Helga Engler-Heidle

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Helga Engler-Heidle (born June 22, 1948 in Traben-Trarbach ) is a German feminist Protestant theologian , pastor and researcher in the history of women who made a significant contribution to the women's movement in the Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau and to equality between men and women.

Live and act

Apprenticeship and first years of employment

At the age of 13, Helga Heidle decided to study theology. At first she wasn't interested in becoming a pastor. She was interested in the Bible and theological issues. From 1967 to 1973 Heidle studied Protestant theology at the Bethel Church University , at the Philipps University of Marburg and at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen . In 1973 she passed her first theological exam. This was followed by the vicariate in the castle parish in Dreieichenhain in Hesse . In 1975 she passed the second theological examination and was ordained in the Luther Church in Frankfurt am Main , where she worked as a pastor from 1975 to 1983.

Community work and building of new organizations

From 1985 to 2001 the now married Engler-Heidle headed the Evangelical Parish Office for Women’s Labor in Frankfurt am Main. Her tasks included networking women’s work and theological training for women, especially for church leaders . She planned and founded a Protestant women's meeting center in Frankfurt am Main. The initiative came from full-time and voluntary women of the Protestant women's movement in Frankfurt am Main . What was important for them was the desire for a central location and common profile for women's work. It should become clear that women in the Protestant Church and in the urban public take theological and political positions and become visible. The EVAngelische Frauenbegegnungszentrum (EVAngelische Frauenbegegnungszentrum) that resulted from this is still a place of education and encounter and is unique in the entire Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD). Engler-Heidle headed the center from 1997 to 2001.

From 2001 to 2006, Engler-Heidle was commissioned by the church leadership to lead the project for the General Association of Women in the EKHN . Their task was to reorganize women's work and to bring together the various groups of women. This led to the foundation of the Evangelical Women in Hesse and Nassau eV The EKHN Pastors' Day also received a new structure in this context.

From 2006 to 2013 she was the first director of the newly founded volunteer academy of the Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau . The establishment of the office in the church administration and the establishment of 18 regional volunteer academies in the EKHN dean's offices was also Helga Engler-Heidel's task. The volunteer academy offers advanced training for volunteers in institutional management positions and aims to further develop the volunteer work and strengthen the volunteers.

In her professional practice, Engler-Heidle orientated herself on the theologian Dorothee Sölles . For Engler-Heidle too, politics, spirituality, theology and resistance belong together. In addition to the work on the structures and women's political commitment, the search for God and the spiritual and theological support of the employees were always important to Engler-Heidle. In 2013 she retired.

Commitment to feminist theology

Engler-Heidel's work in the women's parish in Frankfurt am Main was shaped by spiritual and feminist-theological approaches from the USA. An important topic at the time was the interpretation of scriptures, which at that time was shaped from a purely male point of view. One focus of her work was the annual women's workshops on feminist theology . Over a period of almost 20 years, around 3000 women took part in the workshops. The focus was on dealing with patriarchal theology and the search for individual forms of spirituality. In the feminist-theological Bible studies and church services, Engler-Heidle and her team gave the participants new and liberating approaches to the Christian tradition. So far this has been experienced as suppressive for women, including the father God, who is perceived as male.

As a women's pastor, she was one of the organizers of the first women's hearing in 1986. Together with Catholic adult education , she started the ecumenical women's services in the Old Nikolaikirche on Frankfurt's Römerberg . In women's worship services to this day, the experience of women is contrasted with the Christian tradition in order to make it clear how much the one-sided interpretation of the Bible has contributed to the oppression of women on the one hand and "what potential for liberation it holds on the other." Women-specific topics and a lively one Liturgy speaks to many women to this day. Engler-Heidle volunteered to lead Protestant women's work in Hesse and Nassau from 1997 to 2000 , the umbrella organization for all women's associations in the EKHN, which existed from 1948 to 2005 when the EKHN women's associations formed the Association of Evangelical Women in Hesse and Nassau e. V. merged.

