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The Northeastern Evangelical Lutheran Church in South Africa proclaims, witnesses and shares the Good News of God's Grace in Jesus Christ.
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Why we are Lutheran?
Warum wir Lutheraner sind?
Hoekom behoort ons aan die Lutherse KerK?

Bishop's Post
October / November 2025

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"For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these
members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many,
form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."
(Romans 12:4–5)
Our Synod for 2025 has come to an end. We have listened, debated,
prayed, and made decisions. The theme that guided our Synod was
“Rooted and Re-forming.” These two words speak deeply to who we are as
people of God. Rooted reminds us that our faith stands firm in Jesus
Christ, in the Scriptures, in the promises of God that do not change.
Reforming reminds us that God’s Spirit is always at work, shaping us anew, challenging us to respond to
the needs of today, and calling us to continual growth.
Paul’s words in Romans 12 help us to see what this means for the life of the church. The church is not a
collection of isolated individuals or congregations. We are members of one body – Christ’s body. Each part
of the body has its role, its calling, its gift. None can say to the other: “I have no need of you.”
When we gathered at Synod, we saw this truth lived out. Different voices, different concerns, different
perspectives were present. Just as our physical bodies are alive when blood flows and nerves send
signals, so too is the church alive when gifts and voices interact, challenge, and encourage one another.
Now that Synod is over, the real work continues. The delegates who represented your congregations will
bring reports back, sharing the discussions, the decisions, and the way forward. This is an important
moment for every congregation: to hear not only what was decided, but also to join in carrying out the
vision and responsibilities we share as one body.
Paul does not end with calling us “one body.” He immediately adds: “Each member belongs to all the
others.” (Romans 12:5) This is not only a beautiful thought – it is a demanding one. It means that we cannot
live only for ourselves, our own congregation, or our own comfort. We belong to one another. The joys of
one are joys for all; the struggles of one are struggles for all.
This belonging calls us into a way of life shaped by Christ’s love:
 To pray for one another, even when we disagree.
 To carry one another’s burdens, even when they feel far away from our daily lives.
 To seek unity, not uniformity, knowing that diversity of gifts is God’s plan for His church.
The Synod has given us direction and tasks, but above all it has reminded us of our shared calling: to live
as the body of Christ in this world – rooted in Him, and reforming in response to His Spirit.
May the God of peace, who has bound us together in Christ, give us strength for this journey. Let us go
forward with courage, knowing that each one of us belongs – to Christ, and to each other.
Theodor Jäckel

WATCHWORD 2025

Test them all; hold on to what is good.
1 Thessalonians 5 21
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Email: ministryanddiscipleship
@nelcsa.net
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