“I am freed from church walls and freed for service in community,” said Monica Villarreal, pastor redeveloper of Salem Lutheran Church in Flint, Mich.
Answering the questions, “What are you freed from? What are you freed for?” was Villarreal’s introduction to the Global Young Reformers Network. Launched by The Lutheran World Federation (LWF), the network is one component of the organization’s observance of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation in 2017. The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran tradition. The ELCA is the only U.S. member church of the communion.
Villarreal and other under-30 pastors and lay leaders on the Global Young Reformers Network steering committee – from Namibia, Sweden, Ethiopia, Germany, Latvia and Singapore – are inviting young Lutherans into this new network to celebrate their roots, claim their identity and continue the Reformation.
Under the theme “Freed by God’s Love to Change the World,” young leaders from many countries are gathering through online platforms and face-to-face events. In the U.S., discussions about freedom and faith animated participants at the 2015 ELCA Youth Gathering in Detroit.
Eventually the network will include representatives from every member church of the LWF. Drawing on their gifts, voice and passion, the young reformers will create and lead “Living Reformation” projects that demonstrate “ecclesia semper reformanda” – the church in ongoing reformation.
“Our vision is to grow communion in the community of young people grounded in the Lutheran tradition,” Villarreal said. “Our church may have started in Germany, but it is a global expression today.”
As Villarreal has watched her Flint congregation open up to newcomers and welcome change, she has seen the connection between reformation and renewal.
“Seeking the work of the Spirit does mean change,” she said. “I think the LWF is open to challenging itself around the Reformation, and this is a chance for young people to shape that on a worldwide level.”
This story was first published in the 2015-16 edition of Stories of Faith in Action, an annual ELCA publication highlighting how Mission Support – a portion of your offering that is sent to your synod and churchwide organization – is making a difference in the U.S. and around the world.
