Wittenberg, Germany / Geneva
11.10. 2019.
Interview with Rev. Adita Torres Lezcano, pastor of the Lutheran Church of Peru, president of the Peruvian church
Rev. Adita Torres Lezcano has spent most of her life living and working in the metropolitan region of Lima, the capital of Peru. She was recently elected pastor-president of the Lutheran Church of Peru (IL-P) and took part in the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) seminar for new leaders at the Communion Office in Geneva and at the LWF Center in Wittenberg.
Please tell us briefly about the Lutheran Church of Peru
The Lutheran Church of Peru is a young church and it is [numerically] small. We have a few hundred members belonging to 14 congregations. The church was founded 30 years ago, following the work carried out by missionaries from the Lutheran Church in America (LCA), which is now the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC). For a long time we did not have ordained clergy, and so most of the work in the communities was done by believers who belonged to the pastoral teams.
What was your personal path in the Peruvian church?
I have served as an ordained minister in the Peruvian church in Lima for 20 years. In May of this year I was elected pastor-president.
In my church, women have played an important role from the very beginning. Three of the five pastor-presidents so far have been women. At present we have six ordained clergy in the church, of whom four are women and two are men.
In my church, women have played an important role from the very beginning.
– Rev. Adita Torres Lezcano, pastor of the Lutheran Church of Peru, president of the church.
Before ordained clergy began their work in the Lutheran Church of Peru, the ministry was carried out by believers. Before I began to study theology, I myself did volunteer work in a church project. We received no remuneration for our work.
The American church – the ELCA – and the Canadian church – the ELCIC – supported us, however, by organizing seminars and providing training to church leaders in the form of theology study scholarships. Incidentally, through the scholarship program I had the opportunity to undertake one year of theological training at the Theological Community of Chile (Comunidad Teologica de Chile) in 1992. This was followed by four years at the Methodist Theological Seminary in Lima.
When I had special assignments related to Lutheranism and Lutheran theology, I consulted with a missionary who worked in our church. These long conversations were very useful to me.
Later, owing to the experience I had gained, I was invited to work in a development program run by IELP (the German Lutheran Church in Peru). In 1994 I was elected director of the Ecumenical non-governmental organization. It focused its work in three areas – education and communication, citizens’ rights and governance, and ecumenical training.
What role do ecumenical relations play in your context in Peru?
Ecumenical relations play a fundamental role in Peru, because several churches help one another to defend human rights, prevent violence against women and strengthen democracy in our country, as well as to provide refuge to our brothers and sisters who come in from Venezuela.
We are also part of an interreligious network that advocates for the protection of the Peruvian Amazon.
Looking at the context of the Peruvian church: what challenges do you face?
One of the most important priorities is to involve young people in the activities of the church and to train them to be responsible citizens, so that they can be agents of change in our church and society.
Corruption is one of the main problems in our country, which is why we invest a great deal of effort in discussions about ethical, social and justice-related issues in our church and society.
Another priority is to develop a 10-year strategic sustainability plan for our church. I have been elected for four years, but it is important to plan for a longer period, regardless of my personal role.
What does it mean to you to have the chance to spend time with bishops and pastor-presidents from other Lutheran churches during the seminar?
I feel that we have formed a communion of solidarity in our group. Although we are coming from different parts of the world and work in different contexts, we are now well connected. We bonded spiritually as leaders of our respective churches and due to technology nowadays, we also have the possibility to communicate through WhatsApp and other means. During the time we spent in Geneva and in Wittenberg, we listened to challenges and blessings, held prayers together and had the opportunity to reflect about our new role as church leaders. That is a source of encouragement for the times to come.
I feel that in our group we have formed a communion of solidarity. Even though we come from different parts of the world and work in different contexts, we have established good contacts. We have formed spiritual bonds as leaders of our churches and, thanks to today’s technology, we have the possibility to communicate through WhatsApp and other means of communication. During the time spent in Geneva and Wittenberg, we heard both about challenges and about blessings, held prayers together and were able to reflect on our new role – being church leaders. That is a source of encouragement for the future.
Voices from the Communion
The Lutheran World Federation is a global organization that shares the work and love of Christ in the world. In this column we feature reflections from church leaders and staff on important themes and share ideas for building peace and justice in the world, helping churches and communities grow in witness and strength.
Source: The Lutheran World Federation news
LWF/A. Weyermüller