Programme to affirm, challenge and transform

Women and men in partnership in church and society

PACT
Regional consultations
Women's committees in the regions
Cooperation in ecumenical and international activities
Communication with member churches
Remarks and words of thanks

"The issue of women and men as partners in the community of faith, and as fellow human beings, has been of increasing concern among Reformed Christians in recent years. This growing concern was evident at the Ottawa general council (1982) as it took steps to include more women among its delegates, as it affirmed the need for staffing and programming within WARC to focus specific attention on women's issues, and as it highlighted the question of the community of women and men and concern for the family and marriage within the study document "Called to witness to the gospel today"."¹

The call for partnership of women and men resounded during the 22rd general council in Seoul. As a result, PACT - the programme to affirm, challenge and transform: women and men in partnership in church and society - was established in September 1992. Before we look at the activities of PACT in the last five years, two other items need to be mentioned.

The theological study on the ordination of women

In May 1989, Rev Ursel Rosenhäger, who was seconded to WARC by the Lippische Landeskirche in West Germany, joined the Geneva staff, within the department of cooperation and witness. She worked half-time on women's concerns and undertook to update statistics on the ordination of women among the member churches. This led to a theological study on the ordination of women from a Reformed perspective, which brought together a small number of women and men from different countries in a consultation held in Geneva in May 1992. The papers presented during the consultation were published in English;² and translated into Korean (1995), Arabic (1996) and Spanish (forthcoming), thanks to Dr Sang Chang, Rev George Mourad and Rev Carlos Camps, members of the executive committee. This study on the ordination of women led to the 1993 Kampen consultation on church renewal which is reported on below.

A Reformed women's world conference

The 22nd general council endorsed the ecumenical decade of churches in solidarity with women. During the executive committee meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1990, it was decided that a Reformed women's world conference would be organized in 1994, preceded by regional conferences. Due to limitations of finance and personnel, however, the idea was postponed and referred to the next general council. "The priority would be given to work regionally until 1997; at that time, the general council may seek to hold a Reformed women's world conference in the future."³ Subsequently, PACT organized a series of regional consultations, in collaboration with area councils where they exist. The decade objectives were incorporated into the consultations, and information and WCC materials on the decade were shared with participants during the consultations.

PACT

A full-time executive secretary, Rev Dr Nyambura J Njoroge of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, joined the staff in Geneva in September 1992. She is assisted by a half-time administrative secretary. The executive committee in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand, in 1992 adopted the long name for the programme, which attempts to summarize how we work daily towards partnership between women and men. The committee decided that PACT should concentrate on promoting partnership of women and men in the member churches through regional consultations. At the same time the secretary was asked to develop a network of Reformed women and a data bank to facilitate a wider readership of WARC publications among women.

During her first year, the secretary searched through WARC documents and the archive for information on women in the life and mission of WARC. The resulting report demonstrated the desire and vision by Reformed women for partnership between women and men in the churches, the missionary enterprise and the Alliance. Women had paved the way for entry into the World Presbyterian and Reformed Alliance through their active engagement in the missionary enterprise. Women's exclusion from ordination as elders and ministers had denied them the opportunity of leadership in their churches as well as the Alliance. As a result, ordination of women elders and ministers became a significant item on the agenda of WARC executive committee meetings from the 1950s on, when more women's voices began to be heard.⁴

This brief historical survey revealed that full participation in the life and mission of WARC has always been a concern for women. Without women's involvement in the decision-making process, women's concerns are excluded and marginalized. Furthermore, women's gifts and perspectives are neglected. The survey revealed a need to carry out a comprehensive historical study on women in the life and mission of WARC. Unfortunately, PACT has not yet been able to secure the funds for this study.

Regional consultations

The executive committee in 1993 accepted "Partnership in God's mission" as the theme for the regional consultations on women and men of the Reformed tradition. Three subthemes were also accepted: being church today in the region or regions concerned; women and men in church leadership; and women and men in mission today - an ecumenical perspective. In addition, through theological and biblical reflections on selected Bible passages, the participants explored the meaning of partnership and God's mission. PACT organized regional consultations in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East, and Latin America, and a women-only consultation in central and eastern Europe. The reports of all these consultations have been or will soon be published. A workshop on community of women and men was held during the European area council in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1995. A Caribbean and North American consultation was planned by an officer of the Caribbean and North America area council (CANAAC). The PACT secretary attended both the workshop and the consultation.

