Passion for the church and the world

The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Asia region comprises 54 member churches bringing together over 12 million members in 17 countries. Each member church engages in holistic mission, preaches the Gospel, serves their communities and advocates on behalf of the marginalized.

The communion in Asia is evolving and developing a regional flavour that expresses the unique sentiments and values of the Asian church. This is a diverse and growing church. Working wth other networks, it promotes sustainability and a collaborative holistic mission.

Communion relationships

In recent times, the Lutheran communion in Asia has been strengthened in its collaborative holistic mission efforts by learning and sharing together.  The common search for and development of an Asian Lutheran identity has forged strong links between member churches, which has further developed the communion into a close-knit fellowship.

The formation of fora and networks is the newest strategy to facilitate mutual accompaniment, especially of smaller churches. The latter receive more focused support from the LWF’s Asia Desk and from mission partners.

Minority churches

In the face of challenging ethnic, cultural and social environments, some small and struggling churches with limited capacity struggle to survive. Minority churches can be found across the region in tribal and religious settings, mainly in south west Asia (India, Nepal and Bangladesh) among the Adivas, as well as the Mekong region of Myanmar. Many Lutheran churches in parts of South East Asia and North East Asia also operate in a minority environment.

67 percent of LWF member churches are in Asia
Asian Lutherans number over 12 million
in which member churches are present
building church capacity and helping people in need