Evangelical Lutheran Regional Church of Saxony

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Signet of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony
map
Map of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony
Basic data
Area : 14,900 km²
Leading clergyman: Regional Bishop Tobias Bilz
President of the Regional Church Office: Hans-Peter Vollbach
Memberships: VELKD , LWB , EKD
Regions : 3
Church districts : 18th
Parishes : 716
Parishioners: 677,064 (December 31, 2018)
Ev. in% of the population: 18.1% (December 31, 2018)
Official Website: www.evlks.de

The Evangelical Lutheran Regional Church of Saxony (EvLKS) is one of 20 member churches (regional churches ) of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) based in Dresden . Like all regional churches, it is a corporation under public law .

The church has around 677,000 parishioners in 686 parishes (as of December 31, 2018). The Evangelical Lutheran Regional Church of Saxony is one of the Lutheran churches within the EKD. The church is a member of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (VELKD).

The main churches of the regional bishop are the cathedral in Meißen and the Kreuzkirche in Dresden , he is also the canon of the cathedral St. Marien zu Wurzen . The regional church maintains an Evangelical Academy in Meissen .

Territory of the regional church

The area of ​​the "Evangelical Lutheran Regional Church of Saxony" essentially comprises the former kingdom or the former Free State of Saxony , within the boundaries until 1945 without the area around Bogatynia (Reichenauer Zipfel) . Today this area covers a large part of the state of Saxony , a small part of Thuringia and a village in the state of Brandenburg ( Merzdorf )

history

The Reformation was officially introduced in Albertine Saxony in 1539. In 1545 the consistories were founded in Leipzig , in Glauchau ( Schönburg rule ), in Wurzen (for the Meißen monastery, cf. Wurzen monastery office ) and in Meißen (for the margraviate Meißen, cf. Meißnischer Kreis ); 1547 came through the annexation of the majority of the Ernestine The Wittenberg Consistory, founded in 1539, was added to the Kurkreis . The church system was based on the church ordinance of 1580, which the Meißner consistory relocated to Dresden and made it a higher consistory. The leadership of the regional church then lay with the new church council and the senior consistory. The sovereign acted as summus episcopus ( sovereign church regiment ).

In 1588 the Dresden consistory was relocated back to Meißen and its priority as the senior consistory was dropped. In 1606 the lack of a central church leadership, which had often become noticeable, was remedied and the Meißner consistory was relocated to Dresden and reinstated as the senior consistory. Since the elector became a Catholic in 1697, he transferred his episcopal rights to the secret councils commissioned in evangelicis. The highest cleric in Saxony was the upper court preacher , who was also vice-president of the upper consistory. Since the declarations of submission by the Counts of Stolberg-Stolberg (1730) and Stolberg-Roßla (1731) under Electoral Saxon sovereignty, the Stolberg-Stolberg , Stolberg-Roßla consistories and the joint consistory of the Stolberg communal offices Kelbra and Heringen have also been subordinate to the senior consistory.

After the Congress of Vienna in 1815, the kingdom had to surrender some of its territories to Prussia , including most of the Kurkreis, with which the Wittenberg consistory fell away, and the Stolberg estates with their three consistories. Their consistorial districts, like other others, including Altmark areas, became part of the new province of Saxony , where the old Prussian church province of Saxony was established.

In 1835 an organizational edict was issued, according to which the church administration was transferred to the state middle authorities (district directorates). At the head of the regional church was the Ministry of Culture, which in this capacity was only responsible to the college of ministers of state appointed in evangelicis. This body assumed the position of bishop, which the Catholic sovereign could not fill. The few remaining tasks (ecclesiastical and pedagogical exams) of the old consistory, which had now been dissolved, were taken over by the new state consistory in Dresden as the central authority, which consisted only of part-time assessors (under a legal president).

Seal mark of the Evangelical Lutheran State Consistory

In 1868 the regional church received a church council and synodal order and in 1871 a first regional synod was elected on this basis. In connection with a comprehensive constitutional and administrative reform of the Kingdom of Saxony, the church administration was separated from the state administration. The highest church authority was now the Evangelical Lutheran State Consistory (not to be confused with the State Consistory just mentioned), which continued to be subordinate to the state ministers commissioned in evangelicis. However, "the consistorial business of the Lutheran church was in Upper Lusatia [...] the district headquarters of Bautzen ob". The Ministry of Culture only exercised those supervisory rights over the regional church that it also had over other religious communities.

