The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea has been richly blessed because Australian Lutherans said “yes” to God’s call. In obedience to Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit, they crossed geographical, cultural, and linguistic boundaries to share the Gospel. They travelled into remote and often challenging regions, learned local languages, built enduring relationships, […]

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea has been richly blessed because Australian Lutherans said “yes” to God’s call. In obedience to Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit, they crossed geographical, cultural, and linguistic boundaries to share the Gospel. They travelled into remote and often challenging regions, learned local languages, built enduring relationships, and served with patience and commitment. Through the faithful proclamation of God’s Word and lives of Christian service, the Holy Spirit brought people to faith in Jesus Christ and gathered them into his Church. Through the Gospel, many came to know the forgiveness, life, and salvation won by Christ through his death and resurrection.

This shared story began with God’s work in the life of Johann Flierl. As a young boy in Germany, Flierl was not considered especially strong or likely to succeed. Yet as he grew, so did his curiosity and desire to learn. Through reading an illustrated booklet that described people serving in distant lands, he became convinced that even those who seemed far from God could be reached through the Gospel.

Believing that God was calling him into service overseas, Flierl commenced his training at the Neuendettelsau Mission House in Germany. His early ministry took him to Australia, where he served among Aboriginal communities at Bethesda Mission in northern South Australia. While awaiting passage to New Guinea, he also established the Elim Mission near Cooktown in Queensland. There he gained valuable experience in cross-cultural ministry, learning the importance of language acquisition, education, and building genuine relationships across cultural boundaries.

After marrying Australian Louise Auricht, Flierl responded to the opportunity to begin serving in New Guinea. Administrative obstacles, travel delays, and even a shipwreck complicated the journey. Yet in July 1886 he finally arrived, stepping into what he would later describe as “the land of my destiny.”

What Flierl encountered in New Guinea was vastly different from anything he had previously known. Despite having lived in both the dry interior of Australia and in Northern Queensland, observed that “the atmosphere there was more sultry and oppressive than at any other place where I had lived.”

Flierl also recognised significant differences between the communities he encountered in New Guinea and those he had known in Australia. He observed that, whereas in Australia he might encounter only “ten to a hundred” people, in New Guinea there were often “a hundred to a thousand”. He noted that these were settled communities, “an agricultural people with permanent homes”, quite different from what he had known in Australia, where people often moved from place to place and built more temporary dwellings.

Not long after his arrival, Flierl was joined by Karl Tremel. Together they travelled throughout the surrounding area, learning from local communities and carefully considering where a permanent mission station could best be established. Eventually they selected a site near the village of Simbang, situated at the mouth of the Bubui (Mape) River in Langemak Bay. There, on 8 October 1886, the first Lutheran mission station in Papua New Guinea was formally established.

Their arrival at Simbang, however, was not as encouraging as they had anticipated. Expecting a warm reception similar to that experienced during earlier visits, they instead encountered suspicion and uncertainty. Flierl later recalled: “Now they stood about with sour faces and not one of the young men moved a finger to help us with the unloading of our goods. The rowers of the boat helped us and then rowed back to Finschhafen, leaving us two alone with the unfriendly people of Simbang. We had just enough time to put our things in order and make them fairly safe when night came, a dark and gloomy night, and we commended ourselves to the protection of our God.”

Progress was often slow and sometimes discouraging. Yet after thirteen years of patient labour, God granted the first visible fruits of this ministry when the first baptisms took place at Simbang in 1899, when two local mission workers, Kaboing and Kamunsanga, were baptised with the Christian names Tobias and Silas by Rev. Georg Pfalzer.

As the Gospel spread beyond Simbang, additional mission stations were established. Tami Island followed in 1889, Sattelberg in 1892, and further centres were developed throughout the Huon Gulf region and beyond. Sattelberg, in particular, became a significant centre for evangelism, education, and leadership development. Under the ministry of Christian Keysser and others, the Gospel moved beyond the mission compounds into surrounding villages, paving the way for the growth of an indigenous church.

The proclamation of the Gospel remained central to the mission’s work, supported by education, health care, and the training of local teachers, evangelists, and church workers. Schools were established to teach literacy, numeracy, practical skills, and Christian instruction. Health services followed, along with the training of local teachers, evangelists, and church workers. Increasingly, Papua New Guinean Christians assumed responsibility for ministry among their own people.

One of the most significant developments in the growth of the church occurred when Papua New Guinean evangelists carried the Gospel inland and eventually into the Highlands. Often travelling long distances on foot through difficult terrain, they shared the good news with communities that had never before encountered Christianity. Their commitment and faithfulness became instrumental in the spread of Lutheranism throughout the country.

The development of the church continued through a period of significant political change. Following the First World War, Australia assumed administration of the former German territory of New Guinea. During this period, Australian Lutherans worked alongside colleagues from Germany, North America, and Papua New Guinea to continue and expand the mission.

The years of the Second World War brought immense suffering to Papua New Guinea. Communities were displaced, lives were lost, and many from overseas were interned, evacuated, or prevented from continuing their ministry. Despite these hardships, in many places, Papua New Guinean Christians assumed responsibility for worship, teaching, and community life, ensuring that the church not only survived but continued to grow.

As the church matured, it became increasingly clear that its future would depend on local leadership. In 1956, seventy years after Flierl’s arrival, three Lutheran mission organisations came together at the first Synod held at Simbang. From this gathering emerged the self-governing indigenous church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of New Guinea (ELCONG).

Another important milestone was reached at the Ninth General Synod of ELCONG in 1973 when Zurewe Zurenuoc was elected as the church’s first indigenous bishop. Following Papua New Guinea’s political independence in 1975, the church declared its autonomy on 2 July 1976 and became the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea (ELCPNG).

As we celebrate what God has accomplished through the ELCPNG over the past 140 years, we recognise that our relationship with the church is not merely a story of the past. As partner churches, we continue to walk together in prayer, fellowship, and the mission of God. We give thanks for the faithfulness of those who have gone before us, rejoice in the ministries God continues to bless in both Papua New Guinea and Australia and New Zealand, and support one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. Through this enduring partnership, we are reminded that the Church is one body, united in the Gospel and sustained by God’s grace.

While the Gospel once led Australian Lutherans across oceans to serve in Papua New Guinea, Christ continues to send his Church into the world today. In our homes, workplaces, schools, neighbourhoods, and communities, God provides opportunities for us to share of the hope we have in Jesus. Through his Word and Holy Spirit, he equips and strengthens us for this calling, enabling us to serve our neighbours in love and to share the Gospel, as he builds his Church across nations, cultures, and generations.

Many of our partner churches are working in new territory for the kingdom of God; therefore, spiritual attack is their everyday reality. As a member of a congregation, school, or family, or a couple or individual, you are invited to commit to praying for our partners in mission. For regular prayer point updates, go to www.lca.org.au/international-mission/act-now/pray

Read more stories about our partner church in Papua New Guinea at https://www.lcamission.org.au/category/stories/international-partners/papua-new-guinea/