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- Hilja Nghaangulwa is installed as bishop of the Eastern Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia in Ongwediva, Namibia, on Feb. 16. She is the first female Lutheran bishop in the country and only the second in the entire African continent.
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- Nghaangulwa proceeds to her installation along with Gideon Niitenge, position as ELCIN’s presiding bishop and as bishop of the Western Diocese was formalized. (right), who
After years of devastating drought, the rains have returned to Namibia. Fattened goats and cattle now wander across the verdant desert, where the rains have formed a giant patchwork of lakes. Tender millet and corn leaves dance in a new, fresh breeze.
This lush landscape is the backdrop for new leadership in the Lutheran church in Namibia that includes its first female bishop. Hilja Nghaangulwa is only the second Lutheran female bishop in all of Africa.
The Lutheran world stood witness Feb. 16 as Nghaangulwa was installed as bishop of the Eastern Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN) in Ongwediva, Namibia. Alongside Nghaangulwa, Gideon Niitenge’s position as ELCIN’s presiding bishop and as bishop of the Western Diocese was formalized. The leaders are part of the largest Lutheran church body in Namibia, with about 150 parishes and 875,000 members. Roughly a third of its pastors are female.
A crowd of 1,000 jubilant supporters, young and old, crammed under white, billowy tents as the rain held off. Singing touched the souls of listeners as bishops clad in vibrant purple, red and blue from southern Africa, Finland and the United States welcomed Nghaangulwa.
“It was huge,” said Michael Wilker, a pastor of First Lutheran Church in Decorah, Iowa, who was part of a team sent by the ELCA to witness the installations. The ELCA delegation included members of the Northeastern Iowa, Southwestern Washington, New Jersey and Metropolitan Washington, D.C., synods, which have had a companion relationship with churches in Namibia since 1990.
“I’m just a servant of God … [called] to look after his people as members of his congregations. Because of his grace, I am here as bishop.”
Bishop Leila Ortiz, who became the first female bishop of the Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod six years ago, spoke of Nghaangulwa’s call at the installation: “It’s not only a joy, a blessing and an honor; it’s also a challenge.”
Indeed, it will be a challenge for Nghaangulwa, who previously served as a bishop’s assistant and parish pastor. In papers filed in Namibia’s High Court on Jan. 31, a group of pastors contend that the ascendancies of Nghaangulwa and Niitenge procedurally violated the ELCIN’s constitution. The group asked the court to force the ELCIN to convene a special synod gathering to settle the matter, according to New Era, a media outlet owned by the Namibian government.
But for Nghaangulwa, the biggest challenge as bishop will be to attract more young people back to the church. In an interview with Living Lutheran following her installation, she said young people continue to be wooed away by Pentecostal churches, which have gained rapid growth in Namibia in recent decades.
Contemplating her role as the first female Lutheran bishop in Namibia, Nghaangulwa recalled the humility of Mary, mother of Jesus, who was “not proud” nor better than the rest. “I’m just a servant of God … [called] to look after his people as members of his congregations,” she said. “Because of his grace, I am here as bishop.”
Advice from women leaders
After the installation, three high-ranking women in the Lutheran church world who had journeyed to Namibia for the installation shared their stories and gave advice to Nghaangulwa.
Ortiz, who was also the ELCA’s first Latina elected as a bishop in the continental United States, urged Nghaangulwa to be herself, “to pay attention to how the spirit stirs within her,” adding, “She’s called to lead in her skin, in her body, in her gender, with her gifts, with her wisdom, to serve right now.”
Be prepared to be continually questioned, Ortiz cautioned her. As an assistant to the bishop, Ortiz watched as her male predecessor was allowed to move about freely in his decision-making. “I was more challenged,” she said, which meant first wading through a painful environment of patriarchism and racism “to finally get to the work of leading. … There’s no system in place to tell you what you need.”
“She has sisters across the globe to listen and to pray.”
Lilana Kasper, the first female executive director of the Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa, a network of 15 church bodies, said her experiences of rising through the ranks has “definitely not been easy,” though she has been treated well by most.
She agreed with Ortiz about staying true to oneself: “To me, it’s about being authentic.”
Kasper advised the new bishop to know and focus on her strengths as she shapes her tenure. It’s essential, she added, that Namibia’s first Lutheran female bishop surround herself with staff who can perform in areas in which she’s less proficient. She suggested that Nghaangulwa find a trusted mentor—someone to bounce ideas off of and who will flat-out tell her when she’s wrong.
In another piece of advice, Kasper said Nghaangulwa shouldn’t react in the moment but learn to take the time needed for a measured and reasoned response.
Tracie Bartholomew, who has served two terms as bishop of the New Jersey Synod, said Nghaangulwa must keep prayer at her core and foster her daily devotional life. “I’m no more, no less than a child of God, regardless of my title,” she said.
Beyond that, Bartholomew suggested the new bishop fully lean into congregations when she visits, gladly undertaking the time to fully engage with people in fellowship and following up by arranging to see individuals again. And while it’s important to deal directly with difficult tasks such as disciplinary actions, Bartholomew also advised that she learn to disconnect and leave it at the office.
Sometimes, however, feelings against women just won’t go away. Bartholomew laughed when she recalled one pastor who each year in his annual report blamed female pastors for the decline of the church. She dealt with the pastor with humor, a good tool to have, she recalled.
Bartholomew hopes her presence at the installation helped encourage Nghaangulwa, “because it’s not going to be easy.”
Still, a new season has come to Namibia. As Namibia lifts its hands up to the blessed rain, it turns its eyes to Nghaangulwa.
“She has sisters across the globe to listen and to pray,” Ortiz concluded.
