| Who
We Are
The ELCA Wittenberg
Center was inaugurated on May 9, 1999, at a Service
of Dedication in the Castle Church of All Saints in
Wittenberg, Germany. This ministry has one overarching
purpose: to explore and engage the Lutheran tradition in
order to inform, guide and renew the church's mission today.
Recent developments within
the European and North American churches have made this initiative
feasible and highly desirable. They include:
- A renewal of interest in
Luther studies and Lutheran identity, prompted in part
by the Luther Year commemorations in 1983 and 1996, and
the von Bora Year observance in 1999. One indicator of
this revival is the extraordinary number of new books
and new editions of works on Martin Luther and Katherine
von Bora offered by Augsburg
Fortress, publishing house of the ELCA. Lutherans
are ready to rediscover and reclaim their roots.
- Recent ecumenical
agreements and proposals which forge new ties between
Lutherans and other Christians, but also stimulate the
study of historic Lutheran affirmations. The ELCA has an
abiding commitment to the witness of Lutheran
confessional theology at the center of its ecumenical
engagements.
- The renewal of the
churches in the former East Germany. These churches are
emerging from decades of National Socialist and Marxist
rule to serve in a more westernized, global context.
Their transitions are difficult and instructive.
Strengthened ties with Christians in eastern Europe hold
great promise for shared learning and mutual
encouragement.
The
Setting
The ELCA Wittenberg Center
was established in response to the invitation of various
churches and agencies in Germany. It will pursue its
objectives in close cooperation with them and in service to
the Gospel which Luther preached. In undertaking this
project, pastoral and relational concerns will be primary.
The ELCA sees the Center as a way of enhancing relationships
with German and international churches with which it is
currently cooperating in mission. Its programs will serve
all Lutherans and other Christians. |
