Lutheran Churches in Russia Moving Toward Unity

In the past year, the Lutheran Church in which I am working (formerly known as ELCROS, currently known simply as the Evangelical Lutheran Church) and the other historic Lutheran church in the region (The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ingria - Ingria being the historically Finnish region of northwest Russia), also supported by the ELCA, have made significant steps towards unifying their ministries. The latest declaration of the Lutheran World Federation National Committee, of which they are both a part, testifies to this. I've included an English translation of (most of) their common declaration here. While I see that the process won't be an easy one, it does seem clear that the church's ministries will be strengthened by more mutual interaction and a unification of common efforts.

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Meeting of the National Committee of the Lutheran World Federation

On December 10th a regular meeting of the National Committee of the Lutheran World Federation (which consists of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria) was held. The following statement was issued by the churches:

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria and the Evangelical Lutheran Church, recognizing their common history of service in Russia, their dramatic experience of testing, repression, and persecution... in the period of atheistic dominance, taking into account the common goals and tasks before our Churches now, the high level of mutual trust, common membership in international and Russian ecumenical organizations, and being led by the words of the Savior “that all may be one”

declare together

In the context of an actively changing world and of new challenges which the contemporary secular worldview create for Christians, questions of our unity gain special relevance for us, historical Lutheran churches. In the time of the open preaching of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in democratic Russia...our Churches have gained not only an understanding of the necessity of more unity, but also created the necessary spiritual and confessional grounds for such unity. With faith in God's providence as it is realized in the church's life, we declare with hope our decision to strive for a full removal of barriers to the unification of the ELC and the Church of Ingria and call our congregational members to prayerfully support this intention.

ELC Archbishop August Kruze
ELCI Bishop Arri Kugape
ELC Vice-Archbishop, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in European Russia, Edmund Ratz.