10.12.2024

Church in Diversity

With an Ulos for the EKvW: Ephorus Rev Dr Robinson Butarbutar (left) and Rev Dr Mika Purba (right) cloak Vice President Ulf Schlüter (centre) in the traditional garment. Photo by: EKvW

In his speech Butarbutar emphazised the shared way of EKvW and HKBP. Photo by: EKvW

During the Synod, UEM General Secretary Andar Parlindungan (left) and Ephorus Robinson Butarbutar (centre) also met Rev Sally Azar (right) from the Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. They are united in prayer for peace in the Region. Photo by: private

From 24 to 27 November, the EKvW Synod met in Bethel. It is the highest governing body of the UEM member church EKvW*. The focus of the meeting, themed “Church in Diversity,” included discussions with local and international guests from politics and society. Among the approximately 180 members, among them around 150 with voting rights, was the General Secretary of the United Evangelical Mission (UEM), Rev. Dr. Andar Parlindungan, who serves as an appointed member of the synod.

Hope and Attitude Against Hostility

The opening worship service featured a joint sermon by Alena Höfer, theologian and consultant at the Institute for Church and Society of the EKvW, and Velda Love, a consultant from the United Church of Christ (UCC) in the USA. The theologians reflected on the current reality that in many societies, “anti-democratic, hostile, and life-destroying attitudes are becoming louder again.” In response, they presented Psalm 126 as the hope of the “dreamers,” redeemed and liberated by God. Velda Love stated: “When we stand in solidarity with Christ’s and God’s desire for human well-being, we create just policies and practices for anti-racism, economic justice, and equality.”

Ulf Schlüter, the theological vice-president of the EKvW, is currently leading the church until the election of a new presiding leader. He called on the synod to let go of an idealised self-image of the Protestant church. “We tend to like seeing ourselves as the good ones,” Schlüter said. “But the truth is: we are not the good ones – and we never will be.” He stressed the importance of confronting sin and guilt with full seriousness and naming them openly – “in the hope of God’s grace, but not bypassing repentance and guilt.”

Nancy Janz, spokesperson for the survivors’ representation within the German Protestant Church’s (EKD) participation forum on sexualised violence, called for a cultural shift in addressing sexualised violence. In powerful and clear words, she shared her deeply personal experiences of abuse as a teenager, both within her family and in her church congregation: “I had been broken and he was there, the Youth Pastor. I needed him, as a spiritual counselor, as a go-to person with a clear attitude and a clear role. […] But trust me, the sexualised violence itself wasn’t the worst, I’ve had a lot of that in my life. He took away my confidence to belong, with my doubts and my fractured faith, my confidence to have a place in the community, a place in faith.” In the face of the fractures caused by sexualised violence in lives and within the church, anger is an appropriate response and a cultural shift is urgently needed. She urged all members of the synod to take a firm stance and a clear attitude.

Guests from the UEM Communion

The Synod welcomed two guests from the Indonesian UEM member church, HKBP*: Ephorus Rev. Dr. Robinson Butarbutar, leader of the HKBP, and Rev. Dr. Mika Purba, head of the diaconal department of the HKBP. They led workshops that explored the theme “Church in Diversity” in depth.

In his address to the synod, Butarbutar emphasised the equality of the EKvW and the HKBP as members of the UEM: “May God’s mission be strengthened through the EKvW, the UEM, and the HKBP in the years to come. The HKBP is grateful to the EKvW for their support through prayers, financial resources, and brotherhood as equal members of the UEM. In this challenging world, we must pray for one another and support each other.” After his speech, Butarbutar and Purba presented Ulf Schlüter, the theological vice-president, with a Ulos, a traditional Batak garment. The cloth symbolises encouragement and prayers for his leadership in the EKvW until the election of a new presiding leader.

*EKvW = Evangelische Kirche von Westfalen (Evangelical Church in Westphalia)

*HKBP = Huria Kristen Batak Protestan (Christian-Protestant Church of the Batak)