After the elimination of the sovereign church regiment (1918), the regional church received a revised constitution in 1922, which came into force in 1926. In 1926 the separate church administration of the Bautzen district administration ceased to exist. According to the new church order , the church was now called the Evangelical Lutheran Regional Church of the Free State of Saxony . The official title of “regional bishop” was added to the leading clergyman, who had previously carried the title of court preacher.

After the death of the first regional bishop of the Ev.-Luth. Regional Church of Saxony, Ludwig Ihmels , on June 7, 1933, the Saxon Interior Minister Fritsch used the vacancy to transfer the powers of all church governing bodies ( regional bishop , regional church office , permanent synodal committee ) to the leader of the working group of National Socialist pastors, Friedrich Coch , on June 30, 1933 transferred to. The privy councilors in the state consistory , 7  superintendents and 14 pastors were given leave of absence. On December 7, 1933, the pastors of the “ Pfarrernotbund ”, from which the “ Confessing Church ” emerged, met in the Zionskirche in Dresden . When Friedrich Coch, as a false teacher, denied spiritual guidance, the church struggle began within the Saxon regional church .

1945–1947 the regional church was under the direction of the regional superintendent Franz Lau .

After the Second World War , the Evangelical Lutheran Regional Church of Saxony joined the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) and was a co-founder of the VELKD. In 1950 it adopted a new constitution, which was changed with effect from January 1, 2008. From 1974 to 1981 the Saxon regional church was affiliated with the former Hanover consistorial district of Ilfeld in the Harz region.

In 1954 and 1997 she hosted the German Evangelical Church Congress in Leipzig . The 33rd German Evangelical Church Congress took place from June 1st to 5th, 2011 in Dresden .

present

Due to the demographic change , the number of believers is falling considerably: Currently (2017) there are around 700,000 church members - for the year 2040 the EvLKS estimates their number at 440,000. That would be ten percent of the members compared to the 1930s. This also has a direct influence on the church structure: While the regional church still had 906 active pastors in 1992, there are currently (February 2014) 692 pastors in 765 parishes. These numbers continue to decrease by the end of 2014 - to 550 pastors in 728 parishes. In the future, more than 200 volunteers with theological training and authorization to preach, as well as 220 volunteer pastors who exercise other professions, should ensure that there is as wide a range of services as possible.

The blessing of same-sex couples was permitted by the church leadership in 2016, provided the respective pastor and church council approve.

The regional church of Saxony opposes the abolition of the coffin requirement in order to counteract a "further decline of the cemetery and memorial culture" (press spokesman Matthias Oelke). The compulsory coffin contradicts, among other things, the Muslim burial tradition , so that such burials are not allowed to take place in church cemeteries.

Head of the regional church

At the head of the Evangelical Lutheran Regional Church of Saxony is the regional bishop , the spiritual director of the church. He is elected by the regional synod and is chairman of the church leadership also elected by the synod.

State bishops since 1922

State Synod

The regional synod represents the representation of all parishes of the regional church (§ 18 of the constitution). Of the 80 members, the synodals, 60 are elected by the church councils for six years each and 20 are appointed by the church leadership. The regional synod is responsible for all affairs of the regional church and can discuss and decide on them. It elects the regional bishop and the president of the regional church office. It was introduced in 1871. After the Second World War, the Synod resumed its work in 1948. It usually meets twice a year. The chairperson is the president of the regional synod, Bettina Westfeld . Her predecessor was President Otto Guse . The 28th regional synod is currently working (2020–2026).

Presidents of the Synod

Administration of the regional church

Regional church office and administrative hierarchy

Listed former Russian embassy, ​​today the State Church Office ( Lukasstrasse 6 / Hochschulstrasse 39, Dresden )

As the consistorial constitutional body and the highest administrative authority of the regional church, the regional church office in Dresden is headed by the president. He represents the regional church legally. The regional church office is basically responsible for the administration of all affairs of the regional church. The authority is divided into eight divisions and assigned areas; including three regional church offices and press office. The regional bishop, the president and the eight higher regional church councils (members of the regional church office) as heads of the departments form the college.

The regional church office is the seat of the church leadership, which consists of the regional bishop as chairman, the president and six members of the regional church office, the president of the regional synod and nine other members elected by the regional synod.

