ELCA and The Accompaniment Model

In the early 1990's, Lutheran Health Care Bangladesh (LHCB) began as a concept developed between the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA)Division of Global Mission and a very motivated group of Lutherans in Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN. The vision was to engage in mission work in the Muslim world. The overwhelming need in southern Bangladesh was recognized and LHCB was born.The original support for LHCB work was jointly provided by a consortium of ELCA churches in the Twin Cities and by ELCA Global Mission. Missionaries Ed and Karen Scott familiar with Bangladesh culture and business practice, were on site during the early years to help get the program work started and oversee the construction of the original LHCB buildings in Dumki.

In 2004, a Board of Trustees was established in Bangladesh to oversee the LHCB-Bangladesh management. This transition was consistent with the ELCA Global Mission missiological vision, the accompaniment model. This model has been embraced by the three partners in mission of LHCB: LHCB-Bangladesh, LHCB-USA, and ELCA-Global Mission.

Accompaniment-literally, walking together side by side- is a mutual relationship between these three groups who walk together in service in God’s mission, much as the disciples experience in Luke 24:13-35 on the road to Emmaus with the accompanying stranger. Today in mission the needs are quite different compared to generations ago. Today we are able to accompany the Bangladeshi Christians in mission, rather than take the lead. We can interact with each other as colleagues, capitalizing on our own individual strengths and characteristics and learning from one another in mutual respect.

In the accompaniment model of mission, “receiving” is as important as “sending”. We recognize in each other special gifts and talents. We strive to be open and appreciative of the gifts of our companions in mission.

Companions in accompaniment:

• Honor one another’s integrity
• Make decisions mutually
• Value their interdependence
• Respect one another’s context, situation, and practical limitations
• Respect one another as interpreters of their own experience
• Are open to new experiences, new information, and in some cases, conflicting values
• Emphasize relationship over resources
• Acknowledge one another’s gifts
• Practice transparency in all matter
• Confirm that each companion has primary responsibility for mission in its own area

The future is bright for LHCB, both in Bangladesh and in the USA, as we work together to help God’s children in southern Bangladesh. We look forward to maintaining our strong bond with the ELCA-Global Mission and to building relationships with other companion organizations.