LM-A Women of Faith Groups

Lutheran Mission - Australia earnestly seeks to enrich women’s daily walk with God by nurturing Women of Faith Groups for women of all ages. LM-A wants to foster a coming together of women in their congregations, nurturing relationships, fostering a deep sense of belonging, and cultivating connectedness as members of the body of Christ Romans 12:4-5 . God created us to be in relationship with Him and each other; what a blessing this is!

‍Women play a vital role in our Church as carers and nurturers who positively influence their families, live out their God-given vocations, and serve the wider community with compassion.

We value and affirm the many roles women hold - as wives, mothers, grandmothers, daughters, sisters, friends, and colleagues - and recognise the unique contributions they make in each sphere of life. We are committed to supporting and encouraging women as they participate and serve across their families, workplaces, and educational settings 1 Thessalonians 5:11.

During the recent International Lutheran Council World Conference in the Philippines, Pastor Matt Anker had a chance to sit down with Bishop Emile Nkurunziza from Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church in Burundi (HELCB). They recorded a video interview in which Bishop Emile reported on the rapid growth of HELCB, the many projects they are engaged in and the vision for the future.

HELCB was first registered in 2017. Beginning with two congregations, they now have six congregations across every province of Burundi, and 3000 baptised members. As their government requires that churches must own their own buildings and cannot rent or borrow premises, the church has worked hard to build six churches and has two more land plots ready to build on.

Bishop Emile says, ‘So concerning the Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church in Burundi, we really thank God for what he's doing. God is amazing. He is always good. All the time, God is good.’

“What a beautiful thing it is when women come together in their churches and in their homes around the Word of God! As they study the Word and journey life together, they are moved to an outward-looking lens of how they can share the gospel with others, having an impact for the kingdom.”

This is what Helen Vonow observed when the Lutheran Women in Mission come together for their 2025 Biannual Convention: ‘Growing in God’s Grace’ (2 Peter 3:18), on June 26–29, in Omaha, Nebraska.

On 7-8 June, Dr Stephen Pietsch led a wonderful weekend of learning and mutual encouragement at the ‘Before Christ and the World - What it means to be a confessional Lutheran’ Seminar, which was held at St John’s Lutheran Church in Tanunda SA. The event was attended by approximately 100 people, with a large number of people viewing the livestream.

The seminar began with an opening responsive prayer service, led by Pastor Lee van Rossen, and a warm welcome on a very cold, wet day from Pastor Mathew Ker, who acted as MC throughout the weekend.

Dr Pietsch began the seminar by exploring why Christians have confessed their faith since the very earliest days of the church, what confessing actually means, and why “confessing the faith clearly and openly teaching the doctrines of Scripture is an essential calling of all Christians, and is according to Luther, a ‘mark of the church’, that it teaches, confesses and proclaims the word of God.”

After a sumptuous morning tea, provided by Barossa Lutheran Mission who were our hosts for the weekend, participants returned for the second session, in which Dr Pietsch focused in on the Lutheran Confessions, discussing the context in which they were developed and why they continue to be the confession of the Lutheran church almost 500 years later. As Dr Pietsch explained, the Confessions “clearly express the whole witness of Scripture which is the rule and norm for our teaching and practice.” He emphasised that the Bible is the “norm of norms” - the overarching authority under which the Confessions sit.

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” John 20:21 

They probably thought that we had lost our minds. I guess it was partly true. Maybe not lost, but certainly a seismic change was happening in our lives, and it could not remain hidden. What could our families think as we were buying dozens of Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation, and with excitement beaming from our faces, handing them out to our extended family and friends? What has happened to this couple?! 

That was our first experience of partaking in the Great Commission as that well known fisherman John recorded for us: “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” (John 20:21, see also Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24 and Acts 1). At that time, we didn’t even know much about the Great Commission, we didn’t know that we were called and sent to proclaim repentance and forgiveness, to make disciples, or to be witnesses of Jesus Christ. But we had just heard the Gospel, the Good News, the amazing news. Something that was turning our lives and world upside down.  

Pastor Guntars Baikovs reflects on his own experiences and how God calls every member of his body to the Great Commission.

Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.

John 21:4-6; ESV

Did you have an enjoyable Easter? For most Christians it’s a wonderful time of year, celebrating the joy of Jesus’ resurrection and the hope it brings us with hymns, fellowship and food. But what happens now? How has Easter changed you? Has it changed you?

Gone fishing

It seems somewhat ironic to me that, shortly after the first Easter, the disciples are to be found back at the Sea of Galilee fishing for fish (and unsuccessfully at that). This is ironic because, when Jesus first called those who were fishermen by trade, He told them they would fish for people (see e.g. Luke 5:1-11). Yet, in today’s reading it appears that Easter had not changed the disciples. Instead of “fishing for people” by sharing the Good News of the Resurrection, as Jesus commissioned them to do on Easter Sunday (John 20:21-23), they return to the comfort and familiarity of their old life in the backwater of Galilee.

Now, while this reaction is understandable due to our common human frailty, it isn’t what Jesus had called the disciples to do. For the sake of the people yet to be “caught” by the Gospel, He needed the disciples to leave their old life behind and tell others about the resurrection. But note how Jesus doesn’t berate them for their choices. Instead of criticism, Jesus comes to the disciples a third time and equips them again for their calling. He instructs them (showing, in the process, that His Word can be trusted by providing a miraculous catch), feeds them personally with breakfast, and then commissions them anew to tend and feed His sheep in turn (John 21:15-19). (Note that this text is also one of the reasons Lutherans like using the title of “pastor”, which comes from the Latin for “shepherd”.)

Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

Lutheran Mission - Australia takes mission very seriously. First and foremost, we want to fulfil Jesus’ Great Commission - to help in the great work of all Christians to make disciples, sharing God’s love and grace with all the world.

Even though we are just beginning our journey as a church, we are conscious that we have been richly blessed as a church and as individuals with support and material goods. Just as we have received wonderful support from our brothers and sisters around the world, we want to begin as we mean to go on - by passing on those blessings to others, both here in Australia and overseas.

The LM-A Committee of Management has voted to become mission partners of a remarkable group of Lutherans serving the Lord in Burundi. Burundi is a land locked country in East Africa which has suffered from its own internal conflicts, as well as the being severely impacted by the fallout from conflict in surrounding countries such as Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This has certainly contributed to the reality that Burundi has long been one of the poorest countries in the world.