The Thirteenth Assembly of The Lutheran World Federation convened in Kraków, Poland expresses its deepest gratitude to the following distinguished persons, organizations and institutions for their indispensable contributions to the success of the Assembly and making it a fruitful, meaningful and important event in the life of the LWF and all the participants. To this end, the Assembly adopts the following expressions of gratitude.

To the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland (ECACP), for generously inviting the LWF Thirteenth Assembly to Poland and the warm welcome and hospitality accorded to all participants. The Assembly acknowledges and greatly appreciates the tireless efforts and energy the ECACP and its Presiding Bishop Jerzy Samiec – have invested during the preparation and throughout the Assembly.

To the Municipality of Kraków and its Mayor, Jacek Majchrowski, and Deputy Mayor, Anna Korfel-Jasińska, the Stara Zajezdnia Kraków de Silva, as well as the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland, for their generous welcome reception dinner for all the assembly participants. Thanks also goes to the Polish National Song and Dance Ensemble, “Śląsk”, for their cultural concert. Appreciation is also extended to Kraków Travel for the cultural and other tourism information they have provided. We also thank the municipality and the Congress Bureau of Kraków for the free transportation pass, the free taxi service, hotel for VIPs and their provision of two days’ worth of the costs for the use of ICE Congress Centre.

To the government of the Republic of Poland for their unwavering support and cooperation from the day it was announced that the LWF Thirteenth Assembly would be held in Kraków until the end of the Assembly. To its Department of Foreign Affairs and the various Polish Embassies for their invaluable support and assistance to the delegates acquiring visas to enter Poland.

To the Assembly Planning Committee and its Chair, Presiding Bishop Dr Tamás Fabiny of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Hungary, and members Colleen Elizabeth Cunningham, Leon Chau, Rev. Gustavo Gómez, Rev. Katherine Gohm, Kadre Arikainen, Amanda Carlshamre and Rev. Klaus Rieth, and their advisors for their overall guidance, counsel and time spent for various preparatory meetings in the lead up to the Assembly.

To the International Worship Planning Committee and its chair, Kinga Marjatta Pap, Assembly Worship Coordinator, Tom Witt, and the Local Worship Committee, and its chair, Piotr Sztwiertnia, the music directors, liturgical leaders and their assistants, drama/performance team, Assembly Choir, local choir from the different parishes and others for carrying out spirit-filled worship services.

To the Local Assembly Planning Committee, Anna Wrzesińska, chair, and members Bishop Jerzy Samiec, Dr Adrian Korczago, Dr Marian Niemiec, Rev. Tymoteusz Bujok, Agnieszka Godfrejów-Tarnogórska, Zofia Niemczyk and Jolanta Palowska, for their capable leadership, devotion and time they have given in guiding all the preparatory processes and actions in the lead toward and during the assembly. Moreover, the assembly offers special words of appreciation to the volunteers for their dedications to their multi-task assignments (welcoming participants at the airport, help with transportation, showing directions, technical assistance, etc.), eagerness to help or simply their smiles to Assembly participants making everyone feel welcomed and at home every day. Warm thanks are extended to the local congregations who hosted participants in the Youth Pre-Assembly and Women’s Pre-Assembly and the delegations of Pre-Assembly visits. Appreciation is extended to ECACP’s Augustana Printing Press for the printed materials, Jordan Bus for local transportation throughout the Assembly and Liberandum, provider of the medical services.

To the member churches, national committees and our generous host ECACP in particular for contributing to the Assembly budget and others who have made in kind contribution to the planning and running of the Assembly.

To the 26 local ECACP parishes and their pastors that hosted the church Sunday services and visits to local communities as well as the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Slovak Republic and two Czech Churches, the Silesian Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession and the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren.

The Assembly expresses its profound appreciation for the many greetings extended to it by representatives of its ecumenical partners. We acknowledge the greetings provided by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople conveyed through His Eminence Metropolitan Prof. Dr Kyrillos of Krini, Patriarchal Exarch of Malta, the Roman Catholic Church, through His Eminence Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity, the World Council of Churches through The Rev. Dr. Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, Moderator, the Roman Catholic Church, through His Eminence Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity, Mennonite World Conference, through the Rev. César Garcia, General Secretary, World Methodist Council, through Bishop Ivan Abrahams, General Secretary, the Anglican Communion, through Bishop Anthony Poggo, Secretary General, World Communion of Reformed Churches through the Rev. Dr Hanns Lessing, Acting General Secretary, Pentecostal World Fellowship, through Dr William Wilson, its Chair, Caritas Internationalis, through Mr Alistair Dutton, Secretary General, Global Christian Forum, through the Rev. Dr Casely Essamuah, Secretary, ACT Alliance through Mr Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, its General Secretary, Conference of European Churches, through Dr Jørgen Skov Sorensen, its General Secretary, and the Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe, through Dr Mario Fischer, General Secretary.

This Assembly recognizes and rejoices in the presence of two former Presidents of the LWF, Bishop Emeritus Mark S. Hanson and Bishop Emeritus Munib Younan, and the two former General Secretaries, Rev Dr Ishmael Noko and Rev Dr Martin Junge among us.

To the many visitors who joined from places near and far at their own personal expenses in order to share in the life of the Assembly.

To the LWF Thirteenth Assembly Keynote speaker, Mons. Prof. Dr Tomáš Halik, for his powerful and profound address that challenged the Assembly to live up to its theme of “One Body, One Spirit, One Hope”. The same goes to respondents who interacted with Prof. Halik, Ms Kathryn Lohre of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and Presiding Bishop Dr. Fredrick Onaeli Shoo of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania, bringing the discussion to the realities and challenges of the LWF member churches.

To the preachers at the Opening and Closing Worship services, Rev Danielle Dokman, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Suriname, and Rev. Dr. Anne Burghardt, LWF General Secretary, respectively, Bible study presenters – Rev. Dr Ho-Yin Kenneth Tsang, Prof. Kalina Wojciechowska, Rev. Dr Barbara Rossing, and Rev. Gerson Acker, for their thoughtful reflections on the theological underpinnings of the assembly themes and its sub-themes.

To the Assembly Thematic keynote speakers – Rev. Dr. Benny Sinaga, Rev. Dr. Bruk A. Asele and Archbishop emerita Dr Antje Jackelén – for their insightful deliberation on the sub-themes of One Body, One Spirit, and One Hope respectively. Similar appreciation extends to respondents and moderators of the respective thematic plenaries One Body: Bishop Naledzani Josephine Sikhwari, Prof. Dr Bernd Oberdorfer, Moderator: Rev. Dr Johannes Zeiler; One Spirit: Bishop Izani Bruch, Prof. Dr Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, Moderator: Colleen Cunningham; One Hope: Respondents: Bishop Pavlo Shvarts; Katarina Kuhnert, Moderator: Rev. Sally Azar, who enriched the discussions through their contextual experiences.

We extend to Special Guest, Mr. Marian Turski, our sincere thanks for his inspiring testimony and words of wisdom which he shared with us on Saturday 16 September.

To village group chairs, co-chairs and rapporteurs for displaying extraordinary facilitation skills that made the village groups indeed open, safe and interactive spaces where the Assembly themes and its sub-themes were further reflected upon and moulded into concrete proposals for action by the LWF and its member churches.

To all those who participated in the Jarmark exhibitions and the workshop presenters and facilitators for enriching the Assembly through informal and sometimes entertaining exchange of ideas, traditional objects, clothes and foods that truly reflects the global nature of the LWF communion.

The Thirteenth Assembly of the LWF records special gratitude to all those who contributed to the moving visit to the Memorial and Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau, as well as its director, staff and guides.

