The last piece of the puzzle

Dorothee Lücke

The names of numerous men who previously held the pastorate of St James' Church hang on the wall in the form of plaques. Large paintings set in magnificent frames show the important male personalities in the parish. Dorothee Lücke, the first female pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran St Jakobi Johannis parish in Chemnitz, sits between them. She has held the pastorate since 2014 and talks about the last missing piece of the puzzle in the history of St Jakobi Church in this Macher der Woche interview.

With the consecration of the Hesse-Breuer altar on 20 May, the ensemble is complete again since its destruction in the Second World War. How does that make you feel?
Dorothee Lücke: As a parish, we are happy that the altar is back, because it was also linked to a long history of restoration. It is, so to speak, the keystone in the history of 1945, but we also realise that new things are always cropping up if you want to maintain such a magnificent building. Preserving the church is a task for many, many generations. But for now, we are very happy that we were able to realise the restoration of the altar.

You were dependent on donations. Was it difficult to raise the necessary funds?
That was a very nice experience for us. People were willing to give money for the Hesse-Breuer altar, which symbolises Chemnitz's past. The altar is freely accessible to all Chemnitz residents and tourists. We have relatively few things in the city centre that you can see without paying admission. That certainly played a role here. In any case, there was a lively participation in the donations. The altar is also something very sustainable, it will stand for centuries to come. The altar is also very closely linked to the history of Chemnitz. Perhaps the city's 875th anniversary also influenced the willingness to donate because people are more interested in the city's history. This altar is from 1504 and was always intended for Chemnitz. It is therefore a piece of the city's history.

What makes the Hesse-Breuer altar so special?
Peter Breuer is a great artist from our region who learnt from the German sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider. He was very successful for a long time, but then went through decades in which he was no longer recognised. He has a very specific signature style. Some of his works can also be seen in the Schloßbergmuseum. He did a lot of work together with Hans Hesse. Breuer created the carved figures and Hesse the paintings on the inner wings of the altar. The outer wings were also once decorated, but in the course of history the faces, for example, were scratched out. After the Reformation, there was a problem with figurative images. We left the wounds and scars as they are so that you can see that the altar has lived through history.
It is also assumed that the faces of the figures on the altar are those of former Chemnitz residents. That is incredibly exciting.

What is planned for the day of the inauguration?
The dedication will take place on Whit Sunday. Pentecost is a major church festival anyway, the birth of the church so to speak. So it's a perfect fit that we're dedicating the new altar on this day. The regional bishop from Dresden will be coming. Together with the parish of St Pauli's Cross, we will celebrate a big service. All the people who donated and were involved in the selection process for the design have also been cordially invited, for example Dr Ingrid Mössinger. I will of course also be taking part in the service. We will carry the communion vessels in together, place them on the altar and then use the altar for the first time.

There was a design competition for the altar. What made the winning design stand out?
Today, the entire area of the church can be used again, so the altar had to increase in size to fill the whole church. We then organised a competition to re-stage the altar in the church. The artist couple Lutzenberger eventually won. The preciousness of the altar, the medieval aspect, was to be emphasised. Everything around it was visually toned down and designed in a modern style. Plain sandstone and a gilded stele, in which the incident light is reflected. The wings are currently closed and the altar is somewhat covered so that we can still experience a moment of surprise at the inauguration.

You were appointed the parish's first female pastor in 2014. Was that progress or long overdue?
The history of women in the parish ministry is still relatively young. The priesthood of all believers has actually existed in the Protestant church since the Reformation, which was introduced in Chemnitz in 1539. This means that all baptised people are of equal value and could therefore occupy the priesthood: both men and women. But in practice, women have only been pastors with all rights in our regional church for 50 years. I experience it as normality and think it's good for our churches that we have male and female pastors. As a woman, you perhaps also bring other issues into the parish to a certain extent. I think it was about time!

So the Protestant church is no longer a purely male domain. But what else do you think needs to change?
Women should be more prominent in certain offices and positions. In any case, there is still a long way to go before women are equal to men in all areas. But that doesn't just apply to the church. I think this is an issue for many areas of society. The higher the positions, the fewer women there are, both in the church and in other professions.
Job profiles need to change, including the compatibility of work and family. Women are very critical and question whether the job is compatible with their children or partnership. If it means that you have to work 70 hours a week as a superintendent of the church, as a woman I think twice about whether I really want to do it. Something has to change, for example, that such leadership positions can be shared. Superintendent can also be part-time, which is possible in almost all positions.

What issues have you addressed as a pastor in the parish?
I am involved in ecumenical women's work, for example. I also think that I sometimes read texts from the Bible differently. It is important to me to make it clear that God is neither man nor woman and that both genders are equal before God. Birth, pregnancy and involuntary childlessness are topics that I address in church, which can also make it easier for young women to access the church. But of course I don't just bring women's issues into the church.

What else would you like to achieve as a pastor?
I would like to make it clear that this church is open to everyone! I would also like to extend the opening hours so that we are a place where the people of Chemnitz can come and feel safe, even if they have nothing directly to do with the Protestant church. The debate about the radiance of Christianity, including in the form of the cross, is very topical at the moment. As a church, we have a lot to contribute. Respecting the rights of the weak or that all people are worth the same: we can convey these values. As a church, we need to get more involved. We would like to develop more programmes in this area.

Chemnitz is applying to be European Capital of Culture 2025. What do you hope to achieve by then?
The application is a very good thing. I really like living in Chemnitz, it's a city with a lot of potential. We are all needed here. Until then, I hope that we network better with each other, that we know who is doing what. Many networking meetings are already taking place as part of the Capital of Culture application. As churches, we can contribute to the city's history on the one hand and religious life today on the other. As a church, we would like to be of assistance here. For example, we often organise exhibitions and concerts in the Jakobikirche, and we would also offer this space as part of the Capital of Culture application. The church building also serves as a starting point for tour guides, as it is a great place to illustrate the history of Chemnitz. We are also the place where the peace service is regularly celebrated on 5 March. We can contribute to all of this.