Events

International Ecumenical Seminar

Summer Seminar

Since 1966, the Institute has offered annual Summer Seminars in Strasbourg to share the findings and breakthroughs of the ecumenical movement with a wider audience. Over the course of more than five decades, the Summer Seminars have explored an incredibly rich range of subjects, from Mary, liturgy, and the sacraments to ethics, church-state relations, and mission. Participants from Europe and farther abroad gather for a week of lectures offered by specialists in their fields, as well as daily prayer, shared meals, and an outing into the Alsatian countryside, complete with wine tasting and museum visiting.

Summer Seminar 2023: "Communion of Churches"

Summer Seminars

International Ecumenical Seminar 2023

16.11.2023 | General, Summer Seminars

In recent years, the International Ecumenical Summer Seminar could either not take place at all due to the pandemic or had to be held as an online event – with all the advantages and disadvantages that this form entails.

55th International Ecumenical Seminar 2023 on the topic of „Communion of Churches“

11.01.2023 | Summer Seminars, Summer Seminars

Dates: July 5 - 12, 2023, in Strasbourg. In the Apostles' Creed, we confess that we believe in the “communion of saints.” But we also speak of a "communion of ...

54th International Ecumenical Seminar

16.04.2021 | General, Summer Seminars

Modern societies are pluralistic – not only, but also, in a religious sense. The three great monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam in particular often occur within the same countries and live together. ...

53rd International Ecumenical Seminar 2019: Doctrine divides - Spirituality unites?

10.09.2019 | Summer Seminars

The topic of this yeaar's International Ecumenical Seminar organized by the Institute for Ecumenical Reserch in Strasbourg from July 3 to 10 was: "Doctrine divides - Spirituality unites". ...

Study Course

“To be Lutheran is to be ecumenical." This is how the Lutheran World Federation formulates this prominent self-commitment of Lutheran identity. In contrast, ecumenical theology is rarely taught at universities or theological training centers to the degree that it is needed.

Therefore, the Ecumenical Institute offers an "Ecumenical Study Course" at regular intervals. The target group is Lutheran theologians, usually pastors or advanced students with a good knowledge of Lutheran theology. Endorsement by one’s church is a prerequisite for participation.

The study course introduces the basic questions of ecumenism on the one hand, and the theory and practice of the dialogues on the other, by means of texts and the results of dialogues significant in recent ecumenical history -- in most of which the Institute has been involved -- and reflects on them against the background of Lutheran theology and the experiences of the participants.

The exchange about one's own ecumenical experiences and the situation in one’s home church is an important part of the study course, which thus contributes not only to the theological work but also to the interconnectedness of the worldwide communion of the LWF.

Seminar „Studying Luther in Wittenberg”

In cooperation with the Institute for Ecumenical Research, the LWF Center in Wittenberg offers a two-week "Studying Luther in Wittenberg" seminar every November. The idea is to bring together a limited group (maximum 20) of Lutheran pastors from around the world to be a living study community getting to know Martin Luther’s theology better through his writings and discussing what his message means today in the Lutheran churches of the world.