Performing female identity in a minority religion: female leadership in the Lithuanian Evangelical Lutheran Church without female ordination

• straipsnio tekstas

ENThe Lithuanian Evangelical Lutheran Church is a religious minority organisation dating back to the Reformation in which historically women have performed important roles such as priests’ wives, church organists, choir leaders or members, and religious and musical educators for children. Unlike most Lutheran organisations, the Lithuanian Evangelical Lutheran Church does not ordain women, although one woman, Tamara Schmidt, was ordained and served as a priest in Vilnius in the 1990s. Despite the lack of ordination, Lithuanian Lutheran women continue to embrace their historical roles. This research demonstrates that these women often assume multiple leadership roles in different areas, including church activities, professional careers, family and personal life, and the public sphere. Nevertheless, their narratives reveal that actively participating in church activities holds particular significance in their lives and constitutes a key part of their Lutheran female identity. The goal of this article is to analyse how Lithuanian Lutheran women, self-identifying as practising, perform their Lutheran minority and female identities through various leadership roles and how such performativity influences their agency within an organisation in which women are not ordained. Keywords: agency, identity, leadership, Lithuanian Evangelical Lutheran women, religious minority. [From the publication]

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