During April, I was invited to lead a two-week intensive course on ‘Lutheran Theology’ and ‘The Augsburg Confession’, at the Lutheran Study Centre (LSC) in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The LSC aims to strengthen theological understanding and leadership, assist pastors and church workers to better proclaim the saving work of Christ among those they serve, and […]

During April, I was invited to lead a two-week intensive course on ‘Lutheran Theology’ and ‘The Augsburg Confession’, at the Lutheran Study Centre (LSC) in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The LSC aims to strengthen theological understanding and leadership, assist pastors and church workers to better proclaim the saving work of Christ among those they serve, and equip local churches for effective mission in a majority Muslim country.

This invitation came at the request of the National Committee Lutheran World Federation in Indonesia (KN-LWF), who are representing the 13 Lutheran World Federation member churches (representing 8 million members) and conveyed their need to grow in their understanding and expression of ‘Lutheran identity’. Fifteen representatives who are employed in church work with these member churches attended the course. These individuals are actively serving within their local congregations and are concurrently pursuing postgraduate studies.

Through my involvement in the intensive, the LCANZ and KN-LWF demonstrated that we are one in hope and one in mission. Those who attended were overjoyed to have the invaluable opportunity to learn from someone from another country and to hear about the Lutheran Church’s history in Australia and New Zealand, as well as our challenges. In doing so, they had a greater sense of our global Lutheran connection.

I introduced fundamental concepts of Lutheran theology, while leading students in reading Scripture and our confessional writings, particularly the Augsburg Confession. We covered topics such as the purpose of the creeds, trinitarian nature of God, Law and Gospel, the person and work of Christ, Justification by faith, Church and Sacraments, ‘free’ will, faith and good works, how we live with each other in the world, the return of Christ, and Two Kingdoms theology.

I was also interested to learn from the students. After completing a topic, we had dialogue where we would tease out what the teachings would look like in an Indonesian context. For instance, we spoke about what mission looks like when there are believers of other faiths who do not treat Christians with respect because they do not share the same beliefs. I was reminded through these dialogues that we need to be able to communicate what is core to our faith in our own context, particularly when the freedom to teach and preach the Gospel is under threat.

At the heart of theology is praise of God, and this praise flows out in the way we worship and how we live. I had taken with me our LCANZ ‘daily prayer’ resource in order that each day the students and I would have the opportunity to lead morning and afternoon devotions, as well as teaching one another songs and prayers in English and Bahasa Indonesian.

Each day brought an example of God’s presence. Every time I heard laughter, chatter, and people singing in worship, when I was sitting with students during lunch or at break listening to personal stories and answering their questions, I was aware that God was among us and in our discussions. It gave me a sense of joy and enrichment whenever a student had an ‘aha’ moment or was met with a learning that challenged their previous ideas. There were so many moments where God was at work as the students and I were learning together.

We could have run this intensive as a hybrid, however the human contact and personal connection was of such high value. There is something about eating meals together, praying together, having opportunities for individual conversation, and individual time with each of the students, which was a real blessing.

I returned home with a greater awareness of the challenges and needs of the church in Indonesia, as well as being inspired by their spirit, faith, hope and resilience.

If you would like to consider the opportunity to serve as a volunteer in mission, serving in practical ways, teaching English, teaching in the seminaries and institutions of our partner churches, or in local churches, you are invited to phone LCA International Mission on (08) 8267 7317 or email lcaim@lca.org.au. For more information, go to https://www.lcamission.org.au/join-gods-mission/volunteer/

Read more stories about volunteering at https://www.lcamission.org.au/category/join-gods-mission/volunteers/