The year 2017, in which the 500th anniversary of the Reformation has been marked, is special also for the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil, which in 2017 marks the 35th anniversary of women’s ordination. On 12 November 1982, Edna Moga Rammingere was the first woman to be ordained a pastor in the Lutheran Church of Brazil.
The following historical events are noteworthy: in 1952 Eva Viska was the first woman to enrol in the Faculty of Theology; in 1970 Elizabete Dītči was the first woman to earn a bachelor’s degree in theology. And only in 1982, that is, 30 years later, did Edna Rammingere become the first ordained woman in Brazil. During this long period there were some women who gave up, and others who carried out pastoral functions as volunteers. Catechism teachers, missionaries and deaconesses were ordained only from 1994 onwards, when the so-called shared [joint] ministry permitted it. Before that, deaconesses received the so-called ministry blessing, also called consecration. And, without doubt, such a practice certainly also contributed to the later ordination of women.
At present the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil has 1,224 ministers, of whom 230 are women pastors, 52 catechesis teachers, 62 deaconesses, 47 deacons and 16 missionaries.
As a church that is always in reformation, the history of the Lutheran Church of Brazil regarding women’s ordination, too, demonstrates change, progress and challenges. Therefore, amid the events of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, it is necessary and welcome to point to the inclusive character of the ordained ministry of the Lutheran Church of Brazil. It is the result of biblical conviction! It is in accordance with the will of the Creator, for He created man and woman, woman and man, both in His image.
Women’s ordination in the Lutheran Church of Brazil is not a peripheral question. It is a theological question, it is a conception of ministry, it is a way for the church to exist and to act. It is a response to the spirit of the Bible and a living-out of the gospel in its fullness.
The perspective that the Lutheran Church of Brazil, together with the Lutheran World Federation, reaffirms is that women’s ordination is a calling and not an acquired right. God calls men and women to take part in the ordained ministry of the Lutheran Church of Brazil through the universal priesthood, to serve in God’s mission with freedom, joy and gratitude.
Authors: Carmen Michel Siegle (pastor) and Dr. Nestor Paulo Friedrich (pastor)
Source: http://www.luteranos.com.br (10.11.2017.)