wfn.org | Portrait: Marie-France Robert, First Woman to Lead Paris Lutherans

["Frank Imhoff" <franki@elca.org>]

A "Field Pastor" Reaching out to Communities 

PARIS, France/GENEVA, 22 February 2002 (LWI) - "Field pastor" is
how she describes her responsibility as church inspector
(inspecteur ecclisiastique) of the Paris region of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of France - Eglise ivangilique luthirienne de
France - (EELF). Marie-France Robert, 55, the first woman to head
EELF's Paris district, says she is called to meet others and reach
out to communities in her care in a "spirit of unity, dialogue and
sharing."

Leading the Paris Lutherans is "part of an unfolding process" to
create awareness about the positions open to women in the church,
Robert told Lutheran World Information (LWI) in a recent
interview. She considers pastoral ministry carried out by women as
complementary to that of men.

"Through her very being, a woman has something to offer and share.
She brings something different to the church, adding to its
richness," Robert contends. She is convinced as the church moves
forward, that women have a role to play in this process.

Since the EELF general synod approved the ordination of women in
1974, eighteen women have been ordained as pastors including eight
in Paris. Ordained in 1982, Robert was installed as Paris district
inspector last May, succeeding Rev. Michel Viot. Her election in
November 1999 did not take her by surprise as such, she
reminisces. There was no running candidate per se for the
inspectorate but there were eligible pastors for this leading
position based on their experience in the church and personality.
"Although not a candidate, I took advice from a number of people
and reserved my decision concerning a possible election," she
recalls.

Robert, who in the 70s and early 80s served as a teacher and
layperson responsible for evangelism in Madagascar, sees no major
obstacles preventing women from attaining a higher profile in
church leadership positions. "A woman elected to head a church
already has recognized authority," she notes. Robert hopes her
position and role in the church will be a sign of hope for several
churches, not only in Europe but also in countries in the South, a
hope that is shared by many others.

Robert recently presided over the installation of Rev. Joel
Dautheville, succeeding Rev. Michel Marlier as inspector of the
EELF's Montbiliard district. In a message for the January 27
occasion, the General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation
(LWF), Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko expressed great joy "that it was a
woman church inspector" who would preside over this important
ceremony. Noko said this was a symbolic gesture that the EELF,
together with an increasing number of LWF member churches, is
finally recognizing the role played by women in church and
society. Traditionally, the Paris district inspector installs the
counterpart in Montbiliard and vice versa. The two regions make up
the 40,000-member EELF, which joined the LWF in 1947. Another
Lutheran church, in the eastern part of France (Alsace-Moselle)
has 210,000 members.

Married and with two adult children, Robert is in charge of the
St. Peter's congregation north of Paris.

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now
has 133 member churches in 73 countries representing over 60.5
million of the 64.3 million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on
behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as
ecumenical relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human
rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and
development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva,
Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of
the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted,
material presented does not represent positions or opinions of the
LWF or of its various units. Where the dateline of an article
contains the notation (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced
with acknowledgement.]

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