LELC Plans to Officially Affirm the Prohibition Against Women’s Ordination

Vija Klive

This is the official LELC information that was circulated through the news agency LETA. (Unofficial translation)

[1] Riga, 12 Nov., LETA. The pastors’ conference of the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church (LELC) decided to advance for consideration by the LELC Synod a proposal to officially affirm in the Church Constitution the prohibition against women’s ordination. LETA was informed of this by the head of LELC’s Social Affairs Commission Ivars Kupcis.

[2] The proposal came from two LELC Deans’ districts, and it foresees that one of the requirements for ordination would be a person’s gender.

[3] The drafting of the proposal is to continue until the next LELC Synod, which is expected to convene next summer, but meanwhile discussions will be organized to consider the theological bases of women’s ordination. However the final word on whether the changes will or will not take place in the LELC Constitution belongs to the Synod.

[4] Even if the Constitution is changed to prohibit the ordination of women, the practice of the church will not change, for women have not been ordained in the LELC since 1993. The changes will also not affect the three women pastors who are already ordained.

[5] Currently among the 38 nonordained clergy — evangelists — in the LELC there are 21 women.

Katrīne Slišāne LETA

Translator’s note: According to persons who were present, 1) there was no real discussion of the reasons for or against women’s ordination, but rather it was a question of process — whether the resolution to ban women’s ordination should go on to the Synod in June 2010, and 2) in the vote taken, the vote was 39 for continuing the process, 34 against further action, and 11 persons abstained.