Life of theWorld Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne July 2008, Volume Twelve, Number Three Fo r th e Work and Reality in Latvia Rev. Dr. William C. Weinrich Where Is the Lutheran Cathedral? Rev. Gottfried Martens The Church Is Alive and Active Rev. Dr. Charles J. Evanson For The LIFE of the World F E A T U R E S PRESIDENT Rev. Dr. Dean O. Wenthe PUBLISHER EDITOR Rev. Steven Cholak Rev. John Pless COPY EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR ART DIRECTOR Trudy Behning Adriane Dorr Steve Blakey EDITORIAL ASSOCIATES Rev. James Bushur Dr. Charles Gieschen Dr. Naomichi Masaki For the Life of the World is published quarterly by Concordia Theological Seminary Press, 6600 North Clinton Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46825. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher of For the Life of the World. Copyright 2008. Printed in the United States. Postage paid at Huntington, Indiana. For the Life of the World is mailed to all pastors and congregations of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in the United States and Canada and to anyone interested in the work of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana. CONTENTS 4 Work and Reality in Latvia By Rev. Dr. Wiliam C. Weinrich The Christians of Latvia are deeply pious and committed but have serious challenges: liturgical change; pressure from the European churches to conform to new theological and social trends, institutional development, theological education needs. 8 Mining the Riches of Lutheran Theology in Germany By Mr. Jason Lane Study in the German system, combined with the superb theological education we have received from Fort Wayne, where pastoral care is of primary importance, affords a new generation of theologians the great opportunity to carry on the good confession of Jesus Christ into all the world. 12 A Modern Day Circuit Rider By Rev. Dr. Chris Barnekov Historically Sweden was a strongly Lutheran country, but today most churches are empty. Although the Church of Sweden claims to be the largest Lutheran Church in the world, only one member in seventy-five attends worship in an average week, and that figure includes Christmas and Easter. 38 “Where is the Lutheran Cathedral?” By Rev. Gottfried Martens In Berlin, the “world’s capital of modern atheism,” as Peter L. Berger has called it, only 30 percent of the population still belong to a Christian church at all, and about 4 percent worship regularly. For your free subscription, please send your name, address, city,state, and zip code to: For the Life of the World, 6600 N.Clinton St., Fort Wayne, IN 46825. If you would like to see For the Life of the World on the World Wide Web, go to the Web site: www.LifeOfTheWorld.com. The current issue, as well as previous issues, can be found at this interactive portal. Questions about subscribing or changing your mailing address? E-mail LOTW-subscribe@ctsfw.edu or call 260-452-2269. For the Life of the World How to subscribe to and find . . . For the Life of the World 2 Volume Twelve, Number Three The goal is to develop koinonias, or worshiping communities, that will grow into confessional Lutheran congregations. Rev. Appell’s work is much like that of the American circuit riders who traveled among frontier settlements in the mid-1800s, gathering and ministering to the scattered flock of Lutheran immigrants. Historically, Sweden was a strongly Lutheran country, but today most churches are empty. Although the Church of Sweden claims to be the largest Lutheran Church in the world, only one member in seventy-five attends worship in an average week, and that figure includes Christmas and Easter. After four hundred years of state control of the church, a socialist government came to power in the 1920s. Two recent doctoral dissertations have documented its systematic—and effective—campaign to undermine the authority of Scripture and transform the church into an agency of social engineering. As the Church of Sweden abandoned the Gospel, its pews emptied. “The Church of Sweden is collapsing,” Rev. Appell explains. “In place after place, God’s faithful people are left without reliable shepherds. They are lost, afraid, abandoned, confused—but with an admirable faith in God’s Word. In my work as a circuit rider, I travel around to places where people have been forced out of their old congregations. “They gather in homes and borrowed chapels and ask for a pastor to bring them what they need, God’s Word and the Holy Sacrament. If we don’t bring them a pure and clear Gospel, who will? It is hard to travel so much, but it brings great joy to see these faithful people who will settle for nothing less than the preaching of Christ crucified.” Although Rev. Appell first sensed God’s call at an early age, he had put aside thoughts of ordained ministry. Since 1992 the Church of Sweden has refused to ordain men with a confessional view of Scripture. Sweden’s theological faculties have abandoned their Lutheran heritage, but a small confessional alternative, the Lutheran School of Theology in Gothenburg (LSTG), was founded in 1993. Rev. Appell decided to study at LSTG for one year. “I was struck by the joy of studying the Holy Scriptures,” Rev. Appell recalls. “The Gospel was purely proclaimed in many of the lectures, and the light of Christ reached into my heart. This was what I wanted to 12 For the Life of the World The mission house in Härnäs was packed full when Rev.Jakob Appell arrived. Some had traveled as much asfifty kilometers to attend. This is one of three mission groups this recent S.T.M. graduate of Concordia Theological Seminary regularly visits in southeastern Sweden. Historically Sweden was a strongly Lutheran country, but today most churches are empty. Although the Church of Sweden claims to be the largest Lutheran Church in the world, only one member in seventy-five attends worship in an average week, and that figure includes Christmas and Easter. A Modern Day spend all my time on, even though I hardly dared to think about becoming a pastor.” The one year of study became three. Meanwhile, after years of discussions and preparations, a group of faithful Lutherans organized to provide a path to ordination. In January 2006, Jakob and his brother David were among the first to be ordained in the newly formed mission province. David has also been serving as a circuit rider. After two years of this work in northern Sweden, he was installed on the Second Sunday of Easter as pastor of a newly organized congregation in Umeå, the largest city in the area. Rev. Appell served a newly formed congregation in Gothenburg but felt the need for further studies. “It is a great challenge to minister in Sweden’s secularized society,” he reflects, “especially given the hostility from the liberal church and competition from other denominations. I was eager for more study in preparation. “At CTS I found the same faithful approach to the Scriptures I had experienced at LST in Gothenburg. In addition to the good, solid Lutheran teaching, the tremendously rich worship life and fellowship greatly strengthened me for the mission in Scandinavia. “I have never been so clear as to my identity as a pastor as now, after the time in Fort Wayne. I think back with gratitude to Dr. Nagel’s deep teaching on the pastoral office. I find this tremendously helpful in facing the challenges in Sweden.” This year Rev. Appell divides his time between serving as a circuit rider and as admissions counselor for LSTG. “We have a great need for more pastors and a deeper evangelical Lutheran foundation,” he notes. “My role is to help recruit students for LSTG. I am also hopeful that many of our students will be able to continue their studies in Fort Wayne.” Concordia Theological Seminary has worked closely with LSTG for many years, with CTS faculty visiting for lectures and mini- courses. Many of the LSTG faculty have also benefited from intensives and other short stays in Fort Wayne. Currently, CTS and LSTG are exploring additional cooperation that would enable more Scandinavian students to pursue, especially, the S.T.M. program. “By equipping me, and hopefully many other fellow Scandinavian pastors,” Rev. Appell observes, “CTS is doing missions to the far north.” Dr. Chris Barnekov hosts Scandinavian students studying at Concordia Theological Seminary, one of which was Rev. Jakob Appell, featured on the cover. JULY 2008 13 Circuit Rider By Dr. Chris Barnekov