International Presidents Visit

The Church of the Lutheran Brethren has a rich heritage as a Church called to partner in the disciple-making mission that our Lord Christ called us to. In the year 1900, five congregations from Minnesota and Wisconsin came together to start what would become the Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America. They came together for the purpose of mission. One of their first orders of business was to send missionaries to China. No one congregation could do this alone, but together they could—and they did! The very next year, missionaries were sent to China. This is what partnering in mission looks like.

More missionaries were called to go, not only to China, but also to Chad, Cameroon, Japan, and Taiwan. The Church continued to send. And more disciples of Jesus Christ was the result, not only in the United States and Canada, but also among the nations. And by the grace of God, the Church of the Lutheran Brethren was born in each of these countries. No one congregation could have done this alone. Not one national synod did this alone. But together, as congregations, and as international sister synods, the global Church of the Lutheran Brethren grew. Today, we remain a Church called to mission… together. This is what partnering in mission looks like.
 
When planning began for this year’s biennial convention of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America—themed “Partner in Mission”—it seemed very appropriate to invite the synodical presidents of our international LB synods with which we remain active in mission partnership. We were blessed to be joined by President Potifar Souina, representing the Lutheran Brethren Church of Chad, President Fumiyuki Wakamatsu, representing the Lutheran Brethren Church of Japan, and President Enoch Chou, representing the Chinese Lutheran Brethren Church of Taiwan. Their presence and participation in the convention was not only a reminder of God’s past faithfulness in the building of his global Church, but it has also caused a renewed stirring in us of a future hope, that we remain and will continue to be a disciple-making Church—a Church sent, a Church on mission, a Church in partnership to make disciples of Jesus Christ, the One who still calls and sends us. This is what partnership in mission looks like.

The convention was blessed to hear from each of these international CLB leaders on Sunday evening, through a panel discussion moderated by President Paul Larson of the CLBA. The service started out with a beautiful exchanging of gifts by the international presidents, as well as Rev. Paul Larson (U.S.) and Rev. Harold Rust (Canada). And then, assisted by translators (missionaries Paul Szobody for Chad, Roger Olson for Japan, and Ethan Christofferson for Taiwan), these men shared with us the stories of the Churches they lead. We heard about their history; we heard about the challenges they face and the opportunities they have in their respective cultural contexts; we heard about their hopes for the future; we heard them speak to us, exhorting us as a North American Church to continue to be faithful to our calling to the disciple-making mission. This is what partnership in mission looks like.

We closed the convention on Tuesday morning with a communion service and were blessed to have all participating presidents come together to serve the Lord’s Supper. This was a beautiful moment, revealing the diverse unity we share as a people redeemed by the finished work of Christ, the One who has, is, and continues to call us forth on mission. This is what partnership in mission looks like.

The Sunday following the convention (June 16), each of our visiting international presidents preached at one of our American congregations. President Wakamatsu preached at Rock of Ages Lutheran Brethren Church in Seattle, WA. President Souina preached at Bethesda Lutheran Church in Eau Claire, WI. President Chou preached at 59th Street Lutheran Brethren Church in Brooklyn, NY. I had the privilege of translating for President Souina at Bethesda, for both his preaching and for a combined Sunday School event in which he answered questions from the audience. At one point, someone asked President Souina to explain more the reason the North American and Chadian LB Churches work in partnership. He jumped off the chair he was sitting on, reached over and grabbed my hand, and stood me up. There in front of the audience, grasping my hand, he quoted Amos 3:3, “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” He then segued to Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.” Lifting up our two hands, he explained that this is the purpose of partnership, that we are privileged to serve each other in the mission our Lord called us to, and that together, we can help each other accomplish the mission better than if we were alone. Indeed, this is what partnership in mission looks like.

Dan Venberg is the Director of Lutheran Brethren International Mission.