Consultation for Africa: Limuru, Kenya, March 9-15 1994

This consultation was originally planned to take place in Kigali, Rwanda, but six weeks before the meeting, the turmoil in Rwanda which was to result in genocide in April 1994 forced us to change the venue. We are grateful that our member churches in Kenya were willing at very short notice to become our hosts. Participants wrestled with the nature of God's mission in a continent which seems to have chosen violence and destruction, and with the reality of women's marginalization in church and society. They poignantly urged African churches to value the ministries and gifts of all the people of God in order to transform the oppressive church structures and male leadership styles which discriminate against women and youth. Participants made the following recommendations, which reflect some of the major concerns in the region:

• Since the 1970s some African WARC member churches have been ordaining women. Others have yet to ordain women [to the ministry], and others do not elect women to be elders or even deacons. We call upon member churches which do not at present ordain women to follow other members of the Reformed family in doing so. All women (married or single) who feel called to God's mission should be given the chance to have the theological training which prepares them for this mission. Non-traditional models of ministry should be encouraged (eg tent-making).
• Laywomen and laymen should be helped to study theology, as well as candidates for the ordained ministry. We are all frightened by this word, "theology". Women should learn that theology means thinking and talking about God out of their own experiences and their own reading of the Bible.
• Theological colleges in Africa should develop short courses that highlight issues that affect women and sensitize the people of God to the need for partnership of women and men in the mission of God. Such courses, of about three months' duration, should be open to everyone (lay, clergy, seminarians, young, old, women, and men).
• African churches should break with the habit of depending on others. They should learn self-reliance.
• WARC, member churches, church organizations, etc., should explore ways of concretely supporting income-generating projects, especially to alleviate women's credit problems.
• WARC should be asked to monitor progress in the development of full partnership of women and men in our churches. It is enlightening and sometimes liberating for African churches to hear of what is being done already in other churches in the continent. Pastors should take the lead in ensuring that the biblical mandate for working in partnership is learned.
• Future [African ] consultations should have fifty-fifty gender representation among participants and should be held at subregional levels to enable more people to participate.⁵

Workshop on community of women and men in the church, European area council, Edinburgh, Scotland, August 28 - September 3 1995

Focusing on the objectives of the decade of churches in solidarity with women, the workshop concentrated on four issues: power, violence, the ordination of women, and church language and spirituality.

"Power and powerlessness against a background of patriarchy and androcentrism (church structures, inequality in power relationships) demand an in-depth analysis and reflection, as the group felt that the power used in the churches is normally the power of control and domination. The vision is of a church as a community which enables and empowers all."

"Churches have failed to face up to the issue of violence against women and have treated it as taboo within their life and theology. The churches themselves have mirrored secular society, by expressing, and concealing, violence in their structures, actions, and thought."

"There are still a number of European member churches which refuse to ordain women to the ministry of word and sacrament. We feel that churches which exclude women from the fullest participation in all aspects of leadership, fail to use the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to the church through women. We are not willing to declare this a matter of status confessionis. We recognize that some of the member churches might have difficulties in carrying this out. Nonetheless we consider the full participation of women in the church based on Scripture a matter which deeply touches our faith. We ask for a processus confessionis, which means that we want to enter into dialogue with these churches. We suggest that a WARC team consisting of women and men be asked to visit such churches which do not ordain women. We realize that the ordination of women is not the end but one step forward in realizing the full community of women and men in the church."

"Church language is exclusive and there is need to search for new symbols and names for God which are inclusive of all people. We need to find a way of life which corresponds with the word of God. With a change in lifestyle, there will come a change in the way we worship."

The participants made the following recommendations:

• That pastors be trained in gender awareness and churches promote education on the nature of violence and non-violent methods of conflict resolution, both in their own educational institutions and in secular educational institutions.
• That the ministry of women and men and the ordination of women be put on the agenda of the 23rd general council.
• That there be continuing financial and moral support for PACT.

