World

Norway Lutherans to Ordain First Female Pastors

A conservative Lutheran church in Norway will ordain its first female ministers in January, joining the growing number of Protestant churches around the world that accept the leadership of women.

A conservative Lutheran church in Norway will ordain its first female ministers in January, joining the growing number of Protestant churches around the world that accept the leadership of women.

Bjoerg Roedland and Caroline Vesterberg are scheduled to be ordained on Jan. 8 and Jan. 29, respectively, and will be benefiting from a July 2005 synod decision to change the Free Church’s constitution to include women in ministry.

While the ordination allows the women to lead as pastors, the church still restricts them from heading the board of elders in a congregation or becoming the church president.

According to Terje Solberg, the Free Church synod secretary, such senior positions may begin opening up to women in 2011.

The Free Church was established in 1877 and currently has 21,000 members across five presbyteries. In September 2005, the denomination became a full member in the Lutheran World Federation, which generally encourages its members to open equal opportunities in the church to women.

Elaine Spencer
Christian Today Correspondent

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