An active member of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS) for fifty years, Joann Yates Lepper served and led various church boards and committees. Joann spent a decade researching and writing “A Fresh Vision” – a study on the biblical foundation for women’s service in the church based on God’s gifting rather than gender. The premise of her paper is that the truth about God’s glorious design for women lies in His unabridged Word: the original Greek and Hebrew texts of the Bible.
Having taught herself Greek before she began her work, she consulted with various LCMS pastors and Christian scholars in compiling information, researching word meanings, learning historical Jewish practices, and composing her treatise. In the process she befriended several other likeminded LCMS women scholars.
Prior to her passing in 1999, Joann celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with her husband, their three daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
[by Andrea Schneider, Joann’s daughter]