Russian Women cry out for Lutheran Church to practice Equality

Attendants at the 2nd Women’s Conference of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia and Other States (ELCROS) expressed their desire to see a defence of women’s rights in the pastoral service, and to prevent “a gain in influence by foreign Lutheran Churches that reject the ordination of women.”

The forty-five members from ELCROS regional churches emphasised their desire to have a church "in which their gifts and abilities can be integrated at all levels."

The conference took place between 12th and 18th July in Petrodvorets, near St Petersburg in Russia, and it was pointed out that although the ELCROS constitution guaranteed equality in church-life, many do not implement it. So in many cases women do not have equal opportunity to take a stand on all theological issues, particularly those that concern them.

"Thanks to the World Day of Prayer (WDP) regional women's seminars and other joint events over the past few years, the large network of ELCROS women has grown into a strong community that enriches, empowers and encourages. Therefore, the women want ELCROS to maintain its status as a united church and to be further developed. In this church, all women hold positions of leadership that entail significant responsibility at various levels. They demonstrate a great deal of commitment in their work and would like to continue to do so in the future," they said in their statement.

It was hoped that "the dynamism of the conference would affect the life of their church and that the congregations would approach their responsibility to select and assist future ministers - both men and women - with sincerity and love," according to the women delegates from cities in the West, Far East, North, and in the South.

In particular, a great deal of attention was given to violence against women in society, in family-life and even in church. Bible studies and discussion groups were held to analyse the problem, and focus was given to the ancestral mothers of Jesus (Matthew 1). Faith was also reflected upon, with discussions taking place on Tamar, Bathsheba, Rahab and Ruth.

A presentation also took place on the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) document “Churches Say 'No' to Violence against Women," published by the Department for Mission for and Development. It has been translated so far in 21 languages, including the Russian edition.

The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now has 136 member churches in 76 countries representing 62.3 million of the almost 66 million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland.