This week in Christian history: First woman ordained in Lutheran Church, Constantinople patriarch banished

First woman ordained in the Lutheran Church in America – Nov. 22, 1970

This week marks the anniversary of when the Lutheran Church in America ordained its first woman, the Rev. Elizabeth A. Platz, the same year they voted to allow female ordination.

The ordination was held at the University of Maryland chapel at College Park, Maryland, where Platz had served as a lay minister after her 1965 graduation from seminary.

Earlier that year, the LCA had voted at its Fifth Biennial Convention to change the language in its bylaws from “man” to “person” to allow for female ordination.

In an interview with CBS in the 1970s, Platz explained that, while in seminary, she was not initially interested in being ordained, but came to accept the idea following graduation.

“One of the focal points for the church … is worship,” said Platz. “And this is central to how they understand themselves, how they refresh themselves, and they go out as citizens of the university community.”

“This whole area is an area that I haven’t felt free to really be as involved in as I would like to be.”