by Deacon Erin Brown – Lutheran Office for World Community [About the Author]
Being a part of the advocacy team at the Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC) has given me the opportunity to meet amazing advocates from the communion of churches that form part of the Lutheran World Federation. God has called these advocates to use their prophetic voice in different ways– sometimes formally in international, federal and state advocacy offices; sometimes as pastors; sometimes as professors; sometimes as student activists. I have the privilege to see the diverse ways in which our global church works for the common good.
Each of the individuals I’ve met with their different gifts, passions and prophetic voices are essential to ensuring that the human rights of all people are respected and upheld across the world. We need the symphony of prophetic voices that declare God’s desire for compassion, justice and love when the gifts and identities of God’s creation are dismissed, negated, or even threatened.
CLEAR STRENGTH IN VARIETY AT CSW
The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) – the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the
promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women – is one of the places where I have witnessed these varieties of gifts, services and activities of our Lutheran communion come together clearly. The issue of inequality for women and girls still hasn’t been resolved in the 69 years the CSW has been in existence, and sadly, many issues regarding women’s rights and autonomy have even regressed.
In 2025 when the CSW meets in New York City in March, the theme is a 30-year review of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. This is the most widely endorsed global agenda for women’s rights, and it is rooted in the experiences and demands of women and girls. The Beijing Declaration outlined 12 critical areas for action, including violence against women.
Our LOWC team and all of the individuals participating in our Lutheran delegation at CSW69 will bring prophetic voices that amplify the work for gender justice across the global church. They carry power and courage that fight back against systems that continue to exclude, shun and oppress. They bring stories, expertise and best practices working toward a world without violence against women.
AMPLE SUPPLY OF DIVINE LOVE
Even when the panorama looks bleak, Lutherans still engage in these spaces, reminding people that Divine love is not in short supply. Divine love is something that is poured out upon the entire world. Even in our own day, when established powers have sought to limit God’s love by the exclusion of others from full participation in the community, divine compassion for the oppressed and divine passion for justice have called forth prophets to declare that God’s love includes all, regardless of age or race, nationality or creed, gender or sexual orientation.
And our work – as advocates, as pastors, as students, as gender justice activists, as global citizens – is to continue to share that vision, to work toward that vision for God so loved the world, not just parts of it.
I think within God’s communion about how each of us are called to use our gifts. Our gifts can be used in a way that ensures all of God’s creation is respected, celebrated and loved. Our faith informs our advocacy for the common good of all.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Erin Brown (she/her/ella) is a deacon consecrated by the Lutheran Diaconal Association. She is passionate about multicultural exchange, language, and the power of storytelling. Before joining the Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC), Brown worked at Saint Peter’s Church in Manhattan as a fellow in cross-cultural ministry. Previously, Brown taught English to university students in Colombia and to Haitian adults seeking refuge in the greater Boston area. Prior to this, she lived in Costa Rica, completing her diaconal internship with a focus on refugee rights. Brown holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish & Global Service from Valparaiso University and a Master of Arts in Latin American & Caribbean Studies from Indiana University. In her free time, Brown enjoys spending her time outdoors hiking and exploring creation. She’s thrilled to continue her work with the LOWC team this year and continue to engage in international advocacy.
