Lilana Kaspar in her response to Dr. Panti Filibus Musa
"The gender issue starts with the language: when talking about shepherds of the 21st century when talking about 'modernizing the church', it is easy to assume that we are talking about men.
Who thinks of a shepherd as a woman?" begins Lilana Kaspar, executive director of LUCSA in her response to the LWF president. "It's about not just tolerating diversity in the church, but welcoming it and doing something about it. Churches have a hard time finding new ways to do things under changing circumstances. Church needs to be flexible and fast. Young people have shown in the Corona period that they are able to react quickly to changes - with new forms of communication and new means of communication.
What do churches have to do to act in a way that changes structures? They need to welcome young people. Our mission is to open up the churches! No discussions about self-image, but very concrete questions. What needs to be done so that more people come to church services? And it's not enough to offer services at different times; we have to see whether childcare is offered. But there are also questions about the content: What is offered to people in the churches? What is so inspiring that I can't wait to go to worship?"
Kaspar observes that pastor*s often emphasized their own merits, how hard they worked. In other words, the things that pay into one's reputation, but it's not about the glory of oneself, but the glory of God, he said. "We have to adapt the preaching to the needs of the people," Kaspar explains, "and at the same time not offer them an instant church in which immediate effect is promised. Church shouldn't be populist in that sense, but ask what's really important. What would God say? What does God want from you? Can I stand before God in the end?"
With all the injustice in the church, can we talk about justice? "Yes," says Kaspar, "we can start ...". Female pastor, he says, is still an irritant after ten years and countless workshops. And the quota is an empty shell, he says, if no one cares if there are women in leadership positions and it doesn't matter in real life. "If something is not in my interest, nothing happens" Kaspar states. She relies on people who are actively committed to diversity and who promote and support women and marginalized groups.
President of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) makes plea for gender justice
As part of this year's ELM Partner Church Consultation in Hermannsburg, Germany, Archbishop Dr. Panti Filibus Musa speaks out on gender justice. For him, it is a question of freedom, the dignity of the person and equality.
Proclamation is about men and women
On the sidelines of the PCC, we had the opportunity to ask the President of the Peruvian Lutheran Church (IL-P), Rev Pedro Bullón Moreano, what issues of the PKK are most important to him and what he hopes the PCC will accomplish.
People who have different sexual orientation are our brothers, our siblings
Asked about the Brazilian Lutheran Confession Church's (IECLB) treatment of people of diverse sexual orientation (LGBTQ+), Rev Odair Braun, vice president of IECLB, responds very firmly
"We already have the women now who in the not too distant future, can become church president of the Mekane Yesus Church in Ethiopia."
Church President Rev Dr. Yonas Yigezu also attributes the rapid growth of the Mekane Yesus Church to the commitment of women in the church, "There are tremendous gifts among women. In the Mekane Yesus Church, women make up about 56% of the church population and they enrich the ministry in the church. They have been the energy that has made the Mekane Yesus Church grow."