The Assembly expresses its gratitude for the work of the LWF Vice Presidents, other Officers, the entire Council and its various committees over the past six years. The Assembly took many actions that required the attention and action of the Council.  The Council has faithfully carried out many of those resolutions and statements, the COVID-19 pandemic notwithstanding.  The members of the Council and its Committees have faithfully executed their tasks, including providing helpful resources and assistance to the member churches.

This Assembly conveys acknowledgments to its various Committees and their Chairs who devoted their time and energy to make this Assembly productive and help it to diligently discharge its responsibilities as per the LWF constitution, these are – the Business Committee and its Chair, Archbishop Dr Panti Filibus Musa, Policy and Reference Committee and its Chair, LoeRose Mbise, Editorial Committee and its Chair, Bishop Dr Kaisamari Hintikka, : Nominations Committee and its chair, Bishop Larry Kochendorfer, Credentials and Elections Committee and its Chair, Rev. Dr Robinson Butarbutar, and Minutes Committee and its Chair, Ms Wiebke Zimmermann. We also extend our thanks to the following committees the Women’s Pre-Assembly Global Planning Committee, the Local Women’s Pre-assembly Committee, the Youth Pre-Assembly Global Planning Committee, the Local Youth Pre-assembly Committee, the Men’s Pre-Assembly Global Planning Committee, the Local Men’s Pre-assembly Committee, the Auschwitz Task Force, the Code of Conduct Response Team, and the Pastoral Care and Support Team.

To Rev. Dr. Anne Burghardt, General Secretary of the LWF, for her wisdom and overall leadership and managerial capabilities she exhibited both in public and behind the scenes to create an enabling and friendly environment for smooth running of the Assembly. We also thank the Assembly Coordinator, Ms. Maryssa Camaddo, for her meticulous planning, implementation and general oversight of the entire progression of the Assembly. To Magali Bauer and Jeanne Pierson, Assembly Assistants for their invaluable and tireless work  of registering and arranging travel of participants, and to Rev. Klaus Reith as ICE venue coordinator. The same appreciation is extended to the Local Assembly Coordinator, Ms. Malgorzata Zachraj and her colleagues, Adam Marek, Mateusz Wozniak, Konrad Indeka and Magdalena Marek, for their persistent commitment including going extra miles when circumstances required, as it happened many times. We are grateful to the LWF European Regional Secretary Rev. Dr. Ireneusz Lukas for all the facilitation and linkages with the region and the host church.

To the many teams and leaders for Communications, Space Management, Information, Safety and Security, Village groups, Jarmark, Registration, Visitors’ program, Finance, IT and equipment, Documentation, Thematic plenaries, Regional meetings, Ushers, Women, Youth and Men Pre-Assemblies, as well as the entire LWF staff, co-opted staff and many others from the member churches who have unselfishly given their time and efforts to the Assembly. A special word of thanks goes to the designer of the Assembly logo, Ms. Kristen Opalinski, and WCC Colleagues Marc Henri Heiniger, Charlotte Belot and Daniel Sanchez for the technical and plenary support during the Assembly. Appreciation is extended to the core volunteers and stewards for their great service.  Particular gratitude is expressed to the language service, the interpreters, the translators, the editor and the technical service for their continuous efforts to enable communication among the Assembly participants. Similar appreciation is also extended to the medical professionals who made themselves available for any help throughout the Assembly period and Delta Travels for the air travel arrangements of the participants.

To all the Polish government’s branches, ministries and agencies –– who contributed their part to make this assembly peaceful, joyful, colourful and successful.

To the representatives of the press, radio, and television who have covered and reported on the activities of this Assembly, they and individuals who have utilized social media have assisted in communicating to the world the role of the Lutheran World Federation both in the affairs of churches and nations.

To the management and staff of the ICE Congress Centre, the main Assembly venue for their state-of-the-art facilities and professional services. Appreciation is extended to Masters Catering for the dining service. The same goes to the Director and administration of AGH hostels Strumyk, Olimp and Babilon, which provided comfortable accommodations and friendly environment for the participants and AGH Club Studio for breakfast and other meals at AGH. We thank also the Kraków Parish Church under the leadership of Pastor Lukasz Ostruszka for the invaluable support to the Assembly office and side activities organized during the Assembly.

