One Body, One Spirit, One Hope

LWF 13th Assembly affirms commitment to unity and progress

At its 13th Assembly in September 2023, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) gathered in Krakow, Poland, under the theme “One Body, One Spirit, One Hope.” The seven-day agenda allowed ample opportunities for attendees to worship together and to address a host of global issues that included climate change, refugee and migration crises, equity and inclusivity, and humanitarian aid alongside issues of theological education and ecumenism.

The final message of the Assembly, authored by delegates from around the world and delivered by Bishop Kaisamari Hintikka of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, affirmed the LWF’s commitment to unity and progress. “The incarnation [of Jesus Christ] challenges us to recognize God in every person and in all of creation, acknowledging our deep-down unity.  But we live in a divided world, where bodies are hurting, rejected, excluded, and the earth, our shared home, is suffering from the effects of growing environmental and climate emergencies.”

The Assembly opened on September 13 with a Holy Communion service and continued through September 19 with daily worship services. The week’s program also included business sessions, approvals of public statements and resolutions, study sessions and an emotionally powerful visit to the Museum and Memorial of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

The first LWF Assembly took place in 1947, bringing together delegates from countries affected by the destruction of World War II and motivated by those events to establish a more inclusive approach to Christianity. Subsequent Assemblies were held every five to seven years, varying over the decades, and each Assembly has moved Lutheranism forward into communion among Lutheran churches and with other faiths around the world.

Issued in the context of a world divided on many ideological lines, the 2023 message was explicit in its call for tolerance: “We reject all forms of violence and discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, age, disability, xenophobia, caste, or social background. All people are created in the image of God, with equal dignity that cannot be compromised.”

The message of unified diversity represented by “One Body, One Spirit, One Hope” made a strong impression on the two master of divinity students from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary who attended the Assembly — Matt Hansen, M.Div. ’24, and Kjell Bakken, M.Div. ’26. Bakken attended as part of a cohort of ELCA seminary students from around the United States, cross-registered for the Assembly through United Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia.

“I’m still processing everything I experienced, but if there’s one word to describe the LWF Assembly, it’s inspiring,” shared Bakken. “It was overwhelming and exciting to be in a space with people from 150 different church bodies from 99 countries, all coming together to worship and learn from one another. I don’t think there’s a substitute for the experience of being with such a diverse group of people in one room.”

Hansen took a different path to the Assembly, joining the communications team for the event as the social media lead. While he felt the responsibility of sharing the experience with the worldwide Lutheran population, he also cited the deep spiritual connection forged through the Assembly.

“I’m feeling really energized by the global Lutheran church,” Hansen shared. “A lot of the worship sessions felt transcendent, they were so meaningful. You could feel the spirit in the room, and afterward you knew something important has shifted or changed.”

Bakken also witnessed the full scope of the Lutheran church around the world and brought back a renewed sense of purpose and focus for his future in ministry.

“Being at the Assembly really opened my eyes to the breadth and width of the church, the relationship we have with churches in developing nations and how mission work, relief work is a relationship driven by empathy more than authority,” Bakken said. “It’s easy to get caught up in your local congregation or synod, but at the LWF Assembly I feel like I witnessed a vibrant worldwide church that is united in spirit, body and hope.”