President of the Ev.-Luth. State consistory (until 1933) or the state church office

From 2008 an administrative structural reform was carried out. With effect from January 1, 2008, the regional church is structured as follows in the administrative hierarchy from bottom to top:

At the base are the parishes as corporations under public law . They are administered by elected and appointed church leaders and the pastor. Some parishes have formed parishes .

Several parishes together form a church district (also called "ephorie", in state administration comparable to a district ), at the head of which is a superintendent . At the end of 2019 there were 17 church districts. The church districts have the church district synod and a church district council as governing bodies. The members of the church district synod are elected by the respective church leaders. The church districts are corporations under public law and as such have the right of self-administration. At the same time, they are administrative divisions of the regional church (dual nature of the church district). The districts are legally represented by the parish council.

The church districts are assigned to one of the three regional church offices (in the state administration comparable to the former regional directorates ).

Regional church offices and church districts

Parishes

The 16 church districts consist of 770 parishes and parishes . In 2019 a state church-wide structural reform took place. The parishes have thus reunited to form larger structures in the form of sister church relationships, parish federations, parishes and unified parishes. This is intended to create a functioning structure at least until 2040. It is assumed that at this point in time at least three pastoral posts can be retained for 10 years. Structural units of around 8,000 parishioners were created today.

Churches and ecclesiastical buildings

The EvLKS is responsible for around 1,600 churches, in which around 44,000 services are held every year. Since 1990 the EvLKS has provided around 500 million euros in grants for its maintenance and renovation. The total sum of all construction measures of the EvLKS parishes is estimated to be four to five times this grant amount. The regional church spends 16 million euros a year on this. In addition, so-called sacred buildings have been allocated since 2016, for example for community rooms. The total of the construction grants is around 7.8 percent of the EvLKS budget of 225 million euros. It is estimated that in the next 15 years - i.e. until 2032 - a further 500 million euros will be required for construction work.

In total there are around 4,500 church buildings for which the EvLKS is responsible. The need for renovations and repairs is increasing. Since 2016, the parishes have been obliged to set up reserves in order to be able to receive EvLKS grants. The parishes must therefore decide which church is their respective central point of contact and which construction measures have priority. All important parameters such as size, condition and usage are recorded in a central database. Expert advice comes from 15 building maintenance workers across Saxony.

According to the company, there are fewer than ten church ruins - such as the Trinity Church in Dresden-Johannstadt, where the Dresden State Theater has a venue. For the church ruins in Markkleeberg - Zöbigker near Leipzig, there is probably a future, at least as a cyclist church . Around 20 churches have been deconstructed since 1990, so they are no longer available as religious sites. Some are still used as cultural sites - or as sacred museums such as the former monastery church in Kamenz .

Hymn books

The parishes of the Evangelical Lutheran Regional Church of Saxony have been singing or singing in the last few decades mainly from the following hymn books :

  • Hymn book for the Evangelical Lutheran regional church of the Kingdom of Saxony ; introduced in 1883 (later new title of the hymn book: hymn book for the Evangelical Lutheran regional church of Saxony )
  • Evangelisches Kirchengesangbuch (EKG) - Edition for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony ; introduced in 1950
  • Evangelical Church Hymnbook (EKG) - Edition for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg, Evangelical-Lutheran. Regional Church of Saxony, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thuringia , introduced in all Lutheran churches in the GDR in 1975
  • Evangelisches Gesangbuch (EG) - Edition for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony ; introduced around 1994

Publications

See also

literature

  • Gerhard Graf, Markus Hein: Small Church History Saxony. Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Leipzig 2007, ISBN 978-3-374-02283-0 .
  • Markus Hein: The Saxon regional church after the end of the Second World War (1945–1948). New formation of the church leadership and the self-purification of the pastors (hostels of Christianity, vol. 6, special volume). Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Leipzig 2001, ISBN 3-374-01918-8 .
  • Heinrich Herzog: Contribution to the history of the Saxon consistorial law of April 15, 1873. Herbergen der Christenheit, 1969, pp. 149–211.

Web links

Commons : Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Evangelical Church of Saxony
  2. ↑ Evangelical Church in Germany - Church membership figures as of December 31, 2018 , ekd.de, accessed on February 29, 2020.
  3. ↑ https://www.evlks.de/wir/ffekten-und-zahlen/statistik/ , accessed on March 2, 2020
  4. ↑ The current area of ​​the regional church ( Memento of the original from January 12, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.landeskirche-sachsen.de
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g “Main State Archive Dresden: 1.5.6. Cultus and Teaching, 10088 - Oberkonsistorium ” ( Memento of the original from December 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , on: Archives , accessed December 2, 2013.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.archiv.sachsen.de
  6. ↑ Jörg Brückner, Between Imperial Estates and Estates. The Counts of Stolberg and their relationship to the Landgraves of Thuringia and later dukes, electors and kings of Saxony (1210 to 1815) , Chemnitz: Technische Univ. Diss., 2003, p. 206.
  7. ↑ The consistory of the offices of Kelbra and Heringen was dissolved when in 1836 the office of Heringen fell to Stolberg-Stolberg and the office of Kelbra to Stolberg-Roßla.
  8. ↑ a b Jörg Brückner: Between Imperial Estates and Estates. The Counts of Stolberg and their relationship to the Landgraves of Thuringia and later dukes, electors and kings of Saxony (1210 to 1815). Technical Univ. Chemnitz, Diss., 2003, p. 208.
  9. ↑ cf. Paul Langhans: Justus Perthes 'Citizens' Atlas: 24 map sheets with over 60 depictions of the constitution and administration of the German Empire and the federal states ( 1 1896), Perthes, Gotha 2 1896, p. 10. Addition and omission in square brackets not in the original .
  10. ↑ Claudia Drescher: mammoth task: preservation of the houses of worship. 1,600 churches in Saxony - the need for renovation is estimated at half a billion euros. Leipziger Volkszeitung , print edition, July 1, 2017, p. 4
  11. ↑ Definition of terms: Pastor in honorary office
  12. ↑ Katrin Zeiß / Simona Block: Shrinking parishes: Long distances to the parish offices. Churches in Central Germany can hardly fill positions. P. 5 in Leipziger Volkszeitung from February 3, 2014
  13. ↑ Evlks.de: Resolution of the church leadership on the blessing of couples in registered civil partnerships from October 17, 2016 ( Memento of the original from November 10, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.evlks.de
  14. ↑ http://www.taz.de/Beerdigung-von-Muslimen-in-Sachsen/!5393565/
  15. ^ Saxon regional church initially without a bishop. Retrieved November 18, 2019 .
  16. ↑ Tobias Bilz elected as the new regional bishop in Saxony , message from February 29, 2020 on mdr.de.
  17. ^ Constitution of the Ev.-Luth. Regional Church of Saxony ( Memento of the original from April 15, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.evlks.de
  18. ↑ http://www.evlks.de/landeskirche/landessynode/index.html
  19. ^ Bishop Bilz: Dwindling membership "hurts". In: Der Sonntag (Saxony). June 27, 2020, accessed June 28, 2020 .
  20. ^ Regional church archives of Ev.-Luth. Regional Church of Saxony, Best. 2, Regional Church Office
  21. ↑ Evangelical Lutheran Regional Church of Saxony - Structure
  22. ↑ Evangelical Lutheran Regional Church of Saxony - church districts
  23. ^ Annaberg church district
  24. ↑ Aue church district
  25. ^ Church district Chemnitz
  26. ↑ Marienberg church district
  27. ^ Zwickau church district
  28. ↑ Bautzen-Kamenz church district
  29. ^ Church district Dresden Mitte
  30. ^ Church district Dresden North
  31. ^ Freiberg church district
  32. ↑ Löbau-Zittau church district
  33. ↑ Meißen-Großenhain church district ( Memento of the original from June 6, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.kirchen Bezirk-grossenhain.de
  34. ↑ Pirna church district
  35. ^ Church district Leipziger Land
  36. ^ Church district Leipzig
  37. ^ Church district Leisnig-Oschatz
  38. ↑ Glauchau-Rochlitz church district
  39. ↑ Evangelical Lutheran Regional Church of Saxony - Kirchgemeinden ( Memento of the original from April 9, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.evlks.de
  40. ↑ Claudia Drescher: mammoth task: preservation of the houses of worship. 1,600 churches in Saxony - the need for renovation is estimated at half a billion euros. Leipziger Volkszeitung , print edition, July 1, 2017, p. 4
  41. ↑ Hymn book publisher