FINAL MESSAGE OF THE GENDER & POWER CONSULTATION
WICAS consultation on Gender & power for the Africa Region
Kempton Conference Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa,
28 November – 02 December 2007
1 Preamble
We, the participants from LUCCWA, LUCCEA and LUCSA at the LWF/DMD-WICAS Consultation on Gender and Power convened at Kempton Park Conference Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa from 28 November – 02 December 2007. We deliberated on topics such as “Leadership as Servanthood”, “Biblical and Lutheran Understanding on Power”, “Exploration on Gender in African context”, “Gender in Church Context and Present cultural realities”. “Challenges of Africa: Environment and Impoverishment”, “Challenges for Africa: Power, Powerlessness and the Cycle of violence against women”. “Challenges for Africa Gender in the context of HIV/AIDS”, “Healing Creation” and LWF Commitments for an Inclusive Communion”.
The theme of “Gender and Power” brought together men and women in different church leadership positions within our Africa Region to discuss and share openly on issues concerning gender violence in the church and the society, especially against women and children.
2 Leadership as Servanthood
We received insights about “Leadership as Servanthood”:
2.1 The root causes should be identified and re-defined to pave the way for implementing solutions to problems.
2.2 The leadership should also be empowered, to become a role model in the church and society.
2.3 The leadership should imply serving in all ministries as mandated.
2.4 The mechanisms for leadership implementation require capacity building.
3 Identification of crucial issues on Gender in African Context
Through sharing of difficult situations in some cases and experiences accumulated by most of our churches in the African continent, the consultation stood in and showed total solidarity especially to women and children because of the number of gender sufferings and challenges they undergo. We explored a number of burning issues on Gender in the African context and identified mainstreaming challenges in our respective churches as follows:
3.1 Women ordination in some regions
3.2 Women trafficking for abuses (sign of desperation)
3.3 Escalation of Gender violence targeting women
3.4 Church unawareness of the power involved in gender relations.
3.5 Identification and critical analysis is crucial to dealing with violence against women.
3.6 Marriage counseling to be a continual process in all stages from courting, wedding to parenting and family life.
4 Resolutions
Kempton Conference Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa,
28 November – 02 December 2007
1 Preamble
We, the participants from LUCCWA, LUCCEA and LUCSA at the LWF/DMD-WICAS Consultation on Gender and Power convened at Kempton Park Conference Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa from 28 November – 02 December 2007. We deliberated on topics such as “Leadership as Servanthood”, “Biblical and Lutheran Understanding on Power”, “Exploration on Gender in African context”, “Gender in Church Context and Present cultural realities”. “Challenges of Africa: Environment and Impoverishment”, “Challenges for Africa: Power, Powerlessness and the Cycle of violence against women”. “Challenges for Africa Gender in the context of HIV/AIDS”, “Healing Creation” and LWF Commitments for an Inclusive Communion”.
The theme of “Gender and Power” brought together men and women in different church leadership positions within our Africa Region to discuss and share openly on issues concerning gender violence in the church and the society, especially against women and children.
2 Leadership as Servanthood
We received insights about “Leadership as Servanthood”:
2.1 The root causes should be identified and re-defined to pave the way for implementing solutions to problems.
2.2 The leadership should also be empowered, to become a role model in the church and society.
2.3 The leadership should imply serving in all ministries as mandated.
2.4 The mechanisms for leadership implementation require capacity building.
3 Identification of crucial issues on Gender in African Context
Through sharing of difficult situations in some cases and experiences accumulated by most of our churches in the African continent, the consultation stood in and showed total solidarity especially to women and children because of the number of gender sufferings and challenges they undergo. We explored a number of burning issues on Gender in the African context and identified mainstreaming challenges in our respective churches as follows:
3.1 Women ordination in some regions
3.2 Women trafficking for abuses (sign of desperation)
3.3 Escalation of Gender violence targeting women
3.4 Church unawareness of the power involved in gender relations.
3.5 Identification and critical analysis is crucial to dealing with violence against women.
3.6 Marriage counseling to be a continual process in all stages from courting, wedding to parenting and family life.
4 Resolutions
In view of the realities and concerns expressed during the WICAS consultation, the representatives from the Africa region resolved for the following to be on the critical priorities for implementation in their respective churches:
4.1 Breaking of silence to speak out against gender based violence.
4.2 Building of awareness about faces of gender violence between women & men, women and women, adults and children.
4.3 Baseline information to kick start the healing process (healing of the root cause)
4.4 A Retreat workshop for Pastors and Church Leaders should be convened every three to six months so that they are equipped to deal with rising problems at sub-regional level.
4.5 Leaders, Women and Youth should be equally represented for participation and involvement in leadership decision making processes within the Church according to the LWF policy (of 40% men, 40% women and 20% youth), in the light of the Holy Scripture.
4.6 Irrelevant theologies should be discouraged; teaching against harmful cultural practices linked to traditions supporting man's supremacy over woman be encouraged.
4.7 Women be granted space and visibility at all levels of church structures and constitution.
4.8 Women be involved in decision making bodies of the church at all levels
4.9 Women be given freedom of expression in the area of theology
4.10 People Mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in all church's departments
4.11 Media be used in relation to gender to provide data and sensitize on HIV/AIDS at grassroots level.
5. Recommendations
In views of the aforementioned and many other issues Gender oriented, we recommend the following:
5.1 Churches make efforts to advocate or educate / teach - depending on the need of every church – women and children to gain maximun profit out of provisions of the law in their favour against discrimination and violence in society, and for their rights to own and inherit properties.
5.2 Churches make decisions on family and social issues, e.g. resisting forced marriages, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), wife inheritance and other forms of harmful practices and behaviours. 5.3 Churches should advocate for education and disappearance of harmful traditions that traumatize Women and Children.
5.4 Promotion of Human Rights in general be incorporated in all Consultations and churches.
5.5 Strong emphasizes should be put on Poverty and HIV/AIDS programs designed from the grassroots rather than relying on information circulating from top down.
5.6 The Lutheran World Federation DMD, WICAS, LUCCEA, LUCSA and LUCCWA, and the stakeholders, including Bishops, General Secretaries, Pastors and Elders, Women and Youth leaders (with the inclusion of Children) should co operate more closely.
A follow up Consultation on Gender and Power at Regional level with Women and Youth leaders should be organised by LWF/DMD-WICAS in 2008 in LUCCWA.
5.7 The institution of a gender desk at sub-regional level of the Africa Region running with a full time staff financed by the LWF who will coordinate and share information with the member churches.
5.8 The WICAS Regional Coordinator should endeavour to design gender programs relevant to the challenges in their own region.
5.9 Men and women created in the image of God as partners with individual identity should be created space in any regional meetings to actively participate together with the youth even in their facilitation program.
5.10 Churches make sure that gender issues are incorporated in the teaching / training programs of all theological institutions.
5.11 Where they do not exist, men's forums be encouraged in our churches as a place for dealing with issues relating to gender and violence.
6. Concluding remarks
We wish to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to the Lutheran World Federation and WICAS Desk for giving us the opportunity to take part in the GENDER and POWER consultation. We give our praise to God for the life and ministry of the LWF member churches and for looking at the future with hope.
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