nathan’s book, hopefully, will open up new opportunities for conversations about the values that can get lost in the commercialism of Christmas.
We want to support families to take practical action and have a special way they can show their children and grandchildren the values of kindness, generosity and compassion.
You receive a Grace for each gift you buy, just one you see here. Inside
You ofgift.the the your
Order your Gifts of Grace early because first 500 orders receive original artwork, hand-coloured by child living in a refugee camp at Kakuma in Kenya! Click on the QR code OR OR go to website.
In Nathan and the Fluffy Fertiliser Factory, 13-year-old Nathan from Burundi tells the story of his life in his own words. Beautiful photos bring readers up close to the life he lives – from carrying water for his family to playing soccer with a ball made of rags with his friends, to caring for his rabbits.
What makes Nathan’s rabbits precious is the poo they produce. Burundi is one of the five least-developed countries in the world, and 80 per cent of the population relies on farming for their family’s food. Most though have only half a hectare of land, are threatened by extreme weather, and are too poor to afford fertiliser. Many suffer a ‘lean season’, where they can only have one or two meals per day.
That’s when ALWS Gifts of Grace bunnies become a blessing. Families gather the manure and are taught how to turn it into free fertiliser. This increases crop yield, even producing a surplus that can be sold to pay for household essentials and support children to go to school.
HOW YOU CAN BE A HERO A CHiLD LiKE NATHAN!
word you see in Nathan’s story is can give to help him! They are can buy from GiFTS OF GRACE
FROM SCHOOLKIDS TO SENIORS
Thanks to the support of our Platinum Partner LLL, we aim to give a copy of Nathan’s book and the Gifts of Grace catalogue to every family in Lutheran schools in Australia.
Grace Cardjust like the Inside the Grace Card is a beautiful press-out bauble. This can be hung on the Christmas Tree as a happy reminderof your gift!
This initiative has been endorsed by Lutheran Education Australia and aims to be a fresh addition to the Service-Learning curriculum that is a core part of schools’ ministry.
We will also offer Nathan and the Fluffy Fertiliser Factory to the 600,000 readers of The Senior newspaper this Christmas. Many of these readers will have grandchildren. Nathan’s book offers a new way to connect with children, and pass on the values that can get lost in all the clutter of Christmas.
You also receive a Grace Sheet for each gift. These different sheets tell the full story the help your gift represents. Simply give the Grace Card and Grace Sheet as your Christmas gift to family and friends!
early an by a Kakuma OR phone
BRINGING DREAMS TO LIFE
As for Nathan, what has he grown with the rabbit poo from his ALWS Gifts of Grace ‘fluffy fertiliser factory’? While his plan, for now, is to grow beans to help feed his family, Nathan has much bigger dreams: ‘When I grow up, I want to be a doctor so that I can help my family and other people when they are sick … I would like to build a clinic close in this community, so we don’t have to travel so far. I will also bring my community clean water for drinking.’
Isn’t it amazing what a little rabbit poo – and the kindness of people like you – can do! That’s how our love comes to life!
You can order as many FREE Nathan and the Fluffy Fertiliser Factory books as you like. Each comes with a Gifts of Grace catalogue. Simply call ALWS on 1300 763 407 or go to alws.org.au/grace
Jonathan Krause is ALWS Community Action Manager
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BY ANNE HANSEN
REMINDER TO WAIT WHILE GOD WORKS
I have produced a little text card with the words: ‘In our waiting, God is working’, as one of Lutheran Tract Mission’s (LTM) many resources. But we don’t often operate in a waiting mode, do we?
God wants us to have the fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I can do most of these okay, but God also snuck in the gift (or fruit) of patience! So why do we have such trouble as Christians being patient with God?
In Romans 8:28, we read that God is always working for our good. The result of this working is in God's timing. We can plan, but we need to remember that, for blessings to come, we need to rely on God for his perfect timing. Even in times of quiet or uncertainty, God is working!
LTM has many resources to help you grow in patience and trust that God is always working for our good. Go to the LTM website: www.ltm.org.au and check out the Christian Growth category.
ADVENT DEVOTIONAL BOOKLET BRINGS CAROLS TO LIFE
During the Christmas season – and often for some months prior – we constantly hear the sounds of the season, more commonly called Christmas carols.
Have you ever really listened to the words and wondered about the origins of these carols and why they have become popular? People have been singing about the birth of Jesus for centuries and some of the carols have survived that long.
I have chosen 37 different carols/hymns and have written a devotion about each, produced as an Advent devotional booklet entitled The Carols of Christmas. This free devotional can be downloaded and printed or accessed as a flipbook to read on your device.
Anne Hansen is Lutheran Tract Mission Development Officer.
The Carols of Christmas devotional has been prepared by LTM for individuals, congregations, schools and aged-care facilities to print and give out to share God’s gift of grace.
