The lost leader

Late one Saturday night last month Dr Margot Kässmann ran a red light while three times over the legal alcohol limit. Five days later she resigned her posts as protestant Bishop of Hannover and Chair of the Council of the EKD (Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland). Despite the unanimous support of the EKD Council for her to continue in office – and further support from within the church, from politicians and others in Germany – she decided to relinquish her offices on the grounds that she would lack credibility as a person and in role when challenging the ethical stance of government and society. This is a tragic story, for she was one of the most charismatic people to have led the German church. Now 51 years old , she was elected the first female Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hannover in 1999 and the first female Chair of the EKD Council in October 2009. The EKD is a federation of Protestant Churches in Germany comprising the Lutherans, Reformed and United confessions. Holding them together is not easy. Bishops are elected (although in some Landeskirchen they are not called bishops) and cease to bear the title once out of active office – different from the Catholic traditions in which bishops are ordained as such. When Kässmann was elected to lead the EKD last October, her margin of victory was greater than any of her predecessors. There was a good deal of hope vested in her because she seemed to be the only viable successor to Dr Wolfgang Huber who retired in 2008. He was a respected academic theologian, a superb communicator and a committed (but very effective) workaholic. His media skills were such that he was in constant demand for television and radio appearances in which he was an articulate advocate of the Church's message on a range of issues. Margot Kässmann was the only viable successor with the charisma and media skills necessary for continuity and development in the public sphere. Kässmann is also no theological weakling. Having studied theology at the universities of Tübingen, Edinburgh, Göttingen and Marburg, she was awarded her PhD at the Ruhr University in Bochum for a thesis on the theme "Poverty and Wealth as an Inquiry into the Unity of the Church". Her passion for social justice, founded in the biblical demand for compassion in a church that should look something like its founder, developed from this initial inquiry. Her later forays into questioning government policy in areas such as defence, economics and military engagement are consistent with the concerns that fired her initially to study theology in its interaction with the world. She served with her husband in her first parish and they had four daughters. She and her husband divorced in 2007, a year after she had undergone surgery for breast cancer. Following her divorce she took a little time out. Not surprisingly, she had her opponents in the church. When it was obvious that she was the leading candidate to succeed Huber, she had to face those who believed (a) her divorce or (b) her gender should disqualify her from high office. English readers should note that being "Chair of the Council of the EKD" is an honorary appointment and – despite the desire to find a simplified analogue in England – is not, therefore, the 'equivalent' of the Archbishop of Canterbury. However, the role involves the Chair being the highest representative of the EKD in relations with other churches and communions. Many of us who have followed Margot Kässmann's ministry and know her personally have, understandably, been shocked by her departure. Quite simply, she is the best communicator the Church has had for years and popular outside the church as well as within it. She is a prolific writer, an intelligent and compelling preacher, a wonderful communicator at all levels and a great media performer. She has an instinct for being able to 'get it right' and to use words in ways that grip the imagination and stir the brain to thinking. She could pull a crowd of over 8,000 for a Bible study at the Kirchentag in Bremen last year, yet was taken seriously when questioning the involvement of German troops in Afghanistan when there is no clear end in view. There is a rumour she might now go into politics. The EKD might have lost a great leader, but she will not be silent for long. I hope.