From September 14 to 19, the 28th World Conference of the International Lutheran Council (ILC) was held on Panglao Island, Philippines. The conference was attended by over 130 representatives from more than 60 churches.
The Ingrian Church is a full member of this organization. Our Church was represented by bishop Ivan Laptev and general secretary pastor Evgeny Raskatov.
This year’s theme was Unity in Christ: Confession and Cooperation in a Fragmented World. Unlike more liberal associations, the International Lutheran Council brings together confessional churches, emphasizing the importance of doctrinal purity and missionary service in the modern world.
The delegation of the Ingrian Church presented a report titled Mission in Modern Post-Christian Europe. Is It Possible? Bishop Ivan Laptev outlined the work pursued by the Ingrian church. He noted that the Reformation sought to bring Christ to people by preaching the Gospel in the language of the people. In the same way, he said, the church’s challenge is to ask today: “What is the language of preaching for our post-Christian society?” He went on to highlight stories of outreach in the Ingrian church. In one example, he noted that the church had been given the opportunity to use a historic church building no longer in use. In an attempt to speak through “the language of images” to unchurched people in the region, they used that space to set up elaborate biblical exhibits—on creation, on the Passion, and more—which drew great interest in the community, bringing people into the church. While an investment, these same exhibits have also been able to be used in other community with similar results. This has led naturally to offering introductory classes on the faith, with 80 percent of those participating between the ages of 18-35. “The language of images has been very helpful to us in preaching the Gospel,” bishop Laptev concluded.
At the conference, six new churches were accepted as full members of the Council. Among them are the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul (Kazakhstan) and the Istanbul Lutheran Church / Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bulgaria.
We maintain warm, friendly, and cooperative relations with the Church in Kazakhstan. Lutheranism appeared in Kazakhstan in the mid-18th century in the northwest of the country, a result of the state policy of the Russian Empire to attract foreign colonists. After the severe persecutions of the Soviet era, local Lutherans of German descent invited representatives of the LCMS to support their ministry. In 2016, when a cooperation agreement was signed, our teachers conducted a module of the initial theology course in Almaty. With the launch of the bachelor’s degree correspondence program at the Theological Institute, the President of the Church, pastor Alexander Burtsev, and pastor Alexei Schastlivy joined the studies. Lectures were given by instructors from Kazakhstan and members of the Church of Ingria who traveled to Almaty or taught remotely. In 2021, Alexei Schastlivy graduated from the correspondence bachelor’s program, and in 2024, Alexander Kaus graduated. Pastor Alexei Schastlivy currently serves the Borisoglebsk parish (Voronezh region) of the Church of Ingria.
In 2013, the Church of Ingria signed a cooperation agreement with the Istanbul Lutheran Church, expressing a desire to support the ministry of preaching the Gospel in Turkey and Bulgaria. The churches have much in common. For instance, when the Constitution of the Istanbul Lutheran Church was created (a process in which the former general secretary of the Church of Ingria, Isto Pihkala, was actively involved), the Church Regulations of the ELCIR were used as a basis. On April 6, 2025, the cosecration of the bishop of the Istanbul Lutheran Church, Feymi Madjirov, took place. Bishop Ivan Laptev of the Church of Ingria served as the presiding bishop.
