Gender Equality Theology (Pacific Region)
More than 90% of people across the Pacific identify as Christian, and the Church’s teachings have a significant influence on people’s attitudes and behaviours. But ~68% of women and girls experience violence in their homes and communities and climate change is disproportionately affecting women and girls.
Our Church partners are acting as change agents in society to address gender equality through Biblical teaching on gender relations and human dignity. What is preached from the pulpit impacts life within the home. They are challenging traditional views on gender and addressing institutional inequality.
Women and girls will be the ultimate beneficiaries, as churches deepen their commitment to safety, inclusion and the promotion of women’s leadership.
When theology is life-giving and affirms the dignity of all people, it becomes a powerful force for change, says Reverend Siera Bird, UnitingWorld’s Manager for Gender Equality and Safeguarding:
“Churches are already deeply embedded in their communities. By building their capacity and connection across the region, we’re equipping them to lead efforts for gender equality, social justice and family safety in ways that are culturally grounded and sustainable.”
UnitingWorld launches regional initiative to support faith-led collaboration on gender justice
In 2025, UnitingWorld and its partners launched the Oceania Faith Communities Advancing Safety and Equality project, with support from the Pacific Women Lead at the Pacific Community (PWL at SPC) program. This project builds on years of UnitingWorld’s partnership with Pacific churches and is one of the first regional initiatives of its kind to bring faith-based actors together around these goals.
The project has established a new Community of Practice (CoP) for Pacific churches working to advance gender equality, safeguarding and theological change. The CoP will serve as a regional hub for collaboration, joint learning and advocacy, connecting women leaders, theologians and safeguarding focal points to share and develop resources, strategies and training. There will also be mentoring by theology experts for key gender leaders in the region. Find out more.
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This project was partly funded by the Pacific Women Lead at the Pacific Community (PWL at SPC) program from 2025.
This project was partly funded through the ACT Alliance Gender Justice program with financial support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency in 2022-2023.
This project was partly funded by the Australian Government through the Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development initiative between 2016-2021.
Resources
Storytelling and Learning Events 2023 – Promoting gender justice in and through faith communities in Oceania
In 2023, UnitingWorld supported a group of faith leaders, practitioners and volunteers from across Oceania to gather at a series of storytelling and learning events to ask: what is already working to advance gender equality and gender justice in our region, and why? And how can we apply what is already working to our own contexts? You can read all about the inspiring approaches churches and other faith based organisations are using to tackle gender inequality and moving stories of change in this resource. Download it here.
Use our resources on gender equality theology in your church or Bible study group! Theology of Gender Equality Resource Pack (download link – 12 MB zip file)
UnitingWorld Gender Equality Theology Poster series. Download the high resolution files here.
Our ImpactSeven mainline denominations in PNG officially adopted gender equality as their doctrinal position, and have committed to teaching this theology as part of their ministerial training. In Fiji, the ten denominations that make up the Fiji Council of Churches made a joint public statement condemning violence against women as sinful, played at cinemas around the country. Churches in Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Kiribati developed and adopted Safeguarding and Protection Policies at the national level including complaints mechanisms and Codes of Conduct for ministers and church workers in line with local protection laws. The Methodist Church in Fiji changed their advice to women seeking help for domestic violence, suggesting they access the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre, an organisation previously condemned by the church for supporting divorce. Churches in Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Kiribati appointed focal points for gender equality and identified trained ministers to resource the church with sermons and bible studies about gender equality. Together, they hold training for leaders across all parts of the church promote key messages on social media, television and radio, and provide school students and young couples with information about gender equality and healthy relationships. In all countries, church ministers, pastors and other leaders have publicly shared anti-violence and gender equality messages in churches and online, including during COVID-19 lockdowns when rates of domestic violence dramatically increased. |
Stories of Change Vanuatu: Pastor Nippy from UnitingWorld on Vimeo.
Stories of Change Vanuatu | Gender Equality Theology from UnitingWorld on Vimeo.
Mary’s Story from UnitingWorld on Vimeo.
Fiji, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Tonga
Methodist Church in Fiji, Kiribati Uniting Church, Presbyterian Church in Vanuatu, United Church in Papua New Guinea, United Church in the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu Christian Church, Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga
Gender Equality
News from the Field
- Pasifika churches unite to drive gender equality and safety
UnitingWorld launches regional initiative to support faith-led collaboration on gender justice UnitingWorld and its church partners in the Pacific have launched the Oceania Faith Communities Advancing Safety and Equality project, with support from the Pacific Women Lead at the Pacific Community (PWL at SPC) program. Each of our church partners brings unique strengths to efforts to end gender-based violence and promote equality and, by collaborating more closely, they can build on each other’s progress and create greater impact together. The project meets the need ... - Training champions of equality and anti-violence
Methodist Church in Fiji Circuit Minister, Rev Uluilakeba Ligiraki, was one of 26 leaders who attended a workshop on Gender Equality Theology, run by the church in partnership with UnitingWorld. He found the training confronting, challenging his whole perspective about gender and what the Bible has to say about positive human relationships. “I used to have the perspective of male‑dominant rule in the family, and issues of gender were confronting to me, but after the workshop my perspective of seeing things changed,” ... - Our partners share about the impact of Gender Equality Theology
Our church partners in Fiji, Vanuatu, Kiribati and Solomon Islands are reaching out in faith to shift community norms and behaviours that allow or excuse family violence, to prevent it long before it has the chance to happen. They are doing it using the heart language of the Pacific, where upwards of 90% of people identify with a Christian faith. Since 2012, we’ve been supporting our Pacific partners in a unique and powerful approach, addressing the root causes and breaking cycles ... - Faith that transforms violence: Rev Noa and the power of Gender Equality Theology
Growing up, Rev Noa Turaganivalu had a typical life for a boy in Fiji. He was raised in a rural village on a small, remote island, played a lot of rugby and went away to a boarding school (where he played more rugby). And as the only son in a family of six, he was always regarded as ‘first’ and ‘above’ his three sisters. “It’s been a cultural and traditional norm for the male to come first and be at the top ... - Building equality and ending violence in the Pacific
More than 70% of women in the Pacific experience violence at the hands of a man in their lifetimes. With the vast majority of people across the Pacific self-identifying as Christian, Pacific churches have been taking responsibility to speak up for the rights of women and girls, and calling out violence and inequality as a sin. As part of their mission to support the welfare of communities, churches have been using biblical teaching to encourage men and boys to understand that ...