Women in the Leadership of the Lutheran Congregations in the Latvian and Estonian SSRs (1944–1967)

This paper is dedicated to women’s leadership in Lutheran congregations in the Latvian and Estonian Soviet Socialist Republics from 1944 to 1967. The author analyses how Soviet anti-religious policy, post-war hardship, and clergy shortages reshaped congregational life and created space for women to serve as preachers and informal leaders. Using church and state archival sources, the study highlights eight women who sustained religious life despite institutional barriers, contributing to broader debates on women’s ordination in Baltic Lutheran history.