About
The Rev. Niveen Ibrahim Sarras, born and raised in Bethlehem, Palestine, is the first Palestinian woman ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Her passion for the Bible began at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation and school in Bethlehem. She earned her Master of Divinity degree from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in Old Testament studies from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Rev. Sarras has taught feminist, womanist and mujerista theology in the ELCA East-Central Synod of Wisconsin and courses on feminist theology and interfaith introductions through the University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension. Outside academia, Rev. Sarras enjoys hiking, biking, canning, watching documentaries and reading on politics, faith and Scripture. As both pastor and scholar, she advocates for critical thinking and deeper faith understanding.
