Gail Allan shares the story of the work for Gender Justice by the World Council of Churches and how it is transforming the church.

A display of banners for the Thursdays in Black movement
Credit: Marcelo Schneider/WCC
Published On: August 24, 2022

From the time of the first assembly in Amsterdam in 1948, the World Council of Churches has been challenged to recognize the gifts and contributions, as well as struggles for equity and equality, of women in church and society. While issues of gender justice have been addressed at each assembly with the particular accent of its time, two programs continue to shape the work to this day. The 1978-81worldwide study on The Community of Women and Men in the Church resulted in the Sheffield report with a theological vision of a just community of women and men working in partnership and solidarity. From 1988-1998 the Ecumenical Decade of Churches in Solidarity with Women invited Christians into reflection on violence against women in its various forms; women’s full and creative participation in the life of the church; the global economic crisis and its effect on women; and racism and xenophobia and their specific impact on women. At the end of the Decade, the 8th Assembly in Harare supported policies relating to economic justice, racism and inclusion and declared that “violence against women is a sin.”

In the ensuing years a variety of programs have sought to give life to these visions and policy commitments within WCC structures and member churches. Aswe prepare to gather for the 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany I want to lift up several initiatives that have marked the journey toward gender justice in the years since the previous assembly in Busan, South Korea in 2013.

In 2012, just prior to Busan, a Gender Advisory Group was convened to address barriers to equity and equality existing within WCC structures and processes. After historical, theological and social analysis, the group developed a set of 10 principles that were adopted by the WCC Central Committee earlier this year. The first principle, Pillars of Justice names the foundation of equality and justice in WCC tradition. The second, Power Sharing, recognizes the need to involve women and men in transforming relations of power. Others include listening to personal stories of those who have been marginalized; ensuring that all work within the WCC reflects a praxis of equity and equality; respecting the plurality of different traditional perspectives and local contexts; promoting gender justice perspectives that recognize socially constructed roles; engaging men in developing positive masculinities; acknowledging the points of intersectionality of oppression and injustice; and affirming that we are on a pilgrimage of justice and peace. These are to be taken into account in all aspects of WCC governance, program and staffing; the Council will accompany member churches who choose to adapt them for their own use.

The Busan assembly invited member churches and Christians around the world to join in a pilgrimage of justice and peace. One way of living out the pilgrimage was through pilgrim team visits in which stories of struggle, hope and transformation were shared by churches in different regions. Early on it became clear that intentional effort would be needed to bring women’s stories forward, and a series of women’s visits “Walking Her Stories” was organized. The visits reflected the pilgrimage pattern of celebrating gifts, visiting wounds and transforming injustice. Participants  heard stories of the trauma of conflict, poverty, and sexual and gender-based violence; they also witnessed women’s gifts of courage and resilience and reflected on possibilities for collaboration in transforming systems of exploitation and oppression. 

To mark the 20th anniversary of the Ecumenical Decade of Churches in Solidarity with Women a consultation was held in Kingston, Jamaica. Out of an intense program of story-telling, analysis, visits, scripture reflection and worship, the group gathered produced a set of strategies for ongoing work on the issues of the Decade. Strategies addressing sexual and gender-based violence include empowerment of local organizations and development of urgent action networks. Strategies addressed to the practices of the WCC and its member churches urge policies for gender equity in WCC structures and leadership; auditing budgets through a gender justice lens and collaboration among WCC, member churches, and local advocacy groups on gender justice issues. Finally, responding to recent experiences of backlash includes strategies for research and church leaders able to draw on knowledge of gender issues, intersectional analysis and critical interpretation of tradition.

A common thread that has woven through each of the above events has been women’s experiences of sexual and gender-based violence. Thus the Thursdaysin Black campaign has been a vital component of WCC gender justice programming throughout this period. The campaign has emphasized that to live out the conviction that gender-based violence is a sin requires continuous, concerted action to reveal and resist that violence wherever it occurs. The commitment to wear black on Thursdays is a sign of the commitment to break silence within church and society, to educate, pray, advocate and work to transform cultures of violence and the systems of domination that enable them.

Gender justice is now recognized as a transversal that should inform all work in the WCC. During the assembly in Karlsruhe participants will have several opportunities to focus on gender issues and transformation toward a just community for all people.

At the Women’s and Men’s Pre-Assembly prior to the opening of the assembly, participants will have an opportunity to explore the assembly theme ‘Christ’s Love Moves the World to Reconciliation and Unity’ through the lens of gender justice. Participants will prepare for effective engagement on issues of gender equity and equality at the assembly, and will also contribute to the policies and program directions of the WCC beyond Karlsruhe. Bible study, workshops and presentations will challenge participants to consider the relationship of injustice to issues of identity and difference, and to reflect on the role of community and collaboration in the work of transformative justice-seeking. The pre-assembly will also launch the Thursdays in Black Waterfall of Solidarity and Resistance, a tapestry crafted by people across the world to create a powerful sign of hope for a world free from rape and violence. Composed of quilt blocks from around the globe, the tapestry tells women’s stories of survival, resistance, and a shared commitment to transformation.

During the assembly, delegates will participate in ecumenical conversations, an opportunity to discuss one topic in greater depth, developing recommendations that will inform WCC program work in the future. There are 23 conversations in total; one will be “Minding the Gaps: A Gender Justice Approach to Reconciliation and Unity.” This conversation contends that an ever-widening gap in access and participation between men and women is a deterrent to the unity of the church and the reconciliation we seek. The conversation will address the divisive gaps between theology and praxis which threaten gender equity and equality and also perpetuate sexual and gender based violence in church and society. Participants will critique structural barriers to equality and examine the intersectionality of gender justice issues, using lessons from the work on gender justice since Busan. In a final report they will propose strategies for the WCC and member churches to work toward reconciliation and unity from the perspective of gender justice.

Finally, a thematic plenary on “Affirming Justice and Human Dignity” will include attention to gender justice, calling the church to challenge and transform  practices that perpetuate systemic inequality and abuse. Listening to marginalized voices, participants will be encouraged to confront and denounce privilege and prejudice and advocate for human dignity and justice for all.

Those gathered for the Decade Anniversary Consultation affirmed: “Christian communities as a foretaste of God’s reign on earth, ought to actualize the theological principle of equality and equity into the present contexts and lives of the people. Christian communities have the responsibility to become safe places for all, households of freedom and love, areas of welcoming the ‘other’, healing the wounds, supporting spiritually and physically the whole human being.” Living into this vision requires transformation of the structures of gender injustice in church and society which continue to create barriers to reconciliation and unity. This World Council of Churches assembly will be another step on that journey.

— Gail Allan is a member of the WCC Gender Advisory Group, who will be attending the assembly as part of the Just Community of Women and Men pre-assembly, and as a resource person in the Ecumenical Conversation on Gender Justice. She is a member of the United Church, who has worked in ecumenical and interfaith relations, as well as issues of global and social justice, including as Coordinator for Ecumenical, Interchurch and Interfaith Relations in the General Council Office until 2020. She has a doctorate in ethics from Emmanuel College; her dissertation focused on the Ecumenical Decade of Churches in Solidarity with Women as it was lived out in Canada. At present she lives in Edmonton, Alberta, active in Garneau United Church, and is an associate faculty member at St. Stephen’s College, Edmonton.

 

The views contained within these blogs are personal and do not necessarily reflect those of The United Church of Canada.