wfn.org | 10 years since women first ordained in Finland

[FRANK_IMHOFF.parti@ecunet.org (FRANK IMHOFF)]

One fourth of parish pastors now female

GENEVA, March 10, 1998 (lwi) - Ten years have passed since the first 92
women were ordained into the ministry, March 6, 1988, in the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF). Now, there are 722 women among a total
of some 3,300 ordained pastors. Of the 1,765 pastors working in local
congregations, women make up 23 percent. Twenty-two congregations have
chosen women as their head pastors. Those remaining are employed for
special services in the church. Thirty are already retired.

The synod of the ELCF approved the ordination of women in 1986, preceded by
several decades of preparatory discussion. The synod voted upon, and
rejected, the recommendation to open up the ordained ministry to women
three times: in 1963, 1976 and 1984. The 3/4 majority vote necessary was
achieved in 1986, only on the fourth round.

After the recommendation to approve the ordination of women was first
rejected in 1963, the synod created a special position for theologically
educated women, called "lector". Lectors were allowed to preach and carry
out pastoral duties but not to distribute the sacraments or perform
marriages or funerals. When ordination became possible, most but not all of
the lectors wanted to be ordained. To facilitate administration, many
congregations changed the position of lector to that of ordained pastor.
Currently, 129 women still hold the position of lector.

Rev. Marjatta Laitinen, former moderator of the Association of Women
Theologians in Finland says: "The last ten years have gone well at
churchwide level as well as in dioceses and local congregations. Generally
speaking, the synod's decision has been respected in the church and there
have been no major conflicts".

The only exception is the northern Diocese of Oulu. Its bishop, Olavi
Rimpilainen, refuses to ordain women. In Laitinen's opinion, this does "not
diminish the generally good situation in the Finnish Lutheran church".
Anyway, some congregations in the Oulu diocese have called women pastors.
They have been ordained by a bishop of one of the other seven dioceses.

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Lutheran World Information
Editorial Assistant: Janet Bond-Nash
E-mail: jbn@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/