Advent begins on 1 December and a devotion has been written for each day until Epiphany on 6 January. Each devotion contains a short reflection, Bible reading and, as a prayer, the words of the carol.
The back page is also editable, so add your church’s Christmas service times – then print one for every family and another for them to give away!
You will find the Advent devotional on the home page of the LTM website at www.ltm.org.au
LECTIONARY READINGS
27 OCT–2 NOV Job 42:1–6,10–17 Psalm 34:1–8 (19–22) Hebrews 7:23–28 Mark 10:46–52
3–9 NOV Ruth 1:1–18 Psalm 14 Hebrews 9:11–14 Mark 12:28–34
10–16 NOV Ruth 3:1–5; 4:13–17 Psalm 12
9:24–28 Mark 12:38–44
2:1–10 Hebrews 10:11–14 [15–18],19–25 Mark 13:1–8
Samuel 23:1-7 Psalm 132:1–12 (13–18) Revelation 1:4b–8 John 5:21–29
Jeremiah 33:14–16 Psalm 25:1–10 1 Thessalonians 3:9–13 Luke 21:25–36
For more prayer and devotional resources, including a listing of daily Bible readings for each day of the church year, go to www.lca.org.au/wpp/prayers-devotions • Lutheran Tract Mission also provides the readings in a booklet, which can be accessed electronically at www.ltm.org.au/tract/view/70593-daily-bible-readings-for-2024 or as a printed booklet through the LTM office (phone 08 8360 7222) for a donation of 20c per copy.
PLEASE NOTE: Unfortunately, the lectionary readings in the August-September edition of The Lutheran were incorrect and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.
CARING FOR YOUR CHURCHWORKERS
Church life and work can be challenging, not only for churchworkers but also for their families. Recognising this, the Churchwide Office has engaged the Christian organisation Empatia to provide wellness support services for LCANZ churchworkers and their families.
The LCA’s Church Worker and Family Wellness and Support Program offers the services of Empatia to pastors in active service, layworkers and employees paid through LCA HRS, New Zealand-paid church workers, and employees of some Lutheran entities, at no cost to them. The program is also available to the families of churchworkers.
WHAT SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE?
Empatia’s services include short-term, solution-oriented counselling, coaching and referrals to support churchworkers and their families in meeting the challenges and demands of work and personal life. The program is not intended to replace pastoral care and support but can be a useful addition.
HOW TO ACCESS SUPPORT
1. Let your churchworkers and families know that this service is available at no cost to them or to your congregation.
2. Point them to www.lca.org.au/ wellness-support and assure them they are under no obligation to share with you or anyone else why they are accessing the services of Empatia.
SUDOKU
Every number from one to nine must appear in each of the nine vertical columns, each of the nine horizontal columns and each of the nine 3 x 3 boxes. No number can occur more than once in any row, column or box. The solution will be printed in the next edition.
4
1
Continuing the practice of Kay Hoffmann
For legal services with a personal and caring touch, including:
• Wills - new and updated
• Powers of Attorney
• Advanced Care Directives
• Administration of deceased estates
• Probate/Letters of Administration applications
After-hours appointments available
Home/Aged-care facility appointments available
of St Stephen's congregation Adelaide
Professionally trained staff are available to offer Christ-centred caring, compassionate and confidential support to address challenges in areas such as workplace conflicts, relationship issues, anxiety and depression, stress management, grief counselling and trauma support.
The LCANZ Churchwide Office partnership with Empatia is designed to help congregational leaders and members to care for the people who care for us all. Please keep in touch with your churchworkers, so you will recognise when they need some extra support.
