The two new regional gender justice coordinators, Rev. Dr. Elfriede Dörr from Romania and Rev. Michaela Púpalova from Slovakia. Photo: Private, Elfriede Dörr
The new gender justice coordinators for Central and Eastern Europe reflect on priorities and challenges in their region
(LWI) - Building up an effective network to enable the full participation of women and men in the life of the churches across Central and Eastern Europe. That is the challenge facing Rev. Dr Elfriede Dörr from Romania and Rev. Michaela Pipavav from Slovakia, who were recently elected as coordinators for the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) gender justice network in their region.
Dörr, who is head of ecumenical relations and pastoral training for the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Romania, says that a top priority for her is the establishment of “a meaningful network which allows women to experience the fullness of life as promised by Jesus.” Her church hosted a 13 to 15 February meeting of women from Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia to kickstart that process and explore ways of responding to the particular challenges facing women in that region.
While some Central and Eastern European churches have been ordaining women for many decades, Dörr says she was “taken by surprise” to hear stories of female pastors who were “slighted, belittled or put down, often subtly, but sometimes openly because of their womanhood.” Last year, her church marked the 30th anniversary of women’s ordination, offering a space for colleagues to talk about the difficulties they face.
The whole Christian community is wounded and in need of healing because of the hurt that women have experienced.
Rev. Dr Elfriede Dörr, Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Romania
“If one member suffers, all members suffer with it,” Dörr says, citing Saint Paul's words about the church as the Body of Christ. “We are connected to each other, in the wounds and in the healing process,” she continues. “The whole Christian community is wounded and in need of healing because of the hurt that women have experienced. Understanding this has consequences for women and men alike, for the whole church.”
Another challenge which both women point to is the use of the term ‘gender justice’ in a region where it is often misunderstood. “In our polarized society,” Púpalová reflects, "many words have lost their meaning and are only empty shells. It is necessary to find ways to talk about equality for everyone without being pigeonholed or judged by society.”
Many congregations don’t want young women as their pastors because of the issue of maternity leave.
Rev. Michaela Púpalová, Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Slovak Republic
A second priority for Púpalová is the question of maternity leave for pastors, as many women return to work when their children are just a few months old. “We need to build a support network for pastors who juggle their families, including sick children, and their parish. Many congregations don’t want young women as their pastors because of the issue of maternity leave,” she notes.
Púplová was ordained into the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Slovak Republic, one of the first Lutheran churches to ordain women over 70 years ago. She says that listening to stories of other women from churches that have only recently accepted female pastors gave her “a new appreciation of all the women in my own church who fought for their place and their voice in the church.”
Raising awareness, building connections
The two new network coordinators are seeking to raise awareness of the issues facing women, both lay and ordained, throughout their region and to build connections across other parts of the LWF communion. “We need to find ways of getting in touch with women providing different services in our churches, helping them to find strength in each other, to share their experiences and everyday struggles,” Púplová says.
For Dörr, LWF’s practice of collecting and showcasing “her stories” of women in different member churches can be a successful tool for building up their network and connecting with experiences of colleagues in other parts of the world. She is also inspired by the hope which LWF provides “by continuing to recommend the resolutions of its 1984 General Assembly in Budapest” affirming there should be no distinction between the ordained ministry of women and men.
“We can see in an example such as Poland, what developments this can lead to regarding women’s participation in the life of the church,” Dörr says, referring to the Polish church’s decision to begin ordaining women in 2022. “I believe it is important to constantly recommend to member churches studies providing empirical evidence about the benefits of women’s inclusion in leadership positions,” she adds. “Both examples from the churches, but also from secular sectors, such as studies showing how peace processes are more successful and more durable when women are involved in negotiations.”
