15.07.2025

”Walk Boldly!”

On a visit to the Archives and Museum Foundation of the UEM: The participants were guests in the Wuppertal Mission House. Photo by: Susanne Seiler, UEM

In June 2025, ten female leaders from all three UEM regions, Asia, Africa and Europe, gathered in Hattingen, Germany to discuss how they can empower each other. They come from member churches of the United Evangelical Mission (UEM), where they serve in various leadership roles.

Strategic Empowerment - Intersectional Advocacy through Effective Planning: This was the title of the gathering. In a broader sense, it can be explained like this: “We are strategically building up resources to counter societal and state discrimination. Not as women alone, or as people with disabilities alone, or as those negatively affected by racism alone, but together, with and for one another. How we can plan this effectively: that is what this week is about.”

The event was initiated by Thea Hummel and Irma Simanjuntak from the UEM. Thea Hummel, Head of Advocacy, introduced participants to different aspects of gender justice, while Irma Simanjuntak, Advocacy Officer for Asia, spoke in her presentation about how the term “advocacy” is applied in the church context: on the one hand, churches have opportunities to set agendas and raise awareness; on the other hand, they can act as an important voice of society and point of contact with governments and authorities to bring about real change. “And finally,” said Simanjuntak, “churches can financially support legal action as well as mediation processes. In some cases they even make them possible in the first place.”

Which leadership styles suit me?

The participants themselves took on the role of presenters during the training: each shared her own experiences, successes and setbacks as a leader in the church context. These presentations then formed the basis for group discussions and further reflections on the significance of good leadership in different contexts, as well as on leadership styles and goals.

Pastor Julie Kandema, Vice President of the EPR*, explored both the local and spiritual dimensions of good leadership in her presentation: “In the Rwandan context, where history has tested the soul of our nation, leadership has emerged not only as a tool for governance but as a sacred calling to heal, to restore, and to uplift. God does not call the equipped; He equips the called.”

Tongam Pangabean, a UEM scholarship holder from the HKBP* in Indonesia, is currently pursuing a doctorate in Marburg. He was invited as a guest speaker at the training and presented a situation from Indonesia: how can employees organise on plantations and in factories within the Indonesian palm oil industry? How can they effectively assert their rights? And what leadership tasks arise from this for the leaders of their trade unions?

Respond to the needs of your time!

The participants discussed possible solutions and examples from their education and experience in response to such questions. At the end of the week, they collected twelve issues they wish to prioritise in the future. In Germany, this includes training for church staff to help create an intercultural church; in Hong Kong, it includes conversations with a congregation about how to use a room that is very rarely occupied — a valuable resource, especially in big cities. And in Tanzania, the focus is on training youth in social media, to find empowerment and community, rather than negative experiences.

Julie Kandema concluded her presentation with words of encouragement: “Walk boldly in your gifts. Be led by compassion. Let your leadership be a response to the needs of your time and a reflection of the One who calls you to serve.”

*EPR = Eglise Presbyterienne au Rwanda (Presbyterian Church of Rwanda)

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