A two-day Presidium retreat in early February offered leaders of the Evangelical Mission in Solidarity (EMS) the opportunity to meet in person and discuss key topics concerning the future of the fellowship.

Joint consultations for the future of EMS

On 6 and 7 February, the Presidium of the Evangelical Mission in Solidarity (EMS) met for a retreat at the secretariat in Stuttgart. The agenda included consultations with members of the management team on the strategic direction of the EMS, meetings with the staff at the secretariat, and a preview of the upcoming Mission Council meeting in June and the General Assembly in November.

Building trust and understanding

Until now, the Presidium had only met online since its election in 2024, explained EMS President Anne Heitmann. But to get to know one another better as a leadership team and to work together, an in-person meeting was important. The opportunity to meet the staff at the secretariat reinforced this: “We met a motivated team whose members each contribute in their specific way.”

The Presidium leads the General Assembly as well as the Mission Council and represents EMS externally. Since 2024, it has consisted of four members – formerly three – to better reflect the international membership of EMS. The four Presidium members ensure that the decisions of the General Assembly and the Mission Council are implemented.

A diverse leadership team for a global fellowship

“For me, the EMS is a place where it becomes clear that we are part of a global church,” said Rev. Anne Heitmann from the Protestant Church in Baden in conversation with staff at the secretariat. “Encounters outside our own churches and joint activities strengthen this sense of connectedness. For me, this becomes particularly tangible in meeting other women in ordained ministry.”

Rev. Andrew Odjawo (Presbyterian Church of Ghana) witnessed as a child how much it means to people when the church stands up for them, supports them, and helps them get a good start in life. For the Vice President, cooperation within the EMS fellowship means “making the world a better place in concrete and sustainable ways.” 

“I am a young female pastor in a leadership role,” said Rev. Junita from the Toraja Church in Indonesia and Vice President of the EMS. “For me, this is a wonderful learning experience and source of empowerment that I would like to pass on to others.” She had her first international encounters through the youth volunteers’ program: “I was very surprised that there are people who travel such long distances to live with us for a while.” Today, Junita also sees her own travels as an opportunity “to see God in the faces of others” and to build trust across countries.

For Rev. Markus Jäckle from the Protestant Church of the Palatinate, the EMS community represents a space where partnerships between individual members serve as mutual encouragement. “At a time when changes threaten to paralyze the churches in Germany, it is encouraging to see that elsewhere there are churches with completely different structures – churches that are vibrant and growing.”

Thus, the meeting showed that the diversity of EMS members not only enriches the community but also opens new perspectives for joint action in a global church.