Greeting Landesbischöfin Kristina Kühnbaum-Schmidt 50 Years Women’s Ordination in Lettland
15. September 2025
Dear sisters and brothers,
honoured guests,
What a wonderful and special evening, what a festive evening! We are together with women from different parts of the world and especially here from Latvia. And yes, this gathering in these days here in Riga is a real celebration! A celebration that not only commemorates the special date of the 50th anniversary of the ordination of women in Latvia, but also celebrates the present and is intended to encourage and strengthen us for the future.
Today evening, we are together as amazing, inspiring, smart and strong women. All the women we meet here tonight, all the women we think of tonight and also those who can't be here tonight - certainly all the men who are celebrating with us, but today I'm focussing on the women - are women who are deeply rooted and anchored in faith in Jesus Christ. They not only carry within them the faith and hope for a reconciled and fraternal world, but also proclaim this faith publicly - even in the face of opposition. Isn't that beautiful?
I am deeply moved and touched and please, let me say: sisters, you are all so beautiful, you are loved and you are needed because God needs you, because God has sought you out and chosen to proclaim his gospel.
Tonight, as presiding bishop, I bring you warm greetings from the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Northern Germany and, as its chair person, from the German National Committee of the Lutheran World Federation – as a sign of closeness, appreciation and joy at being able to celebrate this anniversary with you today. I am very pleased and happy that I can do this together with many women from the Northern Church, such as Margret Wegner from Lübeck…….
This very clearly expresses the special bond with us, the women in the Northern Church and you in Latvia. I am particularly pleased that Astrid Kleist, the Executive Director of the German National Committee of the Lutheran World Federation, is here with me. We are not only united by our commitment to the Lutheran World Federation, but also by the fact that the ordination and support of women is a matter close to Astrid's heart as former and my heart as current Vice President of the Lutheran World Federation for the Western and Central European Region.
We are celebrating 50 years of women's ordination in Latvia. In 1975, Helēna Valpētere, Berta Stroža and Vaira Bitēna were ordained as the first women in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia.
The realisation that women and men are equally called to the ministry is one that first gained acceptance in the 20th century. Even today, this is still not shared by all Lutheran churches and not by everyone in all Lutheran churches – an experience that you, dear sisters, are painfully aware of.
In my church, Elisabeth Haseloff was ordained in Lübeck in 1958 as the first woman in a Lutheran regional church in Germany. The Old Prussian Union was 15 years ahead (1943). The Lutheran Church of Sweden followed in 1960, the American Lutheran Church in 1970, yours in Latvia in 1975, and Bavaria a year later, in 1976. Each of these decisions was a step on a long journey. In 1992, Maria Jepsen was elected as the world's first female Lutheran bishop in what was then the diocese of Hamburg. I am grateful and proud to serve today as the first female presiding bishop of the North Church together with the two female bishops in the Hamburg-Lübeck and Schleswig and Holstein dioceses Kirsten Fehrs and Nora Steen.
The 50th anniversary of women's ordination is a landmark, not only in the history of your church, but in the history of the Christian church as a whole. It is a sign of bravery, trust and the power of the Gospel. Helēna Valpētere, Berta Stroža and Vaira Bitēna opened doors with their vocations that must never be closed again. Christ has called women and men equally. On Easter Day, it was women who were the first to even witness the resurrection.
From the very beginning, the women's movement in the church and theology has focused on the examination of biblical texts. It is therefore wrong to defame the ordination of women as a decline. Protestant theology is guided by the principle of sola scriptura. Luther always read the Bible in the light of the Gospel and understood the Church as a creation of the Word of God. This Word is expressed in the context of human language and must be re-questioned and deconstructed in every age. Those who read it in this way will find in it the justification for the ordination of men and women.
It is a blessing for the whole Church when we proclaim the Gospel together, without distinction between the genders. The wealth of the Church lies in the gifts that God gives us in faith. That is why the Church thrives when God's gifts are recognised, supported and implemented in all people.
„Prove all things; hold fast that which is good“ (1 Thess 5,21) is the annual proverb for 2025 in Germany. The ordination of women to the ministry is one of the tested goods that we want to hold on to. This is what this 50th anniversary, which we are celebrating together, stands for.
Today we are also celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Association of Latvian Lutheran Women Theologians. It has made a significant contribution to ensuring that women remain visible in theology and the church, that their voices are heard, and that questions of justice, equality and participation are not silenced.
In a global context, scientists and people tell us again and again from their everyday experience: where women can live and work on an equal footing, where women have the same rights as men, life is fairer for all people. Because women's rights are human rights. So today I am thinking in deep solidarity with all women who are still standing up and fighting for equal rights and caring togetherness in church and society. Let us be at their side and follow the example of Jesus, who called women to follow him and invited them to share their experience and their faith.
Today evening, I would like to express my deep gratitude to all those who have invited us to this celebration, who have been engaged in this work for many years and who continue to advocate tirelessly for equality and participation. We are grateful and proud that we were also able to make a contribution from Germany. May this anniversary be a sign of hope, courage and a church that is open to the future.
My Church has many connections with Latvia. The historical ties with Lutheran communities are organised by the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Northern Germanys ecumenical office. The annual pastoral college, attended by theologians from Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Northern Germany, is a place for sharing thoughts on biblical, theological and social issues. Zanda Ohff, European Affairs Officer at the Ecumenical Office and herself Latvian, is responsible for this. The fact that she could not be ordained in Latvia and is now a pastor in the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Northern Germany reminds us that this anniversary is also a call to continue to encourage women in their vocation.
As chair of the German National Comitee of the Lutheran World Federation, I would like to emphasise that this anniversary is also closely linked to international partnerships. Many projects supported by the German National Comitee have contributed to the empowerment of women in the church – in Latvia and worldwide. Each of these initiatives, whether in theological education, networking or the promotion of leadership roles, helps women in the church and society to fulfil their vocation. We owe the effectiveness of this work not least to the executive director of the German National Comitee, Astrid Kleist, who is with us today, and her predecessor Norbert Denecke.
The fact that we are celebrating this anniversary together – with brothers and sisters from many countries and churches – proves that we are on this journey together. I am sure, this journey will continue to show us more and more ways to develop gender equality in the Church. A journey inspired and encouraged by Jesus Christ, who called us to be his witnesses.
So: carry on, sisters and brothers, carry on!
And may God's blessing be with us on this journey.
