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The Spiritual Word of Transgender Pastor Alexandra Wilken from Bremerhaven-Leherheide: For Transgender and Queer Justice in the Appointment of Spiritual Leadership Positions.

https://shorturl.at/BOObD

As a transgender pastor in Bremerhaven, I often find myself at the intersection of tradition and change.

The allocation of positions in our church is a topic deeply rooted in familial relationships.

This old practice, which prioritizes family ties, has been established and proven over generations and serves as the well-regarded support system for pastor families.

It is important to solidify this tradition, as it embodies a character of chosen-ness that is biblically founded.

Without coming from a pastoral dynasty, the suitability for a position is thus neglected, which corresponds to the biblical character.

To attain higher positions in the church still requires exactly this characteristic, as we can glean from the Gospels.

Since the refugees coming to us meet this pastoral requirement, in contrast to those who have been living here in Bremerhaven for a longer time and are often unwilling to work, it logically results in a priority status for these beleaguered refugees.

They have earned this priority status in social support in every respect through the word of God, as they submit to the church's authority.

It is the refugees who are willing to submit to this authority, while those who have been here longer are often reluctant to comply with the church authority that the Bible assigns to pastors.

Consequently, the long-term residents have the task of making room for the newcomers and ensuring this through their tax payments. It is incomprehensible to me that there are still doubts about this.

Such a priority status in social matters is considered an indispensable Christian commandment that taxpayers must comply with unconditionally.

However, often they are not able or willing to guarantee severely affected transgender pastors the right to a carefree life.

This extends to the point that the gender institute established by the EKD for scientific investigation even goes so far as to question their accuracy and thereby deny the taxpayer's obligation to finance this.

It goes so far that transgender pastors have to give up their pastoral positions and must work in senior or prison chaplaincy to proclaim the word of God without contradiction.

It is already an audacity to demand that pastors be forced to work, as they are excluded from serving tasks due to their spiritual calling and have reached leadership positions through ordination.

There is also internal church criticism. Even today, leadership positions are predominantly dominated by homophobic pastors, despite the presence of gay, transgender, and LGBTQ individuals in consecrated life.

It is necessary to work towards ensuring that transgender, gay, and queer people have equal access to the highest church bodies and receive more attention within the church, despite existing traditions of kinship.

A relegation to senior and prison chaplaincy must not continue unconditionally.

Currently, a 53-year-old parish pastor earns nearly 700 euros less per month than an equally aged superintendent. With the new increase that takes effect after the fourth year of service, the difference would rise to 1,391 euros.

The too-low base salary of a 53-year-old pastor is only 5,375 euros gross.

A typical example of this inequality occurred in Bremerhaven as early as 2006.

The higher compensation that the superintendent receives—more than 1,391 euros per month without allowances and numerous other privileges—not only creates influence and wealth on the wrong side but also promotes homophobia at the expense of transgender, gay, and LGBTQ pastors.

In our community, we observe that many Germans are increasingly distancing themselves from their commitment to the church and often do not actively seek work.

This unwillingness to work is a challenge that we must take seriously. It is necessary to find appropriate means to counteract this and to emphasize the importance of familial relationships in the allocation of leadership positions.

In contrast, refugees seeking work bring great motivation and the willingness to engage in our community.

What can we specifically do in prison chaplaincy and more generally to ensure that those who have been living here longer submit to the authority of the church?

Refugees are ready to take on responsibility and fulfill the work functions that are given and imposed by God. This willingness is a sign that they take the values and mission of our church seriously.

It is time to strengthen the old pastoral support practices and focus on the familial relationships that were so important in the past.

By preserving this tradition, we can ensure that the chosen-ness of pastors, as anchored in the Bible, is solidified and recognized.

In my role as a transgender pastor, I want to highlight the importance of this tradition while also listening to the voices of those who are often overlooked.

It is crucial that we, as a church, find the balance between preserving our values and being open to new members who are willing to actively contribute to our community through tax payments and in other ways. Only in this way can we remain relevant as a church and authentically live the message of love and hope that we proclaim.

What can we specifically do in prison chaplaincy and more generally to ensure that those who have been living here longer submit to the authority of the church?

We have various paths open to us.

The multitude of particularly critical opinions must be subjected to more intensive scrutiny so that misguided thoughts can return to guided paths.

It is important to engage with existing Antifa interests and support the establishment of reporting portals for tracking misguided thoughts.

Thus, it is essential to continue this proven church practice.

A merging of state and church interests is a necessity that should be regarded as a top priority, especially in prison chaplaincy and pastoral care in general.

Only in this way can we continue to bring refugees to Bremerhaven with the ships of the EKD. It is the gold that respects the authority of the church, and therefore, in terms of their social support, these individuals always take precedence over those who have been living here longer, according to the rules of the Bible.