After years of discussion, the General Synod of the Reformed Church of East Africa (hereinafter – RCEA) supported the ordination of women at its session in November 2017. The current moderator of the RCEA, Musa Kipkorir Kapkong Maina, expressed his joy and thanked the World Communion of Reformed Churches, which showed the way.
“On this issue, the World Communion of Reformed Churches has walked alongside us for quite some time, especially in supporting the education of women in theology,” says pastor Musa Kipkorir Kapkong Maina, moderator of the RCEA. “Participation in the General Council inspired us to move further forward and contributed to the General Synod issuing a resolution in support of the ordination of women.”
Najla Kassab, President of the World Communion of Reformed Churches and the second ordained woman in the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon, expressed her joy at this event: “We rejoice together with the RCEA over this decision to ordain the first woman to the ministry of Word and Sacrament, as well as over the courage to hear the Holy Spirit and to stand together for justice.”
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In 2017, the General Council of the World Communion of Reformed Churches adopted a “Declaration of Faith on the Ordination of Women”. The introduction to the declaration states: “God, through the Holy Spirit, calls both women and men to participate fully in ministry in the church. [..] In certain cultural contexts in which our churches live today, this declaration is in contradiction with prevailing notions. In this way, Christians are often called to be counter-cultural[1].” Pastor Maina said that after vigorous debate and research compiled by the synod advisor Difus Shemorion, a decision was adopted at the synod. The Reformed Church of East Africa plans to ordain the first woman as a pastor to serve with Word and Sacrament at the end of this year.
“This news was received with enthusiasm, but we are also aware of the fact that there are still many conservatively minded people. About one thing we are glad, namely that this decision has not split the church into factions. Please join us in prayer and share this development with our other member churches, so that they may give us moral support and encouragement,” says Maina.
“We stand in solidarity with the women who will be ordained for a journey on which there are still challenges, but also with the churches that are still struggling for this path,” said Kassab, “yet in hope we await a better future that reflects God’s love and healing power for the body of Christ. It is also an empowerment for us as a community, where our voice, with statements and documents, becomes like a story about people, about change, and about a better world.”
Since 2002, the Reformed Church of East Africa (RCEA) has endeavoured to put the issue [of women’s ordination] on the agenda, providing a theological orientation and gathering the views of the members of RCEA congregations, in order to enable the synod to make a decision.
In the report of the RCEA moderator during the 29th General Synod, which took place on 20–23 November 2002, the moderator expressed that it is important to work towards enabling the inclusion of women in ordained ministry: “I can assure you that your synod office is under pressure from our fraternal friends, especially partners, with whom we share a common Reformed heritage. Whether we agree with it or not, we will not be the first. The Presbyterian Church of East Africa and other Reformed churches in the world have already recognised [the ordination of women]..”
The article was translated from English. The author of the original article is Phil Tanis.
Source: World Communion of Reformed Churches
Photo: World Communion of Reformed Churches
[1] Against the prevailing culture.