Consultation for Asia and the Pacific: New Delhi, India, October 18-24 1995

The diversity of religions, cultures and races in these two regions made for interesting conversation. Work group 4, for example, had this to say about ecumenism: "While many churches define ecumenism as the relationship between different Christian denominations, an emerging understanding in Asia and the Pacific defines ecumenism as embracing dialogue with other faiths and ideologies, countries, and races, and relationship between women and men, young and old, as covering the whole world, and bring God's children together to learn from one another and to share differences. However, even within Asia this is not universally accepted and some continue to uphold the traditional definition."⁶ The participants made the following recommendations:

• That WARC inform and challenge all its member churches about the continuing commitment of the Alliance to supporting human rights causes and to active solidarity with the poor and the victims of governmental, religious and social abuses, and women, men, and children affected by human rights violations within the Asia-Pacific region.
• That, given the continuing abuse and exploitation of women migrant workers, WARC conduct a thorough review and evaluation of what is being done, particularly by WARC member churches, in addressing and alleviating this problem, and on the basis thereof, put up an organized programme and/or cooperative venture with the existing ones.
• That dialogue with other major religions on genuine participation by women and men in their struggle for justice, peace and human rights be encouraged.
• That, besides relating their stories in women's meetings, women in the member churches write down their stories of pain and joy, both to express and deal with the pain and to create awareness by others of their sufferings.
• That member churches encourage their male leadership to participate in women's consultations, and to speak on burning issues relating to women.
• That member churches fully support the ordination of women and encourage women to write from their experiences and perspectives the meaning of ordination and what they expect after ordination.
• That WARC should encourage the writing of the histories of women in their churches.⁷

The consultation issued a declaration and call to action in which participants affirmed:

"That women and men are ordained by God to be equal partners. Churches in upholding and promoting the equality of women and men will be following God's mission of justice, peace and liberation for all people.

"That some Reformed churches, since the general council of WARC at Seoul in 1989, have made considerable progress towards realizing the goal of full access of women to ordination.

"That tragically, however, leadership and decision-making in our church bodies and constituencies have long been dominated by the men, with the women being marginalized and relegated to the background, and this continues to be so.

"That, by and large, it is the leadership in the churches, mostly held by men, who have been perpetuating this rank injustice, whether through deliberate design, vested interests, or sheer neglect.

"That this anomaly is an institutional transgression of God's will which weakens the witness of the church. It should be removed swiftly and daringly so that God's gifts and love might now be manifest to all.

"Wherefore, to all our member churches, to all our church constituencies, to all our brothers and sisters in Christ we say: Let us listen... let us open our eyes, let us band together... Let us become authentic partners! And thus render mighty and strong our efforts in carrying out God's mission."

Consultation for women in central and eastern Europe, Debrecen, Hungary, February 9-13 1996

Unlike the other consultations and workshop discussed above, this consultation was designed for women only. A small number of women from the region came together to reflect on their journey of faith before, during and after the years of communist rule, and to prepare a brief account of their contribution as women to the life and mission of the church. Looking forward to the 23rd general council, the participants concluded: "The general council theme, "Break the chains of injustice", gives us an opportunity to address with a new vitality the issues of poverty, unemployment, homelessness, alcoholism, crime, ecological disaster, the full participation of women in all the ministries of the church, etc., that confront us. What can our Reformed churches do to build up the house of a new Europe open to the world? We must create models of ministry in the church that will facilitate the process. We must enable our sisters and brothers in the congregations to live a responsible life. We need to strengthen ecumenical cooperation among women of the Reformed churches in the region. But most importantly, we must have a commitment to justice and new life. Like Deborah, the prophetess and judge, who worked in partnership with Barak (Judg 4 and 5), we must work together, as women and men in partnership, to face the new challenges."⁸

Consultation for the Middle East, Ayia Napa Conference Centre, Cyprus, June 13-19 1996

This consultation was originally planned to take place in Zahle, Lebanon, but due to the Israeli bombing of the United Nations refugee camp at Cana in southern Lebanon it was moved to Cyprus. We are grateful to the Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches and in particular to its general secretary, Ms Rosangela Jarjour, for agreeing to host the meeting at very short notice. The participants discussed at length the question of Reformed identity and the prophetic role of Reformed churches in relation to society and culture and critically analysed the challenges Reformed churches in the region face in regard to women's full participation in all the ministries of the church. This is the only region where there are no women in our member churches who are ordained to the ministry of word and sacrament. So far, only one woman has been licensed to preach (by the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon). The participants said: "As Reformed people we must always evaluate the life of the church in the light of biblical teaching. Therefore as we study the biblical model of mission, we feel the need to redefine and re-evaluate our churches' life and their views on mission."