Last but not least, the Thirteenth Assembly of the LWF expresses its profound gratitude, love and indebtedness to Archbishop Dr Panti Filibus Musa, President of the Lutheran World Federation, for his pastoral and prophetic leadership of the communion for the past six years. Archbishop Musa’s leadership and witness during the past six years has affirmed our true global communion through his numerous visits of accompaniment to member churches in all the LWF regions and his care and concern for the member churches and the Communion Office during the COVID-19 pandemic. His competence, experience and insight have guided the LWF as it has discussed and explored the practical implications of this global communion within our diversity.

This Assembly recognizes that there are many other persons and organizations who have been involved in the preparation, planning and functioning of this Assembly. Although unnamed, their contributions are not unnoticed, and our hearty thanks are extended to them.

Beyond this expression, we thank God for the many blessings bestowed upon the Thirteenth Assembly of the LWF convened in Kraków, Poland from 13-19 September 2023.

• Message of the LWF Thirteenth Assembly

• Message of the LWF Thirteenth Assembly

• Message of the LWF Thirteenth Assembly

• Message of the LWF Thirteenth Assembly

The LWF Assembly resolves as follows:

1. To affirm the solidarity with which the LWF responded to the pandemic, particularly through the Rapid Response Fund, theological reflection, and advocacy.
2. To call upon the LWF Communion Office to identify and continue to implement those commitments that were made at the Twelfth Assembly (2017) and provide a report to the Council by 2024.  
3. To encourage LWF member churches to implement the resolutions that will be identified in the report. 

The Thirteenth Assembly of the LWF is deeply concerned by the continuing violence, hatred and loss of lives in the Holy Land. 2023 is already one of the most violent and deadly years in the last two decades on the West Bank, fueled by extremist policies violating human rights and human dignity for all affected. According to the United Nations, there have been over 200 Palestinian and nearly 30 Israeli fatalities in the West Bank and Israel thus far this year, already surpassing 2022 annual figures, and the highest figure since 2005.

The situation for Christians in the Holy Land has significantly deteriorated over the past years. There has been an increase in anti-Christian attacks by Jewish extremists and militant groups, including harassment of clergy and vandalizing of church property. Access to holy sites have repeatedly been restricted for both Christian and Muslim Palestinians.  

As the Government of Israel continues to support the expansion of settlements which are illegal under international law, an ever-increasing number in the Palestinian community see their houses demolished, and their access to land, housing, employment, and basic services such as health and education restricted or denied. The LWF Assembly condemns such actions and would like to recall the Statement on Peace and Justice from the LWF 1984 Assembly in Budapest, Hungary.  The policies and actions of the recent Israeli governments have diminished the possibility of a Palestinian state. An increasing number of human rights organizations and some of Israel’s own politicians and former heads of internal security have described the reality of the situation today. This should be a matter of concern to all of us.

The Church leaders in Jerusalem have been appealing to their sister churches and to the international community for solidarity and support. There is a growing fear that the already diminished Christian presence could disappear altogether from the Holy Land.

The LWF Assembly stands in solidarity with its Member Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) and affirms its ministry and witness in these challenging times. Further, the LWF Assembly expresses solidarity with other Christians, people of other faiths and Palestinians who are affected by the escalation of violence, occupation, and lack of access to holy sites. The LWF realizes that there are churches that are complicit in the injustice that the Palestinians and Palestinian Christians suffer, through colonial theologies of superiority and power.

The LWF Assembly also affirms its commitment to the LWF-owned and operated Augusta Victoria Hospital as a sign of its commitment to the Palestinian community and a symbol of hope in these extremely troubled times.

