At the launch of the LWF document “Gender Justice Policy” at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, LWF General Secretary Rev. Martin Junge noted that the system introduced several years earlier, which affirmed the equal representation of women and men in the LWF, had shown that quotas alone did not ensure the participation of women. “The gender justice policy wants to address precisely this dimension, in order to truly strengthen it and bring it to a definite outcome.”
The “Women in Church and Society” (WICAS) program of the Department for Theology and Public Witness (DTPW) coordinated the development of the justice policy together with the LWF Gender Advisory Group, which was made up of representatives from all LWF regions. The LWF Council officially adopted it in 2013. Junge thanked WICAS for leading the process and the advisory group for their “time, wisdom and passion”.
The launch of the document on 10 December took place at the same time as a joint DTPW and Department for Mission and Development seminar on training women mentors and leaders.
Some of the seminar delegates spoke about integrating the LWF Gender Justice Policy into their respective contexts.
LWF Council member Rev. Marcia Blasi of the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil sees the LWF Gender Justice Policy “as a much-anticipated document on which to build further and to call the whole church to reflect theologically on gender injustice in order to make the necessary changes. “I expect that the church will show all of society that just relationships are possible and can make life better for all creation.”
Ranjita Borgoary of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India, WICAS coordinator for Asia, said: “The social stigma and the attitude toward women as inferior and unclean still exist. I expect from my church that it will create a gender justice policy that will be relevant to the Indian context and bring transformation to the life and ministry of the church. It will be translated into various languages, making it accessible to local churches,” she added.
“The justice policy is not an instrument to dictate what the churches should do, but a common agreement that moves us in areas where our attention is needed, such as, for example, violence against people and gender discrimination,” said Rev. Elitha Moyo, gender coordinator of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe. “The LWF member churches will implement its achievements. Since we are already engaged in gender mainstreaming, we will create a plan to put into practice the goals we agreed upon.”
Dr. Mary J. Streufert, director of “Justice for Women” at the ELCA and WICAS coordinator for North America, noted that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) “has many partners on whom the principles of our shared work depend. I expect that the ELCA will study “Women and Justice: One in Christ” and use its policy. Their work will naturally be strengthened by the work of the communion.”
The full document “Gender Justice Policy” (in English) can be viewed here:
Updated 22.03.2016! The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia Abroad has translated the aforementioned document “Gender Justice Policy” into Latvian. The document in Latvian is available here.
photo: The Lutheran World Federation