Yola, Nigeria/Geneva
| 1/10/2018.
Conference participants: “We affirm the gender justice policy of the Lutheran World Federation.”
Women pastors, theologians, bishops and leaders of the structural units of the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (hereinafter referred to as LCCN) have held their first joint conference (Lutheran World Information Centre) .
The conference was attended by about 90 participants, of whom 76 were women in ordained ministry and lay theologians. The theme of the conference was “Experiencing the Fullness of Opportunity”, based on Heb 12:1: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.” It was held in the city of Yola, the capital of Adamawa State, in north-western Nigeria.
The Archbishop of the LCCN, President of the LWF, Rev. Dr. Panti Filibus Musa, said in his opening address that the inspiration for this conference was a resolution of the 12th LWF Assembly, which called on the LWF communion to organize research into the experiences of ordained women, in order to remove the obstacles to their ministry and to affirm the way forward.
He said that women theologians must encourage one another as they engage in the witness of life and church. They need to “share their experience and perspectives on ministry, identify the key challenges in ministry and the strategies to address them”.
“Each of us has unique gifts that we can bring into the life and witness of the church, but which cannot be carried out alone,” the archbishop said.
Experiencing the Fullness of Opportunity
In her introductory address, theology lecturer Hawwa Hazael Madi said that the beings created by God are equal. “Woman or man – both are equal, both have been created by God in His own image.” We must not belittle the power to carry out ministry that reaches the unreached and nurtures new believers – in an environment full of social and cultural constraints and prejudices against women. “Many have laboured hard, yet remained faithful and were counted among the believers.”
“Woman or man – both are equal, both have been created by God in His own image,” Nigerian theology lecturer Hawwa Hazael Madi.
Strengthening women’s participation in church and society
The LWF Regional Secretary for Africa, Rev. Dr. Elieshi Ayo Mungure, said that women’s participation in the life and ministry of the church in Africa is increasing, but there is a need to develop it further. The church needs to look into the development of women’s situation with thoughtful and strategic direction. “If you want women to rise, you have to start from the foundation.” She said that the LCCN carried out mobilization from the grassroots in order to introduce the gender justice that the church needs.
Both men and women need equal opportunities in the church, raising awareness and greater education on gender issues, as well as teaching women and men to respect the sanctity of God’s creation. She encouraged the women theologians and pastors of the LCCN to perceive their involvement in ministry as genuine and to make sure that they are not constrained by culture.
We affirm the LWF gender justice policy
The participants reaffirmed their commitment to the LWF gender justice policy and pledged to incorporate it into the LCCN as “an essential priority at all levels within the church (national, diocesan, district and congregational)”.
“In an atmosphere of prayer, we call on the leaders and congregations of the LCCN to recognize women’s ministry as a gift to the church, thereby acknowledging the full inclusion and participation of women in the church.”
With their voice, the participants supported the global movement for a world that is safe for women and children. In Adamawa State, they asked the church to examine matters that concern injustice against widows and orphans, and to consider ways of resolving problems related to inheritance laws and traditions.
Source: Lutheran World Federation news