The International Mission Partnership Consultation of Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland brought together the leadership of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, representatives from eight missionary organizations, and Finn Church Aid, along with their international partners. The event was held in Helsinki from August 26 to August 30. The purpose of the consultation was to exchange ideas, receive feedback, and learn more about their shared work.
According to Bishop Jari Jolkkonen, chairman of the Church’s Mission Committee, the Mission Partnership Consultation have provided the Church with an open window to see how the Church’s mission is being carried out in today’s world.
“The event supports the work of our Church’s missionary organizations and Finn Church Aid globally. It strengthens both dioceses and congregations in their mission—something that often threatens to be overshadowed by our own problems. This is exactly the kind of boost we need right now. The themes of the consultation will already be discussed this coming weekend at diocesan mission festivities,” says Bishop Jolkkonen.
For example, partners of Felm (Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission) arrived in Finland from a total of 21 countries. The organization’s international partners first gathered in Helsinki, after which many of them continued to the Church’s joint meeting at the Mission Partnership Consultation.
According to Executive Director Pauliina Parhiala, a key takeaway from the Mission Partnership Consultation has been the ecumenical movement’s shared thinking about the Church’s mission in the world right now:
“It is important to continually bring this current understanding of the operational environment and our mission into strategic thinking in our Church’s international work. The most rewarding aspects have been the encounters and learning from each other,” she says.
Jukka Kääriäinen, the Mission Director of the Finnish Lutheran Overseas Mission, also notes that interaction with churches and other partners from the Global South has been valuable and rewarding.
“It’s great that the missionary organizations have been able to share their expertise and the skills of their partners in smaller workshops during the event,” Kääriäinen says, mentioning the impressive personal stories of overcoming bitterness and the power and hope of the gospel at the collapse of the utopia of communism shared by Purevdorj Jamsran, President of the Mongolian Evangelical Lutheran Church, a guest of the Finnish Lutheran Overseas Mission.
“There are still nearly three billion people in the world who have not been reached by the gospel. This is the greatest crisis in mission work, which Christian churches, the World Council of Churches, and the Lutheran World Federation should focus on, in addition to societal and environmental crises,” Kääriäinen says.
Kristian Willis, a member of the Mission Committee and the pastor of Vanda Svenska Församling, who also participated in the event, was left contemplating the Church’s relevance in our time.
“I take away the thought that the Church is only as relevant as its ability to adapt its message to today’s people. This leads us to reflect on which parts of our congregational work we could and should adapt to better meet our times.”
The Partnership Consultation featured ecumenically significant guest speakers. The global perspectives on mission were presented by Jerry Pillay, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches; Kuzipa Nalwamba, Program Director for Unity, Mission, and Ecumenical Education of the World Council of Churches; and Anne Burghardt, General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation.
Frank Dieter Fischbach, the new General Secretary of the Conference of European Churches, participated in a panel discussing the role of churches amidst societal changes.
Bishop Kaisamari Hintikka of Espoo expressed her delight at how ecumenical partners from both Finland and abroad were visible in the consultation.
“In such encounters, everyone is both a giver and a receiver. Seeing the many ways the Church can be the Church helps us also consider the future amid many changes,” says Hintikka.
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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