As I review a pile of papers and reports, I realize that much of the "Assembly" work took place before anyone arrived in Stuttgart. There were pre-assembly meetings in each of the LWf's seven regions. Another meeting was for women, and there was one for youth. (I got to that one, in Dresden, the week before the Assembly opened. Fine young people indeed.)
All participants had Bible study materials and theme guides far in advance.
Delegations met and reviewed Assembly materials.
The Assembly has been quite lacking in anything like the "politics" often present at church conventions and assemblies. Thus far, the discussions in plenary have simply been on how to make Assembly resolutions better, or more precise, or to add a related concern rather than to offer a "substitute motion" or to oppose the proposal.
Some things did occur behind the scenes. Often the LWF president is elected from the host country. As noted upstream, Bishop Margot Kassman might have been the first woman president. Or Bishop Maria Jepsen might have been nominated. But their resignations from their posts made that impossible.
A coalition of women decided not to put forward another candidate, and Bishop Younan had been favored for a long time.
There was considerable applause for out-going General Secretary Ishmael Noko and the speech from the new general secretary, Martin Junge, received a standing ovation.
As usual, I am humbled by the facility of so many people in multiple languages. I can manage German and understand a good bit of French, though I reach for the interpreter headset when things are complex. (Interpretation in Spanish and English is also provided and documents are given out in four languages.) But at coffee breaks and meals, I encounter people shifting easily from one to another of the European languages and - in the case of the Africans and Asians - conversing in the tongues of their homeland. (Ditto for the Nordics, who have realized for decades that no one speaks Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish or Danish.)
Read the materials on the Mennonite reconciliation. Those of us who have not had much contact with Mennonites may not realize how significant this action was in some parts of the world.
It is also clear that the Assembly treats theology as an incarnate "earthy" matter. That is, there are the reports from some ecumenical dialogues and other materials of the sort one finds at academic conferences or in theological seminaries. But as a whole the Assembly uses Lutheran categories - justification by faith, priesthood of all believers, sola scriptura, etc. - in ways intended to connect those theological concepts directly to the lives of believers and to see how the experiences of the believers inform our understanding of Lutheran theology.
The "communio" language seems to have taken hold, as there are more frequent references to the Lutheran "communion," indicating a theological and eucharistic fellowship rather than a loose linking of church organizations.
Today, finalization of the "Assembly Message," sort of a pastoral letter to member churches, and a closing Eucharist. I am writing the story about the message, but I still hope to get to the closing Eucharist and post a few comments here.
Pray that the Spirit continues to bless your fellow Lutherans from around the world and that - as we set off tomorrow - there are (I love this term, which is Methodist, I think) traveling mercies.