That the LWF Assembly calls on:

1. The international community and the Government of Israel to respect and ensure the access to Holy Sites for believers of all three religions.  
2. The Government of Israel to end its occupation and settlement expansion activities and immediately ensure equal rights for all. 
3. The international community to urgently address the Israel/Palestine situation, given the recent and ongoing escalation of violence and occupation, hold the State of Israel accountable for their violations of human rights and the international law, and find a lasting solution which would end of the half-century-long illegal occupation of Palestinian Territories and ensure peace, justice and equal rights for all.
4. The LWF member churches to examine, discuss, discern and respond to the implications of the recent reports by international human rights organizations, which describe the discrimination against Palestinians living under occupation or as citizens of Israel, as overt and systemic, and find that the occupation continues to ignore the equal human dignity and human rights of Palestinians living under this system of control.

The Lutheran World Federation Assembly expresses its solidarity with LWF member churches and other communities who are living as minorities, especially in the Asia Region.

The LWF Assembly stands in solidarity and expresses its deep concern to all the suffering and violence the Christian minorities in their own countries are facing. As an example, we recognize the situation of indigenous peoples, tribal people, the Dalits, and Adivasis, some of whom are members of our own churches, who have long been marginalized and oppressed under structural systems that have been designed to exclude them.

Like many other marginalized groups, Christians in minority settings in Asia are disproportionately affected by numerous challenges including violations of their human rights and dignity, environmental disasters, and poverty among others. We note particularly that their freedom of religion or belief has, in the recent past, been severely diminished.

Apart from their struggles, these minority communities offer rich cultures and traditions that we can all learn from including sustainable living, especially in these ecologically challenging times.

The LWF Assembly calls:

1. LWF member churches continue standing in solidarity and act upon any injustices happening to any Member Church facing any kind of violence due to its minority situation. 
2. On the Government of India and other governments to ensure the protection of the human rights, justice and dignity for all.
3. On the LWF member churches stand in solidarity and support Dalits and Adivasis sisters and brothers in their ministries, including through continued advocacy at all levels. 

In a world that suffers from multiple crises: the climate crisis, a push-back on human rights and gender justice, forced migration and economic inequality, the need for financial resources is crucial. But the current international economic and tax system exacerbates inequalities and causes depletion of the creation, for the sake of generating profit.  According to the Tax Justice Network’s The State of Tax Justice 2023, countries are losing a total of over USD 480 billion in tax revenues each year to international corporate tax abuse and private tax evasion. This has a direct impact on the ability of countries to address poverty and provide basic services for their citizens.

The Lutheran World Federation affirms the discussions and process towards the development of an international legally binding tax convention that was mandated by the United Nations General Assembly in 2022. The prospects of a multi-lateral convention to stop tax abuse is a sign of hope in these times of multi-crises.

We reiterate LWF Assembly’s call from 2017, for churches and related organizations everywhere to stand up and demand fair redistribution of wealth and social protection, as a matter of justice and human rights. The Lutheran World Federation remains committed and will continue advocating for economic justice and tax justice together with ecumenical, interfaith and civil society partners.

We further call on LWF member churches to embody hope in the public space, through calling for a new international financial and economic architecture through demanding an inclusive, democratic and legally binding global tax convention.

As the world’s leaders are gathered in New York for the 2023 UN General Assembly and the Sustainable Development Goals Summit, the Lutheran World Federation Assembly calls on the Member States of the United Nations to:

1. Expedite the process of developing the proposed legally binding UN Convention on Tax, ensuring that it is fair, just and equitable.
2. Ensure the meaningful participation and contribution of civil society, including churches and other faith communities, in the process of drafting the proposed tax convention.

As the Thirteenth Assembly of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) meets in the city of Kraków, Poland, it is keenly aware that there is a war going on in the neighboring country, Ukraine.

The LWF Assembly condemns the brutal attack of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, which is contrary to international law. We are appalled by the destructive power the aggressor is exerting to achieve its imperial goals.