"The New Testament model of the church clearly expresses and demonstrates the partnership of men and women in God's ministry in preaching, in church leadership, in prophesying, in teaching and in caring for the needy. We cite the stories of Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18 and 19), Lydia (Acts 16.40), Phoebe (Rom 16.1), Philip's daughters who prophesied (Acts 21.8-9), Euodia and Syntyche (Phil 4.2).

"The first New Testament community followed the example of the Lord Jesus in his ministry. He was not afraid to converse publicly with the Samaritan woman. He also was not prejudiced to touch the unclean woman. After resurrection he entrusted the message to women to tell the good news. We add that women such as Martha and Mary (Lk 10.38-42) were among the disciples accompanying Christ in his ministry"

"Following the model of Jesus Christ we see the importance and urgency of partnership of women and men. Both women and men should have equal opportunities to participate in God's mission according to the gifts bestowed by the Holy Spirit. So women and men should be equipped with theological education. Equal opportunities of service include ordination of women."⁹

Consultation for Latin America, Pozo de Rosas, Estado Miranda, Venezuela, November 20-27 1996

This consultation was planned in collaboration with the officials of Asociación de Iglesias Presbiterianas y Refomadas de América Latina (AIPRAL). The participants acknowledged AIPRAL as an important instrument for strengthening the work of evangelism, ecumenism and partnership of women and men in the region and welcomed the progress report on the plan to make AIPRAL an area council of the Alliance. The participants made a number of recommendations to AIPRAL and to Latin American member churches:

• To encourage churches to send women delegates to the assemblies of AIPRAL and to revise the statutes of AIPRAL to allow women and men equal participation in the leadership.
• To integrate the women elected as continental coordinators of the women's committee of AIPRAL directly into the leadership of AIPRAL, with a vote and voice.
• To continue with the regional workshops on leadership training for women to provide incentives for women in ministry.
• To publish in AIPRAL's magazine articles written by women, promoting theological reflection on women's concerns and the ministry of women. Also that AIPRAL publish a list of ordained women in the churches and stories of lives of Latin American women.
• To give priority to theological education of women, for example in the granting of scholarships, and to create chairs of feminist theology in Latin American seminaries.
• To stimulate a debate in the churches on the diversity and importance of various ministries in the church, questioning the supremacy of the "sacred" [ordained] ministry.

Consultation for Caribbean and North America, Decatur GA, USA, January 30-February 3 1997

This region has the longest history of ordaining women ministers and only one member church that does not yet ordain women elders and ministers. Substantial time was spent reflecting on the impact this history has had on ministry and the relationship between women and men in ordained ministry. The participants acknowledged that even though ordination of women is an issue of the past (all the churches represented in this consultation ordain women), nonetheless full partnership of women and men has not yet been achieved. In fact there are many sorts of partnership which should be fostered in the life of the church: between people at different stages of life, of different genders or of different races; between those called as ministers, elders, deacons and other members of the church.

Those present believed that there is a mystique or aura about male ministers that reinforces an inequality between women and men that is alien to the gospel. Women ministers are responded to and dealt with differently from male ministers. Another area highlighted was the difficulties encountered in relating to issues about sexuality, body and ministry. In some churches difficulties such as sexual harassment and misconduct are not discussed openly, even though they are known to exist. Any discussion on partnership should take into account the degree of health of the partners involved and appropriate pastoral intimacy. The participants enthusiastically endorsed the continuation of PACT and made two recommendations to all member churches:

• That they address issues of partnership in ministry between women and men by accepting the responsibility of implementing the goals of PACT in the life and mission of their churches.
• That, in consultation with ecumenical bodies, they establish a way for women to participate in ecumenical and international meetings in equal numbers with men.

