Created in God's image

In the four years from 1999 to 2002, the department of partnership of women and men held regional workshops on gender awareness and leadership development worldwide.

As a follow-up to these workshops, a church manual for gender awareness and leadership development has just been published. The manual, Created in God's Image: From Hierarchy to Partnership, is a training tool for increasing awareness and knowledge on gender and gender relations among women and men within the church and the wider community and is accompanied by a workbook for workshop participants. Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth reports.

Since the early 19th century, women in the family of Reformed churches have been making great strides in claiming their rightful place in the church. In the early days the Alliance was an organization run by men, but with much struggle it has demonstrated its commitment to partnership of women and men in church and society. On the eve of the 24th general council (Accra 2004), the question of delegation composition and the participation of lay people, women and youth again comes in focus.

How do we move from current models of human relationship and their accompanying limitations? How can leadership be valued and honoured so that it truly serves people?

Building the capacity of leaders to model patterns of ministry that foster partnership based on principles of justice calls for a fundamental shift in how we view leadership. The church has an important role in advancing the status of women as a valuable contribution to social justice and good governance. The church must begin from the early socializing processes - the way it responds to girls and boys within its community, the roles it assigns to them, and teaching that shows examples of both girls and boys as equal and worthy. The messages and practice of the church must demonstrate the equality of women and men as a model for society to follow.

Building awareness of gender justice is important in advancing partnership of women and men. Created in God's Image: From Hierarchy to Partnership is primarily for use by facilitators to provide gender-sensitive training for women and men, ordained and lay, old and young. The manual is designed to help participants increase their awareness of gender and enhance their understanding of gender relations in the home, community and society and of how they affect the lives of women, men, girls and boys. The underlying principle is that healthy gender relations based on partnership - not power - are necessary for gender justice the world over.

Created in God's Image: From Hierarchy to Partnership has been developed with a sociological and theological framework and contains a facilitator's guide and eight modules. The modules and activities are designed to meet the needs of adult learners. The learner is viewed as a partner, bringing valuable experiences, skills and knowledge to the learning process. This methodology aims to be learner-centred and empowering, beginning from where women and men are, and acknowledging and integrating their knowledge and experiences through shared and highly participatory learning processes.

Created in God's Image: From Hierarchy to Partnership encourages adaptation to the varied cultural and social contexts of its users - for example, through the inclusion of facilitation and learning styles that are culture-specific. It allows for concrete and relevant local examples of how gender differences influence the way issues are perceived, understood and responded to at various social levels. One of the modules, Building Solidarity on Gender Issues, is designed to help participants develop critical gender perspectives on such issues as economic justice, HIV/Aids and domestic violence.

Created in God's Image: From Hierarchy to Partnership includes a workbook for participants containing activity handouts (fact sheets and other relevant information to help with issues, concepts and analysis, stories and case studies) and Bible study resources (background, commentaries and reflections on biblical texts, and a bibliography). It is conceived as a dynamic resource that can be adapted to diverse communities and societies. It is hoped that the material developed in the workshops and supported by this manual will enable Christians to practise the gospel message of liberation all over the world.

If you would like to obtain a copy of this publication, please write to us or email us.

From hierarchy to partnership

Messages of recommendation

"A highly biblical understanding of the Christian church and its ministry has encouraged many classical Protestant churches to join the struggle of those women and men from different cultures and religions who oppose the persistent idea that biological differences are to be translated into hierarchical human relations. In future histories of the modern ecumenical movement, the engagement of those Protestant churches in the struggle for gender justice, to which this book bears eloquent witness, will certainly be considered one of their major contributions to a unity of Christian churches that transcends doctrinal agreements."

Odair Pedroso Mateus, theology secretary, WARC

"Is it not ironic that after 2,000 years of Christian history, a manual such as this which affirms the value God places on women and men, and their relationships still rings with urgency and immediate relevance? The churches are far from realizing that vision of a community of women and men envisaged in the early stages of church history. Till today, women in local congregations, but also in the national, regional and even global church, wrestle with systems of church order and ministry that exclude their gifts. The Bible is "used" to discriminate against women.

"This manual is a welcome contribution because it points to the liberative potential of the Bible and of the church. It can be made available to the churches, national and regional ecumenical organizations for their use because it allows for an adaptation to local experiences and varied contexts. We are grateful to WARC for making this manual available to the constituency of the World Council of Churches, thus underlining the very creative way in which true collaboration and a sharing of gifts is possible within the ecumenical family."

Aruna Gnanadason, coordinator, women’s programme and the justice, peace and creation team, World Council of Churches

"I am greatly encouraged to know that our common dream of developing a gender training manual with a faith perspective has been realized. Churches have yet to adopt a gender approach in a major way since it might question our long-standing faith beliefs, our theologies, practices, cultures and all that governs our lives and therefore can be very unsettling. Yet a gender focus is imperative in present times where policies are put in place but women are struggling more and more. Better communication, without anxiety and suspicion, needs to be established between women and men. Therefore I commend the initiative of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches to come out with this manual. On behalf of the LWF, I have shared our insights, notes and discussions to aid in this process and have walked very closely with this. I entreat all those who read this to understand that it is not just a document but a response to the need of this hour in building inclusive communities of mutuality, respect and accompaniment as God has intended us to be. Let us together build just, sustainable and inclusive communities for the wellbeing of people and for the glory of God!"

Priscilla Singh, Women in church and society, Lutheran World Federation

"After the end of the ecumenical women’s decade, the commitment to equal participation of women and men continues to challenge the churches. The issue goes deeper into our traditional gender images and into our perceptions than might have been imagined. Inequalities and distortions which have shaped relationships over two millennia cannot be healed within one decade. This gender manual therefore is to be deeply appreciated as an instrument for transforming action, aiming at the educative and liturgical structures of the churches. It offers expertise and practical guidelines to help churches to begin the difficult, but liberating pilgrimage towards a promised land: a renewed Christian community.

"The manual responds to an urgent need in many churches, to contextualize theological findings and visions. It offers practical advice how to confront such conflicts in a fruitful, forward-looking way. It offers a treasure of pedagogical instruments for transformative group work and counselling.

"The combination in this manual of theological insights and tools for their implementation carries catalyst energies: to discover new potentials and new aims, to learn to value each other and to put into practice a new culture of cooperation. Such a process will open up new awareness of the strengths of both women and men and will search for their creative integration in the commitment for more justice in relationships. Both men and women will be liberated - from power to reciprocity, from uniformity to a multitude of forms of living and working together.

"May this gender manual become what it is meant to be: a catalysing instrument for learning processes, towards a renewed community of men and women in the church."

Eva-Sibylle Vogel-Mfato, women’s desk, Conference of European Churches