Rola Adel Sleiman, B.Th.C.E. (born 1975) is a Lebanese- Syrian female

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

, the first woman to be appointed to the Christian ministry in the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

. She was ordained on 26 February 2017. Sleiman was born in

Tripoli, Lebanon Tripoli ( ar, طرابلس/ ALA-LC: ''Ṭarābulus'', Lebanese Arabic: ''Ṭrablus'') is the largest city in northern Lebanon and the second-largest city in the country. Situated north of the capital Beirut, it is the capital of the North Gove ...

, to a Syrian father and Lebanese mother. She was brought up in the Evangelist Presbyterian Church of Tripoli, located in Rahibat Street, and studied theology under the sponsorship of the

National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon The National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon (NESSL), also known as Synod SL (of Syria and Lebanon), is a Reformed denomination in the Middle East. It is a federation of Arabic-speaking congregations, that trace back their origin to the ev ...

, a church that has only 3000 members altogether. She began to officiate at services in Tripoli when the regular pastor was away during 2006, and replaced him permanently in 2009. The Synod eventually voted by a majority of 23 to 1 to ordain her as his replacement so that the church could host baptisms and other services that could only be presided over by an ordained minister. She stated that she had needed "a lot of silence, patience and effort" to succeed in her vocation. In May 2017 a controversy arose when the UK government refused Reverend Sleiman's request for a visa in order to allow her to visit the General Assembly of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

, at which she had been invited to speak. The Home Office's decision was overturned a few days later, following representations from the Church of Scotland, but Sleiman was still not allowed to board a flight from Beirut to the UK.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sleiman, Rola 1975 births Living people People from Tripoli, Lebanon Lebanese Christian clergy Syrian Christian clergy Women Christian religious leaders Lebanese people of Syrian descent Lebanese Presbyterians Lebanese evangelicals Protestant ministers and clergy in Lebanon