Evangelical Church in Germany
- EKD redirects here. For the Basque political party, see Democracia Cristiana Vasca.
Most member churches are either Lutheran or "United" (Lutheran-Reformed). Only two member churches are Reformed churches (the Evangelical Reformed Church and the State Church of Lippe).
The expression "Landeskirche" (State Church) originally meant that it was the official Protestant church of the respective German state. Often these were established churches with the local Grand Duke or King (e.g. the King of Württemberg) as formal head of church (like the Queen in the Church of England). All this changed after Germany had become a republic in 1918 and the kings and grand-dukes of the German states abdicated. Some member churches nevertheless still call themselves Landeskirche. Maybe a more modern English translation would be "regional church". The territories of the different member churches today still very much reflect Germany's political organisation in the 19th century, with "state churches" of states that don't exist any more.
Important Protestant denominations outside the Evangelical Church in Germany are among others the Evangelical Methodist Church, the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELK) and the New Apostolic Church. The vast majority of German Protestants nevertheless belong to a member church of the EKD, about 1/3 of the overall German population.
The German term evangelisch more accurately corresponds to the broad English term Protestant rather than to the narrower Evangelical (in German called evangelikal), although the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America uses the term in the same way as the German church. Literally, evangelisch means "of the Gospel", denoting a Reformation emphasis on sola scriptura, "scripture alone". The church described in this article is a federation of different, mostly mainstream Protestant churches, rather than one evangelical church. It can thus be considered a united church.
The Evangelical Church in Germany maintains full communion relationships with member churches of the Lutheran World Federation (which is a communion of 140 autonomous national/regional Lutheran church bodies in 78 countries around the world, representing nearly 66 million Christians), the Episcopal Church, the Moravian Church in America, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Reformed Church in America, and the United Church of Christ. Ordination of women is in all 23 churches within the Evangelical Church in Germany allowed and many women were ordained during the last years. There are also several female bishops. Blessing of same-sex unions are allowed in some churches within the Evangelical Church in Germany.
Bishop Dr. Wolfgang Huber has been Chairman of the Council of the EKD since 2003. He is the bishop of the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia.
Federative principles
German Protestant church structures are based on federal principles at all levels. Each local church is responsible for Christian life in its own area, while each regional church has its own special characteristics and retains its independence. The Church carries out joint tasks with which its members have entrusted it.
Central governing bodies
The Church has the following governing bodies, all organised and elected on democratic lines:
They are responsible for fulfilling the Church's tasks as laid down in its constitution.
The 23 member churches
In Northern and Eastern Germany, the major religion is Protestantism, the Reformed branch in the very northwest, and the Lutheran branch in most of the rest. These are the EKD member churches. While the majority of Christians in Western and Southern Germany are Roman Catholic, though there are some mainly Protestant areas as well, e.g. in the state of Baden-Württemberg.
- Evangelical Church of Bremen
- Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Brunswick
- Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover
- State Church of Lippe
- Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Mecklenburg
- North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg
- Pomeranian Evangelical Church
- Evangelical Reformed Church - Synod of Reformed Churches in Bavaria and Northwestern Germany
- Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Schaumburg-Lippe
- Evangelical State Church of Anhalt
- Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia
- originated 2004 from:- Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg
- Evangelical Church of Silesian Upper Lusatia
- Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau
- Evangelical Church of Hesse-Kassel and Waldeck
- Evangelical Church of the Palatinate
- Evangelical Church in the Rhineland
- Evangelical Church of the Church Province of Saxony
- Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thuringia
- Evangelical Church of Westphalia
- Evangelical State Church of Baden
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria
- Evangelical State Church of Württemberg
Independent organisations of member churches in the EKD
- VELKD: Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands
- UEK: Union Evangelischer Kirchen
- Confoederation of evangelical chruches in Lower Saxony
- Confoederation of evangelical churches in Mitteldeutschland (EKM)
Institutes and important offices of the EKD
- Brot für die Welt, Stuttgart
- Diakonisches Werk (DW), Stuttgart
- Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe, Stuttgart
- Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (EED), Bonn
- Evangelisches Missionswerk in Deutschland e.V. (EMW)
- Gemeinschaftswerk der Evangelischen Publizistik gGmbH (GEP), Frankfurt am Main
- Evangelisches Zentralarchiv, Berlin
- Kirchenrechtliches Institut der EKD, Göttingen
- Evangelische Zentralstelle für Weltanschauungsfragen (EZW), Berlin
- Konfessionskundliches Institut (KI)
- Institut für Kirchenbau und kirchliche Kunst der Gegenwart, Marburg
- Sozialwissenschaftliches Institut der EKD (SI), Hanover
- Evangelische Schulstiftung in der EKD
- Evangelische Arbeitsstelle Fernstudium für kirchliche Dienste, Gelnhausen
- Gemeinsame Arbeitsstelle für gottesdienstliche Fragen der EKD, Hanover
- Burckhardthaus, Evangelisches Institut für Jugend-, Kultur- und Sozialarbeit e.V.
- Frauenstudien- und -bildungszentrum der Evangelischen Kirche in Deutschland, Gelnhausen
- Aussiedlerseelsorge in der EKD, Hanover
- Informations- und Dokumentationsstelle der EKD
- Kirchlicher Dienst in der Arbeitswelt
- Arbeitsgemeinschaft Missionarische Dienste
- Zirkus- und Schaustellerseelsorge, Hanover
- Evangelisches Studienwerk e.V. Villigst
See also
- Religion in Germany
- Deutscher Evangelischer Kirchentag