Mauro Batista de Souza

Dr Mauro Batista de Souza is the Second Vice-President of the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil (IECLB). The 56 years old works as a consultant for world mission and ecumenism. He studied theology at the Faculdades EST School of Theology, Brazil (1990-1997) and subsequently obtained a doctorate from the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA, United States of America (1999-2004).

Why is ELM important to you?

The Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil (IECLB) sees itself as part of the worldwide Christian community and in a very special way as part of the Protestant family. It is present and active mainly in Brazil, but its prayers, fraternal relationships and partnerships extend to different parts of the world.

The Evangelical Lutheran Mission in Lower Saxony (ELM) is very important to the IECLB. It is one of our oldest and most beautiful partnerships. The ELM represents and lives the thesis that a partnership must be based on equality, reciprocity and close ties. We experience this very concretely when we participate in working groups and prepare  topics for multilateral consultations. We also experience this in the sincere way in which we promote communication on both sides.

The experiences and experiences of both organisations, ELM and IECLB, have flowed together many times over the decades. Therefore, the 175th anniversary of the ELM and the 200th anniversary of the IECLB are a reason to thank God and celebrate.

What role does the missionary organisation play for you as a "partner in mission"?

The ELM is an important partner in mission. The experience it has gained through its work in various fields and countries offers the IECLB numerous opportunities for growth. Through dialogue on burning and important issues, we invite each other to broaden horizons and break down theological and institutional barriers that may hinder the work of the Holy Spirit. The exchange of people (pastors, volunteers, young people) enables us to experience and share different forms of spirituality, prayer, witness and diakonia.

The financial capacity of the ELM and its dedicated support of projects has enabled many institutions and congregations associated with the IECLB to experience the partnership in a very tangible way. Even more important is the understanding that we are working together in the mission of God, which is to reconcile the world and make people what they were created to be - people capable of dialogue, of respect, of living in peace and justice. The ELM is one of the IECLB's most important partners in supporting missionary and diaconal projects, training and sustainability projects, some of which are submitted by the IECLB church office itself.

What do you hope the mission organisation will do for your church in the future?

We would like to continue to count on the ELM as an important partner in the future. The IECLB will continue to be an ecumenical church that unites with others in prayer, in communicating Christian ethics and values and in missionary and diaconal action. The exchange of experience and theological and practical knowledge that is possible in the partnership relationship is very important so that the IECLB can be the church God wants it to be. Through the ELM, we feel a bit of a presence where the ELM is active. We hope that this is similar for the ELM in relation to the IECLB and Brazil.

In which areas should the mission organisation get involved?

We believe that the ELM can get involved in all areas that concern the defence of life and the rights of people and other forms of life. The gap in political and economic power between the countries of the North and the Global South is widening. Instead of making progress, we are going backwards. The result is that in the age of knowledge and artificial intelligence, forced migration of people fleeing unemployment, hunger and war is increasing in large numbers. We are allowing unjust systems to create billionaires at the expense of millions of people who have little or nothing.

We hope that the ELM will contribute to echoing the cries for help of oppressed peoples - indigenous peoples, peoples with African roots, peoples who survive with little land to farm, peoples who labour for very low wages. We hope that the ELM will promote sensitivity and the formation of their own opinions among the people whose position allows them to resolutely oppose global injustices. We hope that the ELM will continue its awareness-raising work to encourage its network of contacts to invest in economically fair, socially democratic and environmentally sustainable projects. And that it always considers gender, racial and environmental justice in everything it does.

What else you would like to say to the mission organisation:

The IECLB is very grateful to the ELM and the churches behind it. Our partnership strengthens us. It makes us realise that we walk hand in hand in many ways. We are a mature church that is aware of its presence in Brazil and is trying to become more and more involved in the cultural and contextual diversity of Brazil. But our relationship with the cradle of Lutheranism and European immigration remains important to us. The ELM can help us to assess what of these relationships is still valid and where we can develop further.

What is your church particularly committed to?

The IECLB is committed to the liberating gospel of Jesus Christ and all that this entails. In its constitution, the IECLB declares that its mission is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ by encouraging people to live it personally in the family and in the community and to promote peace, justice and love in Brazilian society and in the world. In addition, the IECLB has the vision of being seen as a church of attractive, inclusive and missionary congregations that act in fidelity to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and are characterised by their witness to God's love, their service in support of human dignity and respect for creation.

The IECLB has defined five priority missionary goals for the period from 2019 to 2024. They reflect the vision of what the IECLB sees as its calling from God during this time. The IECLB wants to be:

• A church that values the universal priesthood, empowering people and deepening their faith for their witness in the church and in the world.

• An open church that proclaims the gospel in a contextualised way for all people and God's creation.

• An attractive and welcoming church that reflects and embraces the diversity in its congregations.

• A church that is committed to justice, peace and reconciliation and promotes a life of dignity.

• A synodal church, well-governed, democratic, transparent, connected and sustainable.

 

The Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil

Year of foundation: 1824

Number of members: 630,000

Number of pastors: 1,200 active and retired pastors in the four ordained ministries: pastoral, diaconal, catechetical and missionary.