Bärbel Wartenberg-Potter

Bärbel Wartenberg-Potter
Born	Bärbel Wartenberg 16 September 1943 Pirmasens, Rhenish Palatinate, Germany
Nationality	German
Other names	Bärbel von Wartenberg-Potter
Occupation	theologian/pastor
Years active	1970-2008
Known for	3rd woman to become a Bishop of the German Lutheran Church
Spouse(s)	Philip Potter (m 1985)

Bärbel Wartenberg-Potter (also known as Bärbel von Wartenberg-Potter) (born 1943) is a German theologian. After serving as director over programs for women and children with the World Council of Churches, teaching theology in Jamaica, and serving a pastorate in Stuttgart, Wartenberg-Potter became the president of the Council of Christian Churches in Germany. In 2001 she began a seven year term as the third woman serving as a Bishop in the German Lutheran Church.

Biography

Bärbel Wartenberg was born on 16 September 1943 in Pirmasens, Rhenish Palatinate, Germany.^[1] In 1963, she began her university education graduating in 1968 with a master's degree in German languages and literature and a teaching degree.^[2] Wartenberg passed her theological examination for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Württemberg. Between 1970 and 1972, she participated in mission and development work with the Evangelical-Catholic Association.^[2] Attaining her master's degree in Theology,^[1] in 1976, she became the director^[2] at the Centre for Development Education in Stuttgart. She was ordained as a pastor in 1980^[3] and served as a regional pastor in Württemberg for three years.^[2] Between 1983 and 1986 she was the director of the Programme for Women in Church and Society of the World Council of Churches (WCC)^[4] in Geneva, Switzerland.^[1] During that time, in 1985, she married Philip Potter, a minister and theologian who was the Secretary General of the WCC.^[5]

After her marriage, and until 1990, Wartenberg-Potter taught^[6] at the United Theological College of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica.^[1] In 1991, she returned to Germany and served as a parish pastor in Stuttgart-Botnang through 1996. In 1997, she became president of the Council of Christian Churches in Germany (German: Arbeitsgemeinschaft Christlicher Kirchen in Deutschland) (ACKD) in Frankfurt.^[6] In 2000, she was elected as a bishop of the Holstein-Lubeck diocese for the North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church. Her election was the third of a woman in Germany to the position of Lutheran bishop^[3] and she was assigned to the Lübeck Cathedral.^[2] Wartenberg-Potter assumed the post in 2001 and retired in 2008.^[7] In 2009, she joined the Institute for Theological Zoology as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees.^[2]

Selected works

• von Wartenberg, Bärbel (1973). Schwarz kann nicht ziehen 1. Werkbuch zum Thema Rassismus am Beispiel Südafrikas für den Bereich Schule und Erwachsenenbildung (in German). Stuttgart: Evangelisches Missionswerk in Südwestdeutschland.
• von Wartenberg, Bärbel (1973). Schwarz kann nicht ziehen 2. Methodische Anregungen für Lehrer und Veranstalter (in German). Stuttgart: Evangelisches Missionswerk in Südwestdeutschland.
• von Wartenberg, Bärbel; von Wartenberg, Wolfgang (1975). Südafrika: Schwarzer Widerstand, weisse Herrschaft: ein Handbuch (in German). Nürnberg: Laetare.
• von Wartenberg, Bärbel; Albrecht, Gisela (1978). Südafrika: Materialien und Dokumente; Beiheft zu den Diaserien "Zorn aus den Townships", "... und nähme doch Schaden an seiner Seele" (in German). Stuttgart: Evangelisches Missionswerk in Südwestdeutschland.
• Moltmann-Wendel, Elisabeth; Weitemeyer, Erika; von Wartenberg, Bärbel (1981). Frauen: (aus der Arbeit der Evangelischen Akademie Hofgeismar) (in German). Hofgeismar: Evangelische Akademie.
• von Wartenberg, Bärbel (April 1982). "Adam and Eve, Where Are You?: Introduction". The Ecumenical Review 34 (2): 159–162.
• von Wartenberg, Bärbel (1982). "Adam und Eva, wo seid ihr?: "Die Studie über die Gemeinschaft von Frauen und Männern in der Kirche" auf ihrem Weg von Sheffield nach Vancouver: Versuch einer Bestandsaufnahme". Ökumenische Rundschau (in German) 31: 340–344.
• von Wartenberg-Potter, Bärbel (1986). Wir werden unsere Harfen nicht an die Weiden hängen: Engagement und Spiritualität (in German). Stuttgart: Kreuz Verlag. ISBN 978-378-3-10815-6.
• Pobee, John S; von Wartenberg-Potter, Bärbel (1986). New eyes for reading: biblical and theological reflections by women from the third world. Geneva: World Council of Churches. ISBN 978-282-5-40863-6.
• von Wartenberg-Potter, Bärbel (1989). Die Reise der Pachamama: eine theologishce Erzählung (in German). Stuttgart: Kreuz Verlag. ISBN 978-378-3-10978-8.
• von Wartenberg-Potter, Bärbel (2004). Was tust du, fragt der Engel: Mystik im Alltag (in German). Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder. ISBN 978-345-1-05450-1.
• von Wartenberg-Potter, Bärbel (2007). Wes Brot ich ess, des Lied ich sing die Bergpredigt lesen; mit dem Text der "Bibel in gerechter Sprache" (in German). Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder. ISBN 978-345-1-29238-5.

References

1. "Bärbel Wartenberg-Potter". Oslo, Norway: European Council of Religious Leaders. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
2. "Bischöfin i. R. Bärbel Wartenberg-Potter, Kuratoriumsvorsitzende" (in German). Münster, Germany: Institut für Theologische Zoologie. 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
3. "Germany´s 3rd woman bishop says her election should be seen as ´natural´". Emden, Germany: Reformiert Online. 27 September 2000. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
4. "WCC’s 60-Year Journey for Gender Justice Continues". Geneva, Switzerland: World Council of Churches. 29 October 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
5. "LWF Lauds Rev. Dr Philip Potter (1921-2015)". Geneva, Switzerland: Lutheran World. 16 April 2015. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
6. "Bärbel Wartenberg-Potter new ACK-executive". EKD-Bulletin (Hanover, Germany: Evangelical Church in Germany). March 1996. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
7. "Bye Bye, Bärbel!". Cologne, Germany: DOM Radio. 6 July 2008. Retrieved 7 December 2015.