Consultation on challenges from the emerging ecclesiologies to ecclesial renewal, Kampen, Netherlands, October 19-23 1993

This consultation was jointly planned and coordinated by PACT and the department of theology. The idea for the meeting emerged from the May 1992 consultation on the ordination of women. "More than half of WARC member churches have committed themselves to ordaining women. Is this just a surface commitment? Or has it led to major changes in the churches to incorporate the gifts of women? This would require a reordering of ecclesial structures, orders, traditions and habits so as to do justice to women now that they begin to be welcomed to the ordained ministry. But it became clear, as ordination and hierarchy which surrounds this office was debated, that it is not only women who have been excluded but others as well, because of their race, caste, minority position, economic or social status, etc. To do justice to all these marginalized people, churches must move beyond accommodation to renewing church structures."¹⁰ The participants explored the contours of new communities, the necessary conditions for the coming into existence of the church, and the impact that women and other marginalized groups have on the existing structures.

Women participants gathered one and half days earlier to reflect on the contributions made by women at both local and ecumenical levels under the theme "Lois and Eunice: Women of faith, wisdom and action". It was clear from both meetings that the church is challenged to take seriously women's experiences, perspectives and participation in all the ministries of the church, as well as all the other groups of people whose voices have been silenced.

Women's committees in the regions

Within the executive committees of the Southern Africa Alliance of Reformed Churches (SAARC) and AIPRAL there are women's committees. These committees have undertaken activities to equip women for leadership and to strengthen the regional networks of women through workshops and conferences. The SAARC women's committee organized a conference on "Women's concerns in church and society", March 2-8 1992. The AIPRAL women's committee held a women's conference in Venezuela entitled "United in commitment: Filled with hope" (Unidas en Compromiso: Llenas de Esperanza) which focused on violence against women, April 19-21 1993.

There have also been follow-up activities organized by these two committees. The AIPRAL women's committee planned two leadership-training workshops for women in Bolivia and Costa Rica in 1996 to develop strong leadership skills in the women's organizations and in the church. These activities have been undertaken in consultation with PACT office. WARC has facilitated these activities through financial assistance from the partnership fund.

In November 1995, following the PACT regional consultation for Africa, the SAARC women's committee organized a training workshop on gender sensitization and awareness.¹¹ The workshop objectives were to:

• Sensitize church leaders to gender issues as they apply to society in general and particularly to the church, with a view to creating a strong partnership between women and men.
• Build church leaders' skills in systematically analysing gender issues in the church and church projects.
• Increase participants' awareness of how church projects affect women and men differently and how this comes about.
• Build participants' skills in gender training so that they will be able to conduct training in their own countries.
• Develop follow-up actions for gender training in the church in the countries represented.

Cooperation in other ecumenical and international activities

The PACT secretary has worked closely with the women's desk and the ecumenical theological education department of the World Council of Churches, the Ecumenical Institute Bossey, and the women's desks of the Council of European Churches and the Lutheran World Federation in seminars, workshops and consultations regarding women's concerns and theological education and ministerial formation. In all these activities there has been a strong emphasis on how to theologically articulate women's experiences, perspectives and contributions in the holistic life of the church and how women can be equipped and empowered to be full partners with men in God's mission.

WARC sponsored three women, one woman from each of these regions: Asia, Africa and central and eastern Europe to attend the NGOforum at Huairou, People's Republic of China, August 30-September 8 1995, which was organized in connection with the fifth UN conference on women, Beijing, People's Republic of China, September 4-15 1995. Unfortunately, a fourth woman from Latin America was unable to obtain a visa to China. PACT facilitated the necessary correspondence with these women. The UN conference on women was the largest ever UN conference, attended by 189 member states, and 4,035 representatives of NGOs. The conference had three elements: overview and analysis of global issues, strategies and mechanism, and commitment to the future. The conference produced a Platform for Action, a long and detailed document made up of a mission statement, the global framework of the current situation of women, and twelve critical areas of concern towards the achievements of gender equality. These are: women and poverty; education and training of women; women and health; violence against women; women and armed conflict; women and the economy; women in power and decision-making; institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women; human rights of women; women and the media; women and the environment; and the girl child.

