Americas: Pre-Assembly message emphasizes justice, theological formation, churches as spaces for dialogue
The message from the Pre-Assembly of Latin America and the Caribbean and North America stressed the role of churches working for justice and peace, and for responding to injustices. It highlighted the importance of theological formation and called for a policy for intergenerational justice to promote youth leadership.
Participants of the Pre-Assembly of the Americas. Observing the “Thursdays in Black” campaign against gender-based violence, many wear black clothes. Photo: LWF/Jorge Diaz
“Unity must be intentional, committed, and practiced”
"Unity in Christ enables us to recognize one another as siblings, in Krakow, in our faith communities and wherever we are since Christ calls us and commits us to his work,“ said Rev. Roberto Trejo from the Mexican Lutheran Church in the sermon at the closing worship of the Pre-Assembly of the Americas in Bogotá, Colombia.
The message of the Pre-Assembly of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and North America stated that unity “must be intentional, committed, and practiced.”
“We commit ourselves to promote intergenerational dialogues and call on the LWF to develop, adopt and implement an intergenerational justice policy to promote youth leadership in communion with the wisdom of other generations,” said the message.
The churches in the regions are called to respond to a variety of contextual challenges, including polarization, governmental corruption, false information in media and on social networks, and “the structural discrimination suffered by vulnerable groups, which we refer to as the cries of a people crying out for justice.”
Into this context, they called to be voices that “cry out for just communities to respond holistically to all kinds of injustices,” Furthermore, they commit to creating and transforming themselves “into safe spaces where we can be authentic and dialogue.”
“In response to the high growth of fundamentalist narratives in our region and situations of violence experienced in our churches, there remains a great need to continue to push for gender justice in our midst,” the message also stated.
The message affirmed "the importance of theological formation in coordination with the centers of theological education and the network of institutions, so that they may incorporate and/or update reflections from diverse contextual perspectives.” It proposed further studies on key topics for the churches in the region, including migration, climate change, gender, and the context of indigenous peoples.
"We commit to continue striving to be a Communion that goes out and acts on the margins of society, offering a radical welcome to all, as Jesus taught us.”
LWF/A. Weyermüller
Photos from the Pre-Assembly of the Americas
The Thirteenth Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation takes place 13-19 September 2023 in Krakow, Poland. The theme of the Assembly will be "One Body, One Spirit, One Hope." It will be hosted by the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg
