Chilean pastor Rev. Martin Junge became the first Latin American head of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) on Monday, assuming the position of general secretary-elect.

Chosen during a closed session of the LWF's Oct. 22-27 Council meeting in Geneva, Junge will begin his seven-year term as general secretary after July 2010. The 48 year-old theologian succeeds the Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko, the LWF's first African head, who announced his resignation from the position in June 2008 after serving for two terms.

Prior to his election, Junge worked for nine years as the area secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean at the LWF Department for Mission and Development (DMD). He is credited with strengthening and refocusing the LWF's programmatic work in the region and implementing an advocacy program for the area's member churches to help deal with the problem of illegitimate foreign debt.

From 1996 to 2000, Junge served as president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chile (Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en Chile - IELC), the body that ordained him in 1989.

The new general secretary-elect is among 75 LWF representatives that are attending this year's Council meeting in Geneva, which carries the theme, "Upholding Human Dignity: Confronting Human Trafficking." Representing over 68 million Christians in 79 countries around the world, the LWF's Council meets every 12 to 18 months.