Many complaints can be resolved before lasting hurt is caused, by addressing them quickly in a non-threatening manner and by raising the issue directly with the relevant person or organisation in a thoughtful and courteous manner. If this is not applicable or possible in your situation, you may lodge a complaint with the Professional Standards Department in any of the following ways: Phone the free-call number (Aust 1800 644 628
Directory CALLS
Extended
• Rev Robert P Bartholomaeus
NSW-ACT District to Vic-Tas District (Interim Pastor – Greater Geelong Region)
• Rev Matthew P Bishop
St Paul Blair Athol Lutheran Church SA to Lecturer at Australian Lutheran College (0.5 FTE)
• Rev Joel S Cramer
Salisbury SA to St Pauls Wellington NZ
• Rev Levi D Graham
Dimboola-Natimuk Vic to South-West Queensland (Chinchilla Ministry Area)
• Rev Phil A Joppich
Navigator College Port Lincoln SA to Vic-Tas District (Interim Pastor – Greater Geelong Region)
• Rev James N Leach
Central West Parish NSW to South-West Queensland (Chinchilla Ministry Area)
Accepted
• Rev Robert P Bartholomaeus
NSW-ACT District to Vic-Tas District (Interim Pastor – Greater Geelong Region)
• Rev Joel S Cramer
Salisbury SA to St Pauls Wellington NZ
Declined
• Rev Phil A Joppich
Navigator College Port Lincoln SA to Vic-Tas District (Interim Pastor – Greater Geelong Region)
• Rev James N Leach
Central West Parish NSW to South-West Queensland (Chinchilla Ministry Area)
• Rev Kees C Sturm
Townsville Qld to Cleve SA
ORDINATIONS
• Yong Bong Cho – Ordained as a Specific Ministry Pastor on 15 September 2024 at St Andrew’s Lutheran Church Brisbane City Qld by LCANZ Bishop Paul Smith
INSTALLATIONS
• Rev Yong Bong Cho – Installed to St Andrew’s Lutheran Church Brisbane City Qld on 15 September 2024 by Queensland District Bishop Mark Vainikka
• Rev Stephen P Schultz – Installed as Assistant Bishop on 7 October 2024 at Concordia College Chapel, Highgate SA by LCANZ Bishop Paul Smith
ROLL OF PASTORS
• Rev Dean J Mills – Granted 12-month extension of leave of absence to 16 August 2025
• Rev Geoffrey P Schefe – Assigned to St Martins Lutheran Church Gladstone and Lutheran Services – Wahroonga Aged Care, Biloela Qld
• Rev Mark T Welke – Leave of absence approved to 30 September 2025
In Memoriam
Andreas Gierus
Andreas ‘Andy’ Gierus born 17 June 1935 (Dermanka, Ukraine); ordained 10 Jan 1965 (St Stephen’s Adelaide SA); married Joyce Lynette ‘Joy’ Gierus nee Heidenreich 4 Sept 1965 (she died 31 July 2018); served St Marys NSW (1965–1970), Nobby Qld (1971–1977), Yarraman Qld (1977–1983), Pinnaroo SA (1983–1992), Papunya NT (1992–1994), Alice Springs NT (1994–2000); retired 31 Dec 2000; died 18 Aug 2024 (Murray Bridge SA); funeral 4 Sept 2024 (Christ Church Murray Bridge SA), followed by burial at the Bremer Road Cemetery; mourned by children Chris, Cathy, Mark and Sharon and families
th
Anniversary celebrations
9 February 2025
Laying of the church foundation stone 10am service with guest preacher followed by pooled lunch
9 November 2025
Dedication of the church building 10am service followed by pooled lunch ZION MONARTO SA 100 Anniversary celebrations
21 September 2025
Dedication of the church building 10am service
Please visit https://mvlc.org.au for more information and updates. Or contact e: holycross.murraybridge.sa@lca.org.au or ph: 08 8532 4577
Please visit www.glyndechurch.org for updates and more information. th
congregation 2 March 2025 – laying of church foundation stone 24 August 2025 – dedication of church building
Lutheran Media has more than 50 booklets on a range of topi including dealin grief, depressio loneliness, dem You can order p www.lutheranmedia.org.au/booklets o or download th www.messagesofhope.org.au
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‘I am from the Congo. I must move here because there was nothing left for me there, and I had no work. My husband has died.
I am alone now, here with four children. Life in the camp is very tough. I don’t have anything, not even enough food.
I didn’t have a job, so when I saw others doing training, I decided that I would come to learn to sew so I can help myself and others.
I hope I can earn enough to get my own sewing machine and one day start my own business. This will help me in the camp.
My biggest hope is for my children to get an education and have a bright future. I will work hard to make sure this can happen.’
Hellene, Kakuma Refugee camp, Kenya
You can bless others like Hellene by dedicating a gift in your Will to keep on helping people through ALWS. As you do, those you love will see the values precious to you live on. alws.org.au * 1300 763 407
Kenya/Marvin Lukulu
TANIA NELSON
Lutheran Media Manager
MAHAD - STUDENT
Mahad is 10 years old and has a hearing impairment. You support him so he can return to school.
‘I can hear now. I can listen to the teacher to help me learn. I am happy.
Life can depend on education. If we don’t take it seriously, then our life could be so bad. If I didn’t go to school, I would not learn. There would be no future.
“Education will make my life better. Education is for us.”
When I go to school, I love that I can learn how to make a good decision. I can get a good job to help in my living by earning money.
I like maths, integrated science and social studies. I want to be a doctor.’
NANCY - TEACHER
Nancy has been a teacher at Kakuma for 10 years and is passionate about how education helps children.
‘In Kakuma, despite the challenges the learners are going through, they have the resilience to keep going to school. They believe it will make a difference in their lives one day.
Whenever I talk to learners, especially girls, I say:
“There is hope, there is value, and there is a future in education.”
I feel my personal faith in God is really connected to my role, especially dealing with challenges when they come.
As a Christian, you pray.
As a Christian, you sing. As a Christian, there is a way you can encounter God and overcome challenges.’