Thousands of men, women and children have lost their lives; many more suffer physically and mentally because of the horrors of the war. Cities, towns and villages have become uninhabitable, environmental damages are incalculable and it will take decades to rebuild them. Once again, the sexual violence against women, children and men has become a weapon of war. This war, moreover, does not have only a local dimension, but has global impact as it is conducted by a nuclear superpower and has huge economic and food security consequences for many people all over the world.

We strongly condemn the imperialist ideology that the aggressor uses to justify its attack. We oppose all attitudes that consider some states entitled to include others into their “spheres of influence,” be it in Africa, South and Central America, Asia or Eastern Europe. We are shocked by the fact that some Christian churches adopt this ideology and misuse their authority to justify aggression.

Once again, there is an existential threat of nuclear war. We are alarmed by the intimidations coming from the government representatives of the Russian Federation, while keeping in mind that, in this case, there are no “two sides escalating the conflict,” but only an aggressor that threatens and a victim.

We therefore ask the LWF member churches to continue to pray for peace – not only a ceasefire, but a peace that would be just. We recall the Statement on Peace and Justice from the LWF 1984 Assembly in Budapest, Hungary. We ask the LWF member churches to include in their prayers also those living in Russia and Belarus who are being persecuted for their anti-war and anti-imperialist stances. There can be peace only if all the neighboring countries, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, are free and democratic, respecting human rights.

We stand in solidarity with all who suffer from the war, including our sisters and brothers from the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine. We support the LWF member churches who are helping the people of Ukraine and who have opened their hearts for all those who had to flee the war, not forgetting the refugees from other parts of the world.

We, at the same time, do not forget the vast suffering caused by wars and conflicts all over the world. The same mechanisms of evil are at work there as in the case of the war against Ukraine. We, therefore, as an LWF Assembly stand in solidarity and pray for the victims of all armed conflict in the world.

The LWF Assembly calls on:

1. Russia to end its war against Ukraine and to cease weaponizing the food supply chains, especially to countries in the Global South;
2. the international community to invest more in developing and supporting just and peaceful means, including mediation, to prevent and overcome conflicts;
3. the international community for bolder efforts to address conflicts and crises in other parts of the world, including through concerted humanitarian aid and peacebuilding processes;
4. the LWF member churches to pray and work for peace and justice in all communities, regions and in the world.

The LWF Assembly resolves as follows:

1. To call on LWF member churches to prioritize investing in theological education and the sharing of resources to support the sustainability of theological institutions; 
2. To encourage LWF member churches and their theological institutions to improve their curricula with content that addresses misleading theologies and promotes responsible theologies as defined in the message of the Thirteenth LWF Assembly;
3. To call on the LWF Communion Office to enhance its networking role with LWF member churches and theological institutions, to further strengthen and improve the theological education and formation network, the LWF Learning Platform, and the LWF scholarships program; and 
4. To call for the creation of transformative Lutheran theologies that address gender justice with the aim of including them in the core curriculum of theological studies at universities and Bible colleges and ensuring that they are an integral part of the education of ministers, Sunday school teachers and others carrying faith formation responsibilities within our churches.

The LWF Assembly resolves as follows: 

1. To call on the LWF Council to initiate, and the LWF Communion Office to develop and implement, the following study processes, and for these processes to include ecumenical and interreligious engagement:
   • Theologies of the cross for the 21st century;
   • The relevance of the Augsburg Confession for contextual realities of LWF member churches — emphasis on gender justice and ecumenical approach; 
   • Peace and reconciliation in contexts of conflict and in times of war; 
   • The identity and participation of men in the life of the church and society with particular attention to power relations, gender relations, and masculinities;
   • The theological framework in the context of persons with disabilities; and 
   • The meaning of holistic mission for the LWF in the 21st century
2. To call on the LWF Communion Office to ensure that LWF publications and materials are accessible to the LWF member churches, followed by an intentional process of reception and wider use.