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Venezuelan Lutherans reelect president

by | Nov 22, 2023

ILV President Eduardo Flores (centre) and other members of the Venezuelan church’s newly elected Administrative Council. Photo: ILV.
Rev. Flores is installed as ILV president. Photo: ILV.

VENEZUELA – In November, the Lutheran Church of Venezuela (Iglesia Luterana de Venezuela – ILV) held its 60th plenary assembly in Puerto Ordaz, Guayana City, during which time the church reelected Eduardo Flores to another term as president.

“‘Here I am.’ That’s the only thing I can say after God, speaking through His church, has made me pastor-president,” said President Flores. “I am completely sure that, just as God has previously defended His Church and this servant from the darkness and traps of the evil one, He will continue to do so over the next four years. Now we have to work, and let us do it according to our national motto: ‘In Christ united to serve.’ May God bless His church.”

President Flores was first elected to serve as president of the ILV during the church’s 59th plenary assembly in 2019. Prior to that, he served as vice president of the church. President Flores further serves as pastor of Iglesia La Santa Trinidad in Caracas. He was first ordained in 2008.

Participants in the ILV’s plenary assembly. Photo: ILV.

The plenary assembly also saw the election of Rev. Abel Garcia as vice president of the ILV, as well as elections for other positions on the church’s Administrative Council.

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ILC Latin America regional conference meets in Mexico

by | Jan 31, 2022

Participants in the ILC’s 2021 Latin America regional conference.

MEXICO – The conference of the International Lutheran Council’s (ILC) Latin America Region met in Mexico City from December 2-5, 2021, following delays due to the pandemic.

ILC General Secretary Timothy Quill addresses the Latin America regional conference.

The conference brought together representatives from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Argentina; the Christian Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bolivia; the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil; the Confessional Lutheran Church of Chile; the Lutheran Church of Guatemala; the Lutheran Synod of Mexico; the Lutheran Church of Panama; the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Paraguay; the Evangelical Lutheran Church-Peru; the Lutheran Church of Uruguay; and the Lutheran Church of Venezuela. The ILC’s General Secretary Timothy Quill and Assistant to the General Secretary Roger James were also present, as were a number of other guests.

Theological presentations were given on two themes: 1) “The Confessional Orthodox Lutheran Role in a Heterodox and Subjective Context” (Prof. Dr. Clóvis Prunzel of Concordia Seminary in Sao Leopoldo, Brazil); and 2) “Pastoral Vocation: Lack, Stimuli, and Contextual Factors” (Prof. Dr. Sergio Schelske of Concordia Seminary in Buenos Aires, Argentina). Discussion centered on two areas: 1) the need to recruit a larger number of pastoral candidates; and 2) unique challenges related to opening new missions in each country.

IELA President Arturo Truenow and ILC-Chile President Juan Pablo Lanterna sign a protocol agreement between their two church bodies.

During the conference, the Christian Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bolivia officially announced its intention to seek full membership in the ILC after more than a decade as an Associate Member. Other noteworthy events included the signing of a mutual cooperation protocol between the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Argentina (IELA) and the Confessional Church of Chile (ILC-Chile).

The gathering also celebrated the forthcoming publication of a new Lutheran hymnal in Spanish after fifteen years of work. The hymnal will be welcomed into use throughout Spanish-speaking countries in the region, as well as in other parts of the world.

“It was a great meeting, since it was finally possible to overcome the challenges that have delayed celebrating this moment due to the current pandemic,” noted President Juan Pablo Lanterna of the Confessional Lutheran Church of Chile. “It should be counted as a historic moment.”

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From a report by ILC-Chile President Juan Pablo Lanterna

Former president of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela murdered

by | Dec 18, 2019

Rev. Luis Coronado. (Photo: Johanna Heidorn, ILV social media.)

VENEZUELA – The Lutheran Church of Venezuela (Iglesia Luterana de Venezuela – ILV) has announced that their former president, Rev. Luis Gregorio Coronado, has been murdered.

Rev. Coronado was reported missing on December 12. He was found deceased, with his hands and feet bound, on December 16 in a vacant missionary residence building owned by the church.

“The blood of a saint cries out,” the Venezuelan church wrote, announcing his death. “His work for both the local and national church was faithful and constant…. As a national church, we thank God for his service, his friendship, and his love.”

Rev. Coronado was elected to a two-year term as President of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela in November 2009. He had previously served the ILV as Vice President, and was pastor of Lutheran Church Fountain of Life (Iglesia Luterana Fuento de Vida) in Puerto Ordaz (Guayana City) for more than two decades. At the time of his death, Rev. Coronado was also serving as Pastoral Counsellor for southern Venezuela.

Rev. Coronado is survived by his wife and three children.

The ILV issued a prayer remembering Rev. Coronado and asking comfort for his family which reads in part:

“O God of grace and glory, we remember our pastor who is now in your eternal presence. We thank You for making him a shepherd of your flock, and for giving us the opportunity to know him as your servant in our pilgrimage on earth. In your kind compassion, comfort the Coronado family and your church in these moments of grief. Give us faith to see that death is the door to eternal life, so that with confidence we can continue our journey here on earth, until You call us to meet with those who have gone in the faith before us—through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.”

The Lutheran Church of Venezuela is a member of the International Lutheran Council, a global association of confessional Lutheran church bodies.

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