Bishop Hilja Nghaangulwa of the Eastern diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN). Photo: LWF/P. Hitchen
Bishop Hilja Nghaangulwa from the Eastern Diocese Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia
(LWI) - “I just want to inspire other women, to empower and encourage them to see that we can all be leaders in our different ministries and departments.” As the first woman bishop in Namibia, Hilja Nghaangulwa sees herself as a model for other young women and girls in the church. “People laughed at me when I said I wanted to be a pastor and to preach,” she recalls, “but I believe it is a calling from God and we should be free to answer that call.”
As leader of the Eastern diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN), Nghaangulwa is concerned about the declining number of young people attending church services, even though 90 percent of the country’s population continues to identify as Christian. Lutherans make up the largest denomination, followed by Roman Catholics, Anglicans, other Protestants and an increasing number of newer Pentecostal churches.
As a church leader, Nghaangulwa says she wants to prioritize outreach to youth, including an ambitious project to start a television channel bringing gospel music and live worship services to younger audiences. During a recent retreat for newly elected leaders of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) member churches, she talked about her faith journey and about her hopes for the future of her church.
Tell us something about your childhood and early experience of church life?
We were five children, but in our culture, parents often send one son or daughter to look after the grandparents, so that was what I did. At the time, I thought it was hard having to look after the goats and cattle, or walk for miles to fetch water and collect firewood in the forest. Back then, I didn’t want to do any of those things, but now I am very appreciative of the way my grandparents treated me.
I grew up with my grandparents who were Lutherans, so I attended Sunday school and later I led my own Sunday school group in the village. After confirmation, I became a youth leader and started participating in more church activities, cooking and serving in different ways.
Did you want to become a pastor back then?
When I finished 12th grade, I applied to study theology, but when I talked about wanting to become a pastor people laughed at me, a simple village girl. They said: “What language will you preach in when you can’t even talk properly?” I was admitted to study at the ULTS [United Lutheran Theological Seminary] Paulinum but I decided I wanted to become a teacher instead.
Then one day in 1998, I was attending a mission festival and I kept having a vision of a woman in black with a white collar. It was then that I understood I really wanted to become a pastor, so I went back for training in Windhoek from 2000 until my ordination in July 2004. Women had been ordained as pastors in my church from 1992, but I wanted others to see that even a simple village girl like me could be called to serve in this way.
Where did you begin your ministry as a pastor?
I was sent to serve in a congregation in northern Namibia, on the border with Angola. Our Eastern Diocese is divided into ten deaneries, and I went to work in the Uumbangalantu Northern deanery for several years. But I wanted to continue studies as I didn’t have a degree, so I went to Stellenbosch University in South Africa from 2012 to 2013.
After I returned, I was appointed to lead the northern deanery, then later I was called to serve as acting assistant bishop in our diocesan council. In 2021, our synod elected a new bishop, but when he sadly passed away in September, it was agreed that as assistant bishop I should lead the diocese for the next three years. In 2024, we had another Synod where I was officially elected as bishop of the Eastern Diocese.
What does it mean to you to be the country’s first woman bishop?
You know, at first, I found it difficult to believe. I remember going to a first meeting after my election as bishop and looking in a bathroom mirror as I was washing my hands. I saw the cross on my dress and only then I realized that it was really true. I believe it is a gift from God and I just want to inspire other women, to empower and encourage them to see that we can all be leaders in our different ministries and departments.
Tell us more about your church and the challenges you face?
The ELCIN is the largest church in Namibia and Lutherans are still the majority in our country. We have three churches: the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia (ELCRN) and the German Evangelical Lutheran Church (GELC). The main ecumenical body is the Council of Churches in Namibia which serves as an umbrella for all the major Christian churches. But since independence, we have some new churches that are misleading people by telling them that if they come to church, they can find a good job, or a promotion. Many people are attracted by these promises.
How are you trying to address these misleading theologies?
Often people will come back to our church, especially if they get sick, as they are not wanted or cared for in those churches. Their leaders are calling themselves prophets or apostles, because they claim they are called to serve without needing to do any training. But we are calling on the government to make sure that all pastors must be properly trained before serving as religious leaders.
What other priorities do you have as bishop?
I want to put more emphasis on reaching young people because many of them are not interested in going to church anymore. We plan to strengthen our Christian education desk and support the production of cartoons with biblical stories for children who watch a lot of television. Now we want to start our own TV channel with gospel music and live worship every Sunday. We are trying to raise funds from our congregations, but it is not easy.
Currently, people still come to church for special events, but they do not want to come on a normal Sunday. We have started a program for congregations, encouraging them to hold weekly social evenings and bible studies for youth on Fridays. Many young people have problems with alcohol and drugs, so we hope that if we can provide a place to talk about their issues and their future, it can help them to change their behavior. If we can bring them back to the church, we have great hopes because they are mostly well educated and can support our work.
You have young children of your own, don’t you?
Yes, I have four girls and a boy aged between 19 and 8. My husband is a teacher, and we live in the same village where I grew up with my grandparents. When I have finished my work, and during my annual leave, I go home to be with them and look after my goats, chickens and pigs, or prepare my fields to plant new seeds.
What does it mean for you to be part of a global communion of Lutheran churches?
Now I have more courage because I know that I’m not alone. We are many women leaders in other churches, we have the same authority, and we are treated equally. We also have the first woman president in our country, so people accept and trust us more as leaders. I am grateful that through the LWF, I have met other bishops so I can learn from them and feel stronger to stand on my own feet.
