You might be wondering by now what all these rules and regulations have to do with being a 'community of faith'. It's important to understand the two 'facets' of the LCANZ.

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Firstly, we are part of the body of Christ throughout the world and all time: not totally visible or tangible!  In the present, we are also part of the 87 million Christians around the world who call themselves 'Lutheran'. What makes us Lutheran is that we agree on certain basic teachings or doctrines that were drawn up over many years as the Lutheran Church developed centuries ago.

 

Secondly, we are also a tangible organisation of people predominantly living in Australia and New Zealand who are recorded as members of the Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand. By Australian law, any  organisation in Australia is required to be registered as an incorporated entity, that has a Constitution and set of By-laws outlining it's structure, office holders and their roles, and the rules of management (governance) of that organisation.

 

​At CoGs, voting that relates to governance needs to reach a simple majority of over 50% to be passed: since 1984 voting that relates to doctrine needs to reach a 2/3 majority.