Commissioning service for Darja Schneider

Young Woman appointed as pastor for the Adventist congregations of Munich-Nymphenburg and Pasing

From the high north of Germany (Hamburg) to the deep south (Munich): Pastor Darja Schneider has quickly won the hearts of her "flock" with her vivid sermons and winning manner. Even the regrettable disrespect of individual members towards women in the pastorate that she has experienced cannot change this. Pastor Petko Bonev, her mentor and companion through the year of internship, summed up the meaning of the solemn sommisioning service very well in his sermon: "It is about more than a post. It is not about showing men that women can be pastors, too. ... It's about asking the divine blessing for a person who stands here because of her calling, her qualities and spiritual gifts - regardless of her gender." Through the commissioning - a kind of preliminary stage of ordination - Darja Schneider is authorized to perform pastoral acts such as baptisms, weddings, communion services and funerals in the parishes of her district (Munich-Nymphenburg and -Pasing). We wish Darja and her husband Marcel, who as a pastor works in the congregations of the Penzberg district, the backing of our wonderful God, good encounters and enriching experiences in pastoral ministry.
Heidemarie Klingeberg (Wir in Bayern 21-1)