“The problem today lies in the pressure faced by the Christian component, as is the case with many groups, due to economic and political crises, noting that the number of Christians is smaller than the rest of the components in this region."

"The path toward a solution is embodied in urging civil leaders to work for peace, build a civil state, adopt a civil law, achieve democracy and the rule of law, and preserve freedoms, all of which are factors that create states that protect their people and safeguard their rights. It is necessary to work on building a civil state that protects Christians and all citizens equally."

"However, this task does not fall on the church because it is not its role to engage in politics or legislate laws, but rather on Christian and non-Christian leaders whose role is to achieve a civil state that guarantees freedom, equality, citizenship, democracy, and human rights for all its citizens, regardless of their religion.”

This valuable statement goes back to 2021. It was said in one of his interviews by Reverend Habib Badr, President of the National Evangelical Union in Lebanon, honorary president of the Middle East Council of Churches, and pastor of the National Evangelical Church in Beirut. It contains an ongoing and still relevant call for a civil state, a state of institutions that protects all its citizens equally.

Badr, a figure of intellectual and theological value, assumed pastoral leadership of the Evangelical Church in central Beirut in 1985 and decided to retire from pastoral service a few days ago after 41 years of active ministry, during which he played significant roles across many fields and established an effective evangelical presence, especially in Beirut.

If Reverend Habib Badr deserves all forms of recognition, what should also be noted in this modest celebration is that he handed over his entire mission to a female pastor. Although we are aware that female pastors exist, Lebanese society has not yet become accustomed to the idea of a female pastor, especially since the Evangelical community in Lebanon is small in number compared to other Christians, and its influence as an institution is limited.

As a result, the prevailing culture in the religious sphere remains male dominated, since there is no female priesthood in other Christian denominations, and the matter is limited to monastic life. Likewise in Islam, which also forms part of the surrounding cultural context, there is no female imam leading male worshippers.

Pastor Rima Nasrallah

The handover ceremony at the National Evangelical Church in Beirut was notable on two levels: the retirement of Pastor Habib as we know him, and his partial withdrawal from the scene after years of exhaustion, and the assumption of pastoral leadership by a woman.

The new female pastor is Dr. Rima Nasrallah, who took over the pastoral care of the church and the presidency of the National Evangelical Union in Lebanon. Nasrallah was ordained in 2018 and, over the past years, has held pastoral and educational responsibilities in the National Evangelical Church and served as the academic dean of the Near East School of Theology.

During the handover, Badr said: “After 41 years, I ask myself: are we in the right place? Are these days days of beginnings or endings? After all the crises and difficulties we have gone through and are still going through, the answer remains that voice full of hope that enters our depths and urges us to remain attached to our community. I am certain that we are in the right place. We are here, the National Evangelical Church in Beirut, steadfast, and our faith is built on rock.”

It is worth noting that the first woman to be called a pastor in Lebanon was Rola Suleiman in 2014 in Tripoli, who took over a small local church whose pastor had emigrated. Later, in 2017, Ms. Najla Kassab was ordained as a pastor.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the writers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Annahar.