NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — A Lutheran pastor inspired in her youth by a Catholic priest and nuns is set to become the first female presiding bishop of the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church.
The Rev. Catherine Ngina Musau, a 55-year-old mother of two adult children, was elected on Nov. 28 at the church’s general assembly in Malindi and will be installed in June. “This was by the grace of God because it came at the time God needed me to serve his church in this capacity,” Musau told Religion News Service.
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The bishop-elect will lead the 50,000-member Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church, a Bible-based Protestant denomination with missions in eastern and southern Kenya, where it has a strong following among the Masai ethnic community, near the Tanzania border. It’s known for its relief work, especially flood, hunger and poverty response, care of orphans, HIV and AIDS interventions and the fight for gender justice.
The first female pastor in the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church when she was ordained in 2003, Masau become one of the few women bishops in the country, where deep patriarchal church structures and local culture pose a challenge to women who aim for senior positions.
“Women priests who ascend to be leaders in the church and to the office of the bishops face significant challenges, but their presence in these offices is a sign of progress,” she said. “The journey towards full …