The NGO forum had three objectives: agenda setting for the NGOs into 21st century, networking, and impacting the Platform for Action. The twelve critical areas of concern have helped to expose women's context the world over. Violence against woman and the girl child received international recognition for the first time.

Communication with member churches

The PACT secretary has developed a data bank of contact people in member churches and other women with whom she maintains direct correspondence. On the basis of this data bank, 630 women receive Update; in addition, the contact people receive Reformed World and books in the Studies series. In Update, the secretary writes regular articles which inform the readers about the objectives of PACT and about women's contributions in the church.

The secretary has visited member churches in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Europe, mostly in central and eastern Europe. These visits provided the opportunity to hear from women and to encourage church leadership to take women's voices seriously. In June 1995, after conflict between women and male leaders in Blantyre synod, and in response to the women's call for help, the PACT secretary organized a pastoral team visit of six people to the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian in Malawi.

Other contacts have been made through invitations to ecumenical gatherings and team visits which have given the secretary the chance to share information about WARC and PACT and to make contacts with the wider ecumenical movement. The secretary has worked closely with her colleagues at the Geneva office to encourage them to include women in all WARC activities, especially in consultations and publications. The December 1992 issue of Reformed World was written by women on women's contributions in the church. The March and June 1995 issues concentrated on partnership of women and men in God's mission.

Remarks

Through PACT, WARC has laid the foundation for facilitating partnership of women and men in the total life of WARC and the member churches. PACT has introduced a gender-based approach embracing both women and men, rather than considering women in isolation. Always framing the conversation on partnership are the doctrine of the creation of all human beings in the image of God and the daily reality of people in their regional context. PACT has worked to change ideas, attitudes, beliefs and practices that hinder partnership of women and men in accordance to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Participants in the consultations expressed great enthusiasm and interest in fostering the dialogue between women and men on women's concerns. They acknowledged that churches have a long way to go to eliminate discrimination against women and other marginalized groups in the church and society.

The ordination of women emerged as an important issue in the framework of partnership. The discussion on the ordination of women has provoked the question of the way we understand ordination in the Reformed tradition and how we treat the office of the minister or pastor. The hierarchical and authoritative status given to ordained ministers was highlighted as a hindrance to creating new models of ministry which are inclusive and empowering to the congregations and the ministers themselves. Implicitly, this raises questions as to how we equip the whole people of God for ministry through theological education and ministerial formation both at the seminaries and in the congregations. The way we equip the people of God for God's mission has a direct impact in the way we understand and live partnership in church and society. Ordination from the Reformed perspective, theological education and ministerial formation are some of the aspects that demand an on-going dialogue, especially in the south.

Another area that needs attention is strengthening the women's network within and between the regions. The majority of WARC member churches have churchwomen's organizations where most of the women carry out their ministry in church and society. There is need to develop the ecumenical dimension of these organizations in the regions and worldwide within the framework of partnership. Through these organizations, PACT could facilitate gender sensitization and awareness, as has been attempted by the women's committee of SAARC. Unless we understand gender dynamics, it is hard to build partnership of women and men. At the same time we need to develop leadership training programmes for young women and men who will be instrumental in developing models of ministry that take partnership seriously.

Words of thanks

PACT could not have happened without the generous contributions of the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, the Netherlands Reformed Church, and the German Churches Development Service (AGKED). They made a commitment to provide funds for PACT for six years, which they have faithfully done. In addition, and together with the international committee of the Fellowship of the Least Coin, the Fondation pour l'aide au protestantisme réformé (FAP), Geneva, SMU/Youth, Sweden, and the WARC partnership fund, they have contributed to the funding of the regional consultations. Many thanks for their willingness to share these resources.

PACT would also like to express its appreciation for the support it has received from the churches, seminaries and individuals who helped to host the consultations.

We also wish to acknowledge the wise guidance and support we have received from the WARC executive committee and from colleagues in Geneva in the formative years of the programme.

Notes