On 3 January 2021, Pastor Agrita Staško, who was admitted to the office of evangelist back in 1995, turned 70! The Association of Latvian Lutheran Women Theologians warmly congratulates Pastor Agrita Staško on her wonderful birthday and wishes her God’s blessing, strength and guidance in her continued ministry and personal life!
Agrita Staško is an evangelist who has served for many years in Latvia as an acting pastor (a.p.) in circumstances in which a woman effectively carries out a pastor’s duties in a congregation — she has done so since 2003 — yet ecclesially (under the rules of the church) she has not been ordained to the office of pastor for the sole reason that she is a woman. Such a situation can only exist in Latvia and in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia. On the ELCL website, in the clergy section, Agrita Staško is listed among the ELCL pastors with the title “evangelist-acting pastor”.
We know the words of Jesus: “each tree is known by its own fruit” (Luke 6:44). Through her work and her humble ministry, Agrita Staško has brought blessing into the lives of many people in the congregation, being present at baptisms, funerals and in everyday life.
Agrita Staško has reached the age of 70, yet she is still full of strength, energy and inspiration. The members of the congregation, too, do not feel that the time has come for Agrita to take her well-earned rest, as is expressed in a video recently filmed by ReTV. As it turns out, the Usma congregation has written to the ELCL leadership twice, asking that Agrita Staško’s case be assessed individually and that her term of ministry be extended in accordance with the exceptions provided for in the rules.
In the ALLWT news you can find a compiled list of Latvian women pastors around the world (you can read it here). Unfortunately, Agrita Staško has not been included in that list, because she has not been ordained as a pastor. For those who know Agrita, her ministry and the fruits of her ministry, there is not the slightest doubt that God has chosen and called Agrita to the ministry of a pastor, and has accompanied her in this ministry. For this reason, the birthday greeting in the headline is precise, because Agrita Staško is a pastor de facto called by God.
ReTV feature on Usma pastor Agrita Staško (21 Jan. 2020)
Read also the archive material “The various forms of ministry of evangelist Agrita Staško” about Agrita’s ministry and the restoration of the church in Renda parish.
The ALLWT editorial team