Guinea Christian did not distinguish between inner attitudes and outward expression; attitudes must become visible acts. Repentance needs an outward demonstration of doing penance. The importance of church discipline is to help restore the relation of the sinner to the community. The Western individualistic approach is not applicable to the communal understanding of life in New Guinea. Reconciliation in a Melanesian context extends to God and the fellow Christian.
Strauss was an excellent expert whose deep understanding of the highland people is revealed in his anthropological studies. Remarkably, in this account Strauss does not opt for an approach following the New Testament proclamation of the gospel of forgiveness and justification by faith and grace alone, but recommends a stronger preaching of the prophetic law exposing sin and a tight Christian social order.
The report of missionary Hannemann from 1962 confirms this understanding of sin and law among the Lutherans.124 Adultery is regarded as the most serious sin, while indifference against God’s word is considered a minor wrong. The law is outward and not inward. The necessity of God’s forgiveness is not accepted. Many confessions are quite selective, or without a feeling of remorse.
The Lutheran Church experienced a phenomenal growth from 100,000 members in 1950 to 1,001,000 in 2000. However, after declaring autonomy in 1976 under Bishop Zurewe, signs of a crisis became more visible. The church had difficulties coping with many social changes, though Bishop Zurewe introduced new missions and established new districts. Urban migration destroyed village communities and their traditional discipline. New values were introduced through Western lifestyle, films, and videos. The Lutheran schools became more secularized. In the late 1950s and 1960s the Australian government enforced English-speaking schools which were controlled by the government, while the church maintained the tok ples (local vernacular) schools.
The time of mass conversion was over, but the second step of individual growth of faith did not always follow. We can note these changes for instance in the use of sacraments and rituals. According to a report of missionary Hans Flierl from 1968,125 14 percent of the baptized adults (208,000 at that time) were not confirmed. Reasons included the return of “animistic heathendom” and growing secularism. He also identified a lack of educational material, an outdated pedagogy, and a lack of post-confirmation instruction. Holy Communion could not replace the significance of baptism, because it was rare, and often linked with magical beliefs. Personal confession before Holy Communion had lost its seriousness, because serious sins were hidden.
What was regarded as the fruit of the gospel—peace, the new social order, the roads which connected the congregations, schools, and hospitals—could now be accessed apart from the church. The fear of the missionaries at Tatura had become true.
Most congregations had stopped supporting evangelists and church workers. This was handled by the districts. Only the youth and the women started their own mission work. “As more and more emphasis is now being placed on church structure and clericalism, congregations are becoming mere ‘observers of the show.’”126 The structures of the church—with its circuits, districts, and the National Church headquarters in Lae—reflected a conflict between a Western organization and the Melanesian way of doing things. The structures were regarded as having magic power to provide all necessary means.127
The crisis was further highlighted in the 1977 fact finding survey (FFS), in which 160 evangelists, pastors, elders, students, and church leaders were interviewed using questionnaires about six topics: worship and congregational activities; the work of congregations in towns; community involvement of the church; church financing; cooperation between congregations, circuits, districts, and the national head office; and church leadership. Editor Theodor Ahrens summarized the findings as follows:128
1. Elders, pastors and missionaries are facing far-reaching problems of role insecurity. Their roles are not clear to themselves nor to others. Hence they often have difficulties responding to the expectations which people have towards them.
2. The information provided about congregations indicates a crisis of motivation and Christian identity . . . 80% . . . express a desire to change forms of worship. . . . This crisis expresses itself in attitudes towards Christian giving . . .
3. Particularly in urban areas as a focal point of social change the church and its workers often fail to meet people where they are and deal with their problems.
4. Circuits, districts and the national church . . . seem to have become an organizational purpose in themselves, without much relevant communication—in terms of an apostolic vision.
In all areas of the church, the survey revealed symptoms of crisis: in many congregations confirmation and youth work was regarded as either ineffective or absent (16); likewise pastoral visits (18). The churches in towns were unsuccessful in combating vices such as wasting money, fighting, drunkenness, and gambling (22–23), and they did not sufficiently unite the people (25); 40 percent appreciated the services and meetings of the church, but a majority thought that the church did not address the problems properly in its services and work so that the gospel was not relevant (58–60). Less than one-third of the people identified themselves with a Christian way of life (80). The Lutheran identity was unclear (81). Cargo cults were present in many areas, but nearly 70 percent did not know what to think of them (57, 77).
There was a major problem with church finance, in terms of a growing unwillingness to give offerings to the church, and lack of support for pastors and the higher administration (100). Thus there was a shortage of money at all levels, especially in the congregations and the payment of church workers (108). A majority complained that the church did not help those with economic problems (70).
Traditionally, the elders hold the leadership in the congregation (182–89). They are responsible for the attendance at services, counseling and problem solving, keeping the community together, organizing the offerings, and in some places also hearing confessions (182). However, few young people were among the elders, indicating the growing gap between the generations. The majority of elders did not receive any formal Christian education, so they were mainly trying to preserve the old ways though with little enthusiasm (184). There were often conflicts with the pastors about status in the congregation. The work of a pastor (190–200) was to administer the sacraments, preach, and counsel, in that order. Because of poor financial support, the majority of pastors were busy with other jobs (197).
The Lutheran Church established an elaborate structure following the model of the European church. The survey revealed that this structure failed to be efficient and created communication gaps. The circuits were created by the missionaries. Many complained about lack of finance, lack of support from local congregations, and lack of cooperation (115–28). The district should foster cooperation of circuits; develop, visit, assist, and supervise church workers in the circuit and congregation; and supervise district schools. Again, the majority expressed disappointment about the work of the district leader and poor financial support, while district leaders complained about the lack of support from the circuits (134–54). The national church headquarters in Lae were seen as being occupied with external affairs (overseas and government); their relationships with districts, circuits, and congregations were regarded as problematic (155–77).
This 1977 survey highlighted a crisis at different levels. Only a minority regarded the church as relevant to their life. The distance of many members was indicated by their lack of commitment and poor financial support. The church no longer united the community, and evangelism projects failed as a result of lack of manpower and congregational support. Allegations of misuse of money paralyzed the different levels of the hierarchy. Former mission inspector Gernot Fugmann summarized it as follows: “We see the church fully occupied with its organizational problems, constitutions, guidelines, finances and the issue of localization,” unconcerned with the “large number of nominal, uncommitted, baptized members” who lack a feeling of
