For the first time, a woman has been elected as the new General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation — and from Estonia at that!
Today the Council of the Lutheran World Federation elected the Estonian theologian, Pastor Anne Burghardt, as the next General Secretary of the global communion of Lutheran churches. Burghardt is 45 years old and currently works as the head of development at the Theological Institute of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, as well as the church’s adviser on international and ecumenical relations.
Burghardt will take up the office of LWF General Secretary at the beginning of November this year, taking over the work of Pastor Dr. Martin Junge, who has led the communion of 148 member churches for the past seven years. Anne Burghardt is the first woman to be elected to such a leadership position, and also the first person from Central and Eastern Europe.
After her election, Burghardt said:
“I am honored by this great privilege and deeply grateful for the trust that the members of the Council have shown me. As I take on this very special responsibility within the communion, I pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I look forward to the opportunity to work with the Council, with the member churches, and with the various partners at a time when the Lutheran World Federation continues to take part in God’s all-encompassing mission. May God bless our communion, that it may be a blessing to the wider Church and the world.”
Congratulating Burghardt on her election, LWF President Archbishop Dr. Panti Filibus Musa said:
“I congratulate Pastor Burghardt on her election. She will take on a vital role in the leadership of our global communion of churches, helping to shape its ongoing direction and to bear witness to the gospel, to work for peace, justice, and reconciliation. Pastor Burghardt brings her invaluable experience and gifts to this office, and I look forward to working together with her.”
Pastor Anne Burghardt studied theology at the University of Tartu in Estonia, at the Friedrich Alexander University in Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany, and at Humboldt University in Berlin. She holds a master’s degree in theology and is currently completing her doctoral studies in the field of Orthodox liturgy. She is married to Pastor Arnd Matthias Burghardt, who is also an ordained pastor in the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, and they have two children.
Pastor Burghardt, together with the Zimbabwean pastor Dr. Kenneth Mtata, had been selected as the candidates for the LWF General Secretary election on 19 June. The results of the LWF Council were as follows:
Pastor Anne Burghardt received 28 votes (58%), Pastor Kenneth Mtata received 20 votes (42%). A total of 48 votes were cast. No one abstained from voting.
Geneva, 19 June 2021
Source: Lutheran World Federation news