Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia

map
Basic data
Surface:	31,887.13 km²
Leading clergyman:	Bishop Christian Stäblein
Praeses of the Synod:	Sigrun Neuwerth
President of the Consistory:	Jörg Antoine
Provess	Christina-Maria Bammel (took office on February 1, 2020)
Membership:	EKD , UEK
Sprengel :	3
Church districts :	26th
Parishes :	1181
Parishioners:	914 260 (December 31, 2019)
Share of the total population:	15.1% (December 31, 2018)
Official Website:	www.ekbo.de

The Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia ( EKBO ) is one of 20 member churches ( regional churches ) of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD). It is based in Berlin and, like all regional churches, is a corporation under public law .

Around 6.2 million people live in the area of ​​the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia. Of these, 0.91 million belong to the Evangelical Church.

The Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia is one of the united churches within the EKD. Its currently valid basic order was issued in 2003 and came into force on January 1, 2004, when the two previous regional churches, the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg and the Evangelical Church of Silesian Upper Lusatia, merged to form a new regional church. The two predecessor churches were also member churches of the Evangelical Church of the Union (EKU) until 2003 , which was merged into the Union of Evangelical Churches (UEK) on July 1, 2003 .

The main and sermon church of the EKBO bishop is the St. Mary's Church in Berlin next to the television tower . The bishop also gives regular sermons in the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and in the Berlin Cathedral , which is under the joint supervision of the Union of Evangelical Churches.

Territory of the regional church

The area of ​​the Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia essentially comprises the federal states of Berlin and Brandenburg as well as the northeastern part of the federal state of Saxony . Some parishioners of the regional church also live in the federal states of Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania . Conversely, some residents in the border areas of the state of Brandenburg also belong to the regional churches of the Evangelical Church in Central Germany , the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony .

history

The history of the regional church is inextricably linked with the history of the states of Brandenburg and Silesia and the later Kingdom of Prussia .

The Reformation was introduced in the Electorate of Brandenburg from 1539 . In 1540 the first Lutheran “ church ordinance ” was enacted, which at least according to the intention should be valid for all churches in the country. In 1613, Elector Johann Sigismund converted from the Lutheran to the Reformed creed. In the Confessio Sigismundi , however, he allowed his subjects not to follow this change, thus establishing an exception to the formula " Cuius regio, eius religio " provided for in the Augsburg Religious Peace of 1555 . Nevertheless, in the period that followed, tensions arose again and again between the reformed electoral house and the Lutheran regional church, for example in the case of Paul Gerhardt . Communities of both denominations coexisted in the Mark Brandenburg for the next two centuries.

In Upper Lusatia , the Lutheran creed largely prevailed between 1521 and 1550. Due to special political circumstances, however, a regional church was not formed. After the Congress of Vienna (1815), the eastern half of Upper Lusatia came to Prussia and was attached to the Province of Silesia. The Upper Lusatian parishes were united with the Lutheran Silesian Provincial Church, whose first church and visitation regulations originated in 1742 and 1748 respectively. Since 1750, all Lutheran parishes of the monarchy were subordinate to the Lutheran Upper Consistory of Prussia in Berlin. The Reformed parishes, on the other hand, were part of the Reformed Church Direction of Prussia , also in Berlin.

After 1815, the state of Prussia formed its own new church administration authorities in each of its provinces, for Brandenburg and Silesia with the consistory in Berlin and Breslau at the top. Even after Berlin was hived off from the Province of Brandenburg in 1881, both political administrative units remained churchly together as the ecclesiastical province of Mark Brandenburg .

Head ("summus episcopus") of the Lutheran and Reformed Churches was the King of Prussia. In 1817, Friedrich Wilhelm III. an administrative union of both confessions . Thus a unified church emerged within the state of Prussia, the " Evangelical Church in Prussia ", which changed its name several times in the following decades. This church comprised the following eight church provinces until 1918/1922: East and West Prussia , Brandenburg , Pomerania , Posen , Saxony , Silesia , the Rhine Province and Westphalia . Some Lutherans under the leadership of the Wroclaw theology professor Johann Gottfried Scheibel could not participate in the union for theological reasons and therefore did not join the new Evangelical Church in Prussia. This led to state persecution of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Prussia between 1830 and 1840 with the approval of the consistory and finally in 1845 to its recognition as an Evangelical Lutheran (Old Lutheran) Church .

After the First World War , with the end of the monarchy, the sovereign church regiment also ceased. The Prussian regional church and its provincial churches therefore founded the "Evangelical Church of the Old Prussian Union " in 1922 , which had been reduced in size by separating the majority of the parishes in the Poznan provincial church. The church was administered by several general superintendents and the president of the senior consistory in Berlin.

After the Second World War , the Oder-Neisse Line became Germany's eastern border. This meant the separation of the province of East Prussia and the larger parts of the provinces of Pomerania and Silesia as well as the part of Brandenburg east of the Oder, whose areas were placed under Polish and Soviet administration. The remaining six old provincial churches in Prussia became independent regional churches until 1947 after the state of Prussia was formally dissolved.

The ecclesiastical province of Mark Brandenburg , now headed by a bishop ( Otto Dibelius ), received a new constitution in 1948 and was then called “Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg.” It joined the “ Evangelical Church in Germany ” (EKD). The Protestant weekly newspaper Die Kirche was published in Berlin since 1945 and was published by the bishop of the Berlin-Brandenburg regional church.

In Silesia , the church tradition of the Silesian Provincial Church was continued in 1945 under President and Bishop Ernst Hornig . In 1946 the Synod of the Evangelical Church of Silesia met in Schweidnitz, which has been under Polish administration since 1945 . But on December 4th, 1946, Ernst Hornig had to leave Breslau and - like the consistory that had initially remained in Breslau in 1947 - moved to Görlitz. In the course of the expulsion of the Germans, most of the Protestant parishes in Silesia east of the Neisse were dissolved. The majority of the Protestant churches were taken over by Catholic parishes. Insofar as Protestant congregations continued to exist in individual cases, they were incorporated into the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland . The area of ​​the Silesian Provincial Church, west of the Neisse, which remained with Germany, was initially administered in trust by the Berlin-Brandenburg Church, but on May 1, 1947 it became an independent regional church under the name "Evangelical Church of Silesia", which later also became part of the Evangelical Churches in Germany (EKD) joined. The spiritual direction of the Silesian Church had been the general superintendent since 1918 and later the bishops. A constitution was adopted on November 14, 1951.

In 1954 the six former provincial churches of Old Prussia (in addition to Berlin-Brandenburg and Silesia, the provinces of Saxony, Pomerania, Rhineland and Westphalia) founded the “ Evangelical Church of the Union ” as a successor to the “Evangelical Church of the Old Prussian Union” from 1922 as an independent church, which is also the EKD joined.

Former Konsistorium (West), Bachstrasse, Hansaviertel - meanwhile demolished.

After the Berlin Wall was built, working together within the church in Berlin-Brandenburg became increasingly difficult. The church was therefore divided into the areas West (West Berlin) and East (East Berlin and Brandenburg) in 1972. Each area was given its own church administration based in Berlin (West Consistory, Bachstrasse 1–2 and East Consistory, Neue Grünstrasse) and headed by a bishop. With the reunification of the two German states, the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg was also reunited. Since 1991 a common bishop has been leading the church again.

The political situation at the time also brought about changes in the Silesian Church. In 1968 it had to change its name to “Evangelical Church of the Görlitz Church Area” because the then government of the GDR viewed the use of the name “Silesia” as revanchism and non-recognition of the new borders with Poland . After the reunification of the two German states, however, the regional church could be renamed again in 1992. It was named "Evangelical Church of Silesian Upper Lusatia".

On January 1st, 2004 both regional churches united to form the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia .

Head of the regional church

bishop

At the head of the Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia is the bishop , the spiritual leader of the church. Both of the former regional churches had had a bishop since the 1930s. He is elected for ten years by the regional synod . Re-election is possible. As a rule, the bishop retires at the age of 65. The bishop is the chairman of the church government. His deputy is the provost, the theological director in the consistory (administrative authority of the church).

General superintendents and provosts

Spiritual leaders of the Evangelical Church in Prussia were general superintendents , of whom there were a total of twelve in all of Prussia. The office was introduced shortly after the Reformation, later dissolved and only reintroduced in 1830. Two general superintendents worked for Brandenburg (three from 1911) and one for Silesia (two from 1904), who together with the president of the consistory formed the leadership of the provincial church after the lordly church regiment was discontinued in 1918 and later received the title of bishop. After the state of Prussia was dissolved in 1947, the provincial churches became formally independent. They continued to be led by a bishop as head of the Church.

Today there are three districts , each headed by a general superintendent: Berlin, Görlitz and Potsdam. An electoral convention, consisting of members of the district and regional synod and the superintendent of the respective district, meets for his election. The general superintendents are elected for ten years. At the request of the electoral convention of the respective district, the church leadership can decide that the corresponding general superintendent should hold the title of regional bishop . This happened for the first time with the election of the general superintendent von Görlitz in April 2004.

Are incumbents

Sprengel Berlin: Ulrike Trautwein (since 2011)

Sprengel Görlitz: Theresa Rinecker (since 2018)

Sprengel Potsdam: Heilgard Asmus (since 2010)

Theological deputy of the bishop is the provost or the provost . This is an old Berlin-Brandenburg tradition that was adopted by the united regional church. The provost is a born member of the church leadership, the regional synod and leading clergyman of the consistory. The current incumbent has been Christina-Maria Bammel since February 2020 .

State Synod

As a “parliament”, the regional church has a regional synod (“Old Prussian General Synod” until 1948). Its members, the synodals, are elected for a period of six years by the church districts and by the church branches and works, and some are also appointed.

The individual members of the regional synod are:

• the bishop
• the superintendent general and the spiritual moderator
• the president and provost of the consistory
• the superintendents
• Members elected by the synods of the church districts
• members sent by church branches, institutions and works
• a chair holder of the theological faculty of the Humboldt University of Berlin
• members appointed by the church leadership

The tasks of the synod include the election of the bishop, the provost and the consistorial president, the consultation and resolution of church laws, the adoption of the budget and the collection plan of the regional church, as well as resolutions on the structural organization of the regional church. In addition, the Synod sends members to various supra-church bodies, such as the General Assembly of the Union of Evangelical Churches and the Synod of the EKD. The regional synod meets at least once a year. The President of the Synod is the President.

Administration of the regional church

Consistory and administrative hierarchy

The bishop has his official seat in Berlin. He is chairman of the church leadership ("government" of the church) , which is elected for six years . It includes the bishop himself, the president of the regional synod, the general superintendents, the consistorial president and the provost of the Evangelical Consistory in Berlin as born members. Further members of the church leadership are elected by the synod from among the regional synodals. The Reformed Moderator may take part in the meetings of the committee in an advisory capacity, which meets regularly at the Evangelical