Participants in the ‘Voices from the Pulpit’ webinar: Brazilian pastor Rev. Ketlin Schuchardt, Polish theologian Agnieszka Godfrejow-Tarnogorska and South African pastor Rev. Nondumiso Ngcobo. Photo: Composite photo
‘Voices from the pulpit’ webinar highlights foremothers who paved the way for today’s gender justice movement
(LWI) - As Lutheran churches around the world prepare to mark Reformation Day on 31 October, women pastors and theologians reflected on the role of some of their “foremothers in the faith” from that historical period who paved the way for today’s gender justice movement.
During a webinar entitled ‘Voices from the Pulpit: women in ordained ministry’, participants from Europe, Africa and Latin America looked at the legacy of some well-known women from the Reformation era and shared their own joys and struggles as pioneers of equality for women in their churches and societies.
Polish theologian Agnieszka Godfrejow-Tarnogorska talked about two Reformation women who have inspired her personal journey of faith: Katharina Schütz Zell, who worked alongside her pastor husband in spreading the new Protestant beliefs, and Bavarian writer Argula von Grumbach, renowned for speaking out against university authorities who were persecuting a young student for his support of Martin Luther’s writings. The bold actions of these women in responding to God’s call in their lives, she said, “have deeply influenced and shaped the faith, theology and witness of the church.”
Journeying towards shared leadership and equal voice
As spokesperson for the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland over the past decade, Godfrejow-Tarnogorska also reflected on the long journey of her own church towards the inclusion of women in ordained ministry. After more than 90 years of discussion and debate, she noted that the first nine female pastors were ordained in 2022. While celebrating this achievement, she stressed that “it is equally important to recognize that ordination is just the first door to a longer journey of achieving shared leadership, equal voice in decision making and real recognition of women’s theological gifts.”
Brazilian pastor Rev. Ketlin Schuchardt, who was ordained in 2023, spoke of being inspired by her research into Reformation women, including Katharina von Bora, the influential wife of Martin Luther. The Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil began ordaining women in 1982, she pointed out, yet she grew up without ever seeing “women in the pulpit.” Today, she works in a parish of around a thousand members in the southern city of Arabutã and is the first woman to serve as pastor there.
“This implies many challenges,” she said, “but it is also an opportunity to witness, to inspire and encourage other young women to see that we can be preachers, teachers and leaders.” In this role, she reflected: “I realize that the words I proclaim can inspire transformation in people’s lives. But even when I don’t speak, I realize that I can bring a message of hope, a new model for women and men in ministry.” Schuchardt noted that it is “the Spirit of God that calls us to ministry,” but “it takes courage to respond to God’s call.”
Acting to end discrimination and exclusion
Rev. Nondumiso Ngcobo from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa shared the results of research that she conducted into the experiences of seven women ministers in her church. She highlighted “ongoing gender-based challenges” rooted in “systemic patriarchal structures and cultural traditions which restrict women’s roles.” Aspiring women pastors are often questioned about their marital status, she noted, and “their suitability for ministry” can be questioned if they are not married.
Reflecting on some of the biblical texts which are often cited to justify discrimination against women and exclusion from leadership positions, she pointed to a series of actions which are needed to promote and support women in ordained ministry. These included the establishment of policies, quotas and targets for gender equality, but also workshops, advocacy campaigns, community dialogues and the integration of gender sensitivity into theological education and clergy formation.
To affirm women’s voices in the pulpit is to affirm that the Spirit continues to call, equip, and empower all believers for the ministry of Word and Sacrament.
Rev. Dr Marcia Blasi, LWF Program Executive for Gender Justice and Women’s Empowerment
Bishop Emerita Jāna Jēruma-Grīnberga, the first woman to lead the Lutheran Church in Great Britain, paid tribute to the many pioneering Lutheran women of the past “on whose shoulders we stand.” “We walk down the path they trod,” she said, echoing the words of other participants who stressed that the call to ministry for women and men is embedded in Reformation theology and reflected in the Augsburg Confession. “It is God’s work, all part of the great Missio Dei,” she reflected, “and to deny this seems to me to be a heresy.”
Moderator Rev. Dr Marcia Blasi, LWF’s Program Executive for Gender Justice and Women’s Empowerment, reiterated the belief that “ministry is not a privilege granted by human authority, nor a role limited by gender or social status,” she said. “It is a vocation of service through which the Word of God is proclaimed, and the community of faith is built up.” She concluded: “To affirm women’s voices in the pulpit is to affirm that the Spirit continues to call, equip, and empower all believers for the ministry of Word and Sacrament, a conviction echoed in the Reformation principle of the priesthood of all believers.”
