The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and its partner organizations are gathering with representatives from their international partner churches from August 26 to 30 at the Sofia Cultural Center in Helsinki, Finland.
The participants of the Mission Partnership Consultation come from as far as Japan, Taiwan, Angola, Cambodia, and Colombia. Many of the guests are from countries where the church exists in the midst of conflict zones, and everyday life is marked by challenges such as displacement.
In his opening speech on August 26, Bishop Jari Jolkkonen of Kuopio emphasized the importance of listening closely to the thoughts and perspectives of the participants:
“We want to approach this week with an open mind, ‘ear first’. That means we want to hear your views on what the mission of Christ’s church entails”, Bishop Jolkkonen said.
The last Mission Partnership Consultations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland were held in 2014. Bishop Jolkkonen stressed that while the mission given by Christ remains the same, the world has changed over the past ten years.
“Therefore, we must also renew our thinking, develop our work, and make improvements in our lives, Jolkkonen continued, reminding that the attitude of continuous renewal is at the core of the gospel and a cornerstone of Lutheran faith.
In his speech, Bishop Jolkkonen also highlighted the historical significance of mission work and its impact on societies. He referred to research by American scholar Robert Woodberry, which shows that evangelical Protestant mission work has been a significant factor in the emergence of stable democracies.
“If we consider stable democracy, justice and equality as good fruits, we have much reason to thank the missionaries and missionary organizations of past generations who, by doing missionary work, also originated important reforms in society, in this temporal life.”
However, Bishop Jolkkonen warned that the gospel has, at different times, been misused for political and ideological purposes.
“Nowadays, we see how some want to manipulate the gospel to serve narrow national interests, extreme nationalism, xenophobia, islamophobia, and even racism. The way in which the Russian Orthodox Church speaks for Russian imperialism or how Trumps speaks about his political rivals, in my opinion, is no longer ‘pure gospel,’” Jolkkonen said.
“On the other side of politics, others thirst for justice and equality, might artificially divide people into oppressors and oppressed. Then the thirst is no longer so much for the common good, but for an adversary or heretic who can be “cancelled”, Jolkkonen noted.
Archbishop Tapio Luoma preached at Vuosaari Church on the opening day of the Mission Partnership Consultation. In his sermon, he addressed the shared calling of Christians to bear witness to the risen Christ. He emphasized that all Christians and churches are called to this task, which transcends both national and cultural boundaries.
The Archbishop reminded the audience that witnessing is not based on human strength but solely on the power of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit.
“We are sent into the world for one thing only. We are sent to witness to the risen Christ. Everything we say, do, and think is to witness to Christ. Every Christian and every church has been given this mission in their own country and culture. At the same time, this mission is always meant to transcend national and cultural boundaries. Our mission today is the same as was the mission of the apostles that Jesus sent all over the world. Our message is of hope. There is a universal longing for this message,” Archbishop Luoma emphasized.
“The risen Christ himself testifies that not even death can overcome the hope that comes from God. Therefore, mission is not just some particular activity in the life of Christ’s Church. Mission is in the being of the Church of Christ. To be a church is to be sent to bear witness to the risen Christ. This week we rejoice jointly of being church, of having this mission.”
Archbishop Tapio Luoma encouraged everyone to reflect on how, in their place and with their lives, they can bear witness to Christ and participate in the work of God’s kingdom together with other Christians.
Photo of Archbishop Luoma and Bishop Jolkkonen, taken by Jalmari Salovirta.
Photos from the event: Photos by Jalmari Salovirta.
Opening Words in the International Mission Partnership Consultation | Bishop Jari Jolkkonen
Opening Sermon in the International Mission Partnership Consultation – Archbishop Tapio Luoma (scroll down the page)
You can follow the Mission Partnership Consultation via livestream.
For more information:
Risto Jukko, Global Mission Director, Department for International Relations, the Office for Global Mission, The National Church Council, The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, Tel. +358 40 485 9643, risto.jukko@evl.fi
Maria Mountraki, Project Coordinator, Department for International Relations, the Office for Global Mission, The National Church Council, The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, Tel. +358 50 346 4218, maria.mountraki@evl.fi