As confessional Lutherans, who hold mission and evangelism very dear and who also ascribe to the dicta: “Lutheran Church does Lutheran Mission” and “Lutheran Mission leads to Lutheran Church”, all efforts to clarify what it is about Church and Evangelism lie very close to our hearts. These are very challenging times and we as Lutheran Church are responsible to give a faithful account of the hope that is within us – based on the promise of our God, the only Lord of both his Church and his mission. May he grant his Holy Spirit in richest measure as many people from many different parts of the world gather to work on the meaning of church and mission in this world and under his good governance +

Read here, what the WCC announced this morning: (ENInews)–Some 300 church leaders from various parts worldwide will be gathering in Manila from 22 to 27 March for a pre-assembly of the World Council of Churches’ (WCC) Commission on World Mission and Evangelism. Hosted by the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), the gathering is expected to update the WCC’s mission and evangelism statement, which was written in 1982. “The Philippines can help take a look at mission and evangelism from the side of the oppressed and not only from the traditional understanding of conversion,” NCCP general secretary Fr. Rex Reyes told ENInews. [426 words, ENI-12-0154]