ELCJHL
 Phone:
 972-2-626-6800

 FAX:
 972-2-628.5764

 ADDRESS:
 Muristan Rd.
 P.O. Box 14076
 Jerusalem 91140
 via Israel

Biographical Sketch

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Munib Younan, Bishop

Appointments | Other Assignments | Education | Family | Initiatives | Writings | Awards | Download Word Doc

The Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) is The Rt. Rev. Dr. Munib A. Younan. He was consecrated as the third Palestinian bishop of the ELCJHL on 5 January 1998 at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem in the presence of religious and political leaders from many nations. As the biographical sketch shows, he was educated in Palestine and Finland and has been very active in the Middle East Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation and the Fellowship of the Middle East Evangelical Churches (FMEEC). Bishop Younan made the first translation of the Augsburg Confession into Arabic and was a key initiator of several dialogue initiatives among the three monotheistic religions in Palestine. At present he is Vice President of the Lutheran World Federation, the President of the FMEEC and president of the Board of Managers of the International Christian Committee (ICC) of Jerusalem, serving with the three patriarchs and nine other bishops of Jerusalem.


Appointments
1998 - Present Bishop (Consecrated Jan. 5, 1998)
2007 - Present   Chair of the Board of Al Diyar
2004 - Present   Chair of Abraham's Herberge in Beit Jala
1998 - Present   Chair of Evangelical Lutheran School Board
1990 - 1998   Synod President of the ELCJHL
1984 - 1998   Pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hope, Ramallah
1979 - 1984   Pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Reformation, Beit Jala
1976 - 1979   Assistant Pastor of the Church of Redeemer, Jerusalem
1977 - 1988   Youth pastor of the ELCJHL
1976 - 1997   Teacher and coordinator in Christian Education in Lutheran schools
May 30, 1976 Ordained at the Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem, by Bishop Daoud Haddad
Education
1988 Study and research at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, Illinois
1972 - 1976 Theological study at the University of Helsinki, Finland Graduated with a Master’s Degree; Dissertation: “Election in Deutero Isaiah”
1969 - 1972 Study of Deaconry at Luther Opisto College in Järvenpää, Finland
1968 High School Certificate, the Tawjihi, from Al-Ahlia College, Ramallah
1955 - 1967 Lutheran schools in Jerusalem and Beit Jala
Family

Born 18 September 1950 in Jerusalem to Andria Younan, originating from Beersheba, and Alice Qandalaft from West Jerusalem (both refugees from 1948). Still holder of a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) refugee status card.

Married in 1980 to Suad Yacoub (born 23 Oct 1959) from Haifa, originally from Kfar Bir'im

Children:

  1. Annaliza (born 1982)- Working at the US Consulate in Jerusalem, recently married
  2. Andria (born 1984)- Studying for masters degree in biomedical engineering at the Technon in Haifa
  3. Martha (born 1991)- In high school at St. Joseph's School in Jerusalem

Other Assignments
  1. In the Lutheran World Federation (LWF)
  2. In the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)
  3. Fellowship of the Middle East Evangelical Churches (FMECC)
  4. Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme for Palestine and Israel (EAPPI)
  5. World Council of Churches (WCC)
  6. International Christian Committee (ICC), Jerusalem
  7. Lutheran World Service, Jerusalem
  8. Near East School of Theology (NEST), Beirut
  9. Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem, International Grand Priory
Awards
Fall 2005 Bethlehem Star Award from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
October 2004 Holyland Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF) Prize, Washington, DC
October 2004 Bethanien (Bethany) Prize, Methodist Church, Oslo, Norway
December 2001: Human Rights Award from the United Nations Association, Washington, DC
September 2001 Honorary Doctorate of Divinity (D.D.) from Wartburg University, Iowa, US
January 2001 The Finnish Peace Price 2001 from the Finnish Christian Peace Movement.
Initiatives, Inter-religious encounter
2006 A founding member of the emerging Council for Religious Institutions in the Holy Land
1991 – Present Initiated a number of informal, long-running dialogue groups, serving as forums for joint reflection of local Christians and Jews.
Initiated dialogue among the three monotheistic religions in Palestine, (the Trialogue).
1982 Co-founder of Al-Liqa’ Centre for Religious Studies, Jerusalem
Ecumenism
2006 Instrumental in getting a Mutual Recognition Agreement signed by Evangelical Churches in the Middle East (the Amman Agreement)
1998–Present Working for a deepening of the communion between Lutherans in Jerusalem and developing communion by signing agreements with companion synods and diocese.
1984-Present Instrumental in the local Lutheran - Anglican dialogue.
1993 Translator of the first Arabic translation of the "Augsburg Confession" with an elaborate survey.
1997 – 2000 Instrumental in developing the first Palestinian Christian Instruction Curriculum, which is ecumenical, and recognized by the Palestinian Ministry of Education for use in all Palestinian schools.
1997 – Present Evaluator of the future Palestinian curriculae, and wrote “The Christian Dimension of the Palestinian Curriculum,” which was adopted in 1998 by the Church Leaders in Jerusalem as the main document for negotiations with the Ministry of Education. Active in Church to Church relationships in Jerusalem.
Just Peace and Reconciliation: Instrumental in on-the-ground initiatives to promote peace, reconciliation and justice. A high-profile lecturer and speaker, locally and internationally, on what makes for just peace from a Palestinian Christian perspective based on Christian teachings and doctrines.
Writings