Research on the history of women theologians

With an exhibition in the Alte Nikolaikirche in Frankfurt am Main in 1995, Helga Engler-Heidle drew attention to the history of theologians and women in the pastoral ministry. Together with Marlies Flesch-Thebesius , she published the book Frauen im Talar on the occasion of the opening of the EVAngelische Frauenbegegnungszentrum 1997 . Engler-Heidle's aim was to make women in church offices visible and to focus on them. During her research in Frankfurt she discovered many theologians who were pioneers on the way to equality in the pastoral office . Initially, women theologians were only allowed to work in special offices, not marry and not take on leadership positions. For the theologians, it was a long way to full equality in parish service, which was achieved in 1971 in the EKHN with the transition from gender-specific parish law to a gender-independent one. Women in Gowns is the first publication on the EKHN's history of women theologians.

In 1999 Engler-Heidle published the essay On Equal Correction and Influence - A Century of Women in the commemorative publication for the 100th anniversary of the Evangelical Community Association in Frankfurt am Main . In it she provides an overview of women's history in the Protestant church.

Foundation of the EKHN women's movement online

In order to increase the share of articles on women's history in the church on the Internet, Helga Engler-Heidle founded the women's movement in the EKHN online together with Ute Knie in 2016 . Women's history on the internet . In this project, Engler-Heidle created extensive documentation on the EKHN women's movement on the website of the Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau . One focus is portraits of women who have shaped and supported the church on a voluntary and full-time basis . For Engler-Heidle this project is a continuation of her publications on the history of women and theologians, in particular on the equality of women in the pastoral office. Another goal of the project is to make women's personalities and women's history visible on Wikipedia.

The EKHN Church President Volker Jung described Engler-Heidle as a “committed theologian”. She was particularly committed to the interests of women and volunteers. It is her merit to realign important work areas "with great consistency and at the same time a high level of empathy and make them fit for the future". As examples, he cited the Evangelical Women's Meeting Center in Frankfurt, the restructuring of women's work in the EKHN and the establishment of the volunteer academy. The President of the Synod of the EKHN, Dr. Ulrich Oelschläger, praised Engler-Heidle for her "perseverance and energy" and "convincing work" for the honorary position in the EKHN.

honors and awards

Helga Engler-Heidle and Ute Knie were jointly awarded the Leonore Siegele Wenschkewitz Prize in 2019 for the church project women's movement in the EKHN online .

Private

Engler-Heidle has been married to Hans-Christoph Engler since 1973. They have two daughters.

Fonts

  • with Marlies Flesch-Thebesius (Hrsg.): Women in the gown: A piece of Frankfurt church history . Evangelical Regional Association, Frankfurt am Main 1997, ISBN 978-3-922179-29-0 .
  • About equality and influence - a century of women , special print in: Jürgen Telschow (Ed.): Everything has its time . Festschrift for the anniversary 100 years of Protestant parishes in the old Frankfurt urban area, 100 years of Protestant parishes, series of the ev. Regional association Frankfurt am Main, No. 23, Frankfurt am Main 1999, ISBN 3-922179-31-2 .
  • A long struggle for equal rights - the history of women theologians of the EKHN , in: Christiane Drewello-Merkel, Sylvia Puchert (ed.): 100 years on a good course. Evangelical women in Hesse and Nassau and their history . Darmstadt 2007, page 41, ISBN 3-934083-09-9 .
  • with Elisabeth Wolf: A pastor for the theological and spiritual accompaniment of women's work - the Evangelical Parish Office for Women's Work in Frankfurt , in: Christiane Drewello-Merkel, Sylvia Puchert (ed.): 100 years on the right track. Evangelical women in Hesse and Nassau and their history . Darmstadt 2007, pp. 42-44, ISBN 3-934083-09-9 .
  • with Anette Neff: Women's workshop at the Kirchentag 1987. Violent controversies about the exhibition GOTT / IN , in: Christiane Drewello-Merkel, Sylvia Puchert (ed.): 100 years on the right track. Evangelical women in Hesse and Nassau and their history . Darmstadt 2007, p. 119, ISBN 3-934083-09-9 .
  • with Astrid Standhartinger, Elisabeth Beyersdörfer: “No question: your type is urgently required” , in: Christiane Drewello-Merkel, Sylvia Puchert (ed.): 100 years on the right track. Evangelical women in Hesse and Nassau and their history . Darmstadt 2007, p. 201, ISBN 3-934083-09-9 .
  • Much is better, but not all is good. The Effects of the Ecumenical Decade of Solidarity of the Church with Women 1988–1998 in the EKHN , in: Christiane Drewello-Merkel, Sylvia Puchert (ed.): 100 years on a good course. Evangelical women in Hesse and Nassau and their history . Darmstadt 2007, p. 212f., ISBN 3-934083-09-9 .
  • with Elisabeth Wolf: From the niche to the center - a city church project by and for women. The Evangelical Women's Meeting Center Frankfurt , in: Christiane Drewello-Merkel, Sylvia Puchert (Ed.): 100 years on the right track. Evangelical women in Hesse and Nassau and their history . Darmstadt 2007, pp. 216f., ISBN 3-934083-09-9 .
  • with Sabine Bäuerle: In the morning ... In the evening. Small liturgies for seminars of the Volunteer Academy . Darmstadt 2007, no ISBN.
  • The pastors' day in the Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau , in: Gisela Matthiae , Renate Jost , Claudia Janssen , Annette Mehlhorn , Antje Röckelmann: Feminist theology initiatives, churches, universities - a success story . Gütersloh 2008, pp. 196–199, ISBN 978-3-579-08032-1 .
  • Voluntary work in the community - an office with a future , in: EKHN (Ed.): Handbuch Kirchenvorstand 2. Win and accompany , Darmstadt 2010, pp. 6–23, no ISBN.
  • The volunteer academy of the Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau , in: Diakonisches Werk der Evangelische Kirche (Hrsg.): Diakonie concrete. Handout for community work . Stuttgart 2011, p. 17f. As an online document (PDF) (as of August 1, 2019).
  • Volunteer work in motion - a challenge for everyone , in: EKHN (Hrsg.): Handbuch Ehrenamt. A practical aid . Darmstadt 2012, pp. 44–50, no ISBN.
  • Beginning and end. Spiritually accompanying volunteering , in: EKHN (Ed.): Handbook of volunteering. A practical aid . Darmstadt 2012, pp. 88–91, no ISBN.
  • The volunteer academy. Promotion of honorary office , in: EKHN (Hrsg.): Handbuch Ehrenamt. A practical aid . Darmstadt 2012, pp. 117–122, no ISBN.
  • with Ute Knie (Ed.) Women's movement in the EKHN, accompanying publication to "Women's movement online". Darmstadt 2020, ISBN 978-3-87390-431-6 and Frankfurt, ISBN 978-3-922179-57-3

literature

  • Sylvia Puchert: Shaping the future together - the merging of women's association work in the EKHN 2005 , in: Christiane Drewello-Merkel, Sylvia Puchert (ed.): 100 years on the right track. Evangelical women in Hesse and Nassau and their history . Darmstadt 2007, pp. 24-27, ISBN 3-934083-09-9 .
  • Christiane Drewello-Merkel: History of Evangelical Women in the Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau. In a nutshell , in: Christiane Drewello-Merkel, Sylvia Puchert (Ed.): 100 years on the right track. Evangelical women in Hesse and Nassau and their history . Darmstadt 2007, p. 211, ISBN 3-934083-09-9 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Women of Movement: Helga Engler-Heidle. In: ekhn.de. July 14, 2019, accessed August 1, 2019 .
  2. ↑ a b c d Renate Haller: Again and again pioneering work: Pastor Engler-Heidle ends a multifaceted professional life. (pdf 458 kB) In: Evangelische Sonntagszeitung 35. September 1, 2013, p. 10 , accessed on August 9, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Engler-Heidle / Flesch-Thebesius (ed.): Women in the gown. P. 255.
  4. ↑ Engler-Heidle / Flesch-Thebesius (ed.): Women in the gown. P. 203.
  5. ↑ EVA - The Evangelical Women's Encounter Center. In: ekhn.de. July 31, 2019, accessed August 6, 2019 .
  6. ^ Pastors' day in the EKHN. In: ekhn.de. Retrieved August 1, 2019 .
  7. ↑ History of EAA. EKHN Volunteer Academy, August 31, 2018, accessed on August 1, 2019 .
  8. ↑ Helga Engler-Heidle: The volunteer academy of the Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau - more than honor. (pdf, 10.9 MB) In: Diakonie specific: Handout for community work 2011: Voluntarily engaged - being there, being close, being human. April 15, 2011, pp. 17-18 , accessed August 1, 2019 .
  9. ↑ Dorothee Sölle: Mysticism and Resistance: "You silent scream" . Hamburg 1997, pp. 15-21, ISBN 3-455-08583-0 .
  10. ↑ Evangelical Parish Office for Women’s Labor Frankfurt am Main. In: ekhn.de. August 1, 2019, accessed August 1, 2019 .
  11. ↑ Women's workshop on feminist theology in the EKHN / 1983–2001. In: ekhn.de. December 5, 2018, accessed August 1, 2019 .
  12. ↑ Elisabeth Schüssler-Fiorenza: Bread instead of stones. The challenge of a feminist interpretation of the Bible . 2nd edition, Freiburg / Schweiz 1991, p. 10, ISBN 3-905575-36-1 .
  13. ^ Christiane Drewello-Merkel, Sylvia Puchert: The chairmen and managing directors of the Protestant women's work in Hesse and Nassau (EFHN). In: Christiane Drewello-Merkel, Sylvia Puchert (ed.): 100 years on the right track. Evangelical women in Hesse and Nassau and their history . Darmstadt 2007, p. 40, ISBN 3-934083-09-9 .
    Sylvia Puchert: Shaping the future together. The merging of the women's association work in the EKHN 2005. In: Christiane Drewello-Merkel, Sylvia Puchert (Ed.): 100 years on a good course. Evangelical women in Hesse and Nassau and their history . Darmstadt 2007, pp. 24-27, ISBN 3-934083-09-9 .
  14. ↑ a b Engler-Heidle / Flesch-Thebesius (ed.): Women in the gown.
  15. ↑ Engler-Heidle / Flesch-Thebesius (ed.): Women in the gown. P. 9.
  16. ↑ Engler-Heidle / Flesch-Thebesius (ed.): Women in the gown. Pp. 26-27.
    History of women theologians. In: ekhn.de. February 7, 2019, accessed August 1, 2019 . Conference of women's departments and equality offices in the member churches of the EKD, Study Center of the EKD for gender issues in church and theology (ed.): Atlas on equality between women and men in the Protestant Church in Germany, supplement 1: Equality in the spiritual office. (pdf, 4.3 MB) February 6, 2017, p. 25 , accessed on August 6, 2019 .
  17. ↑ Helga Engler-Heidle: To equality and influence: A century of women. In: Jürgen Telschow (Ed.): Everything has its time. 100 years of Protestant parishes in the old Frankfurt city area . Series of publications of the Evangelical Regional Association Frankfurt am Main 1999, No. 23, ISBN 3-922179-31-2 , pp. 186-214.
  18. ↑ Adult education section of the Education Department in the Evangelical Church of Kurhessen-Waldeck (ed.): Women's project goes online (as of August 1, 2019).
  19. ^ Women's movement in the EKHN. In: ekhn.de. April 15, 2019, accessed August 1, 2019 .
  20. ↑ Stefanie Bock: Women on the Internet: One has to open the lid. In: Evangelical Sunday newspaper. January 30, 2019, accessed August 1, 2019 .
  21. ↑ Volker Rahn: Between women power and volunteering: Helga Engler-Heidle in portrait. In: ekhn.de. September 5, 2013, accessed August 1, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Engler-Heidle, Helga
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German feminist Protestant theologian, pastor and researcher in the history of women theologians
DATE OF BIRTH June 22, 1948
PLACE OF BIRTH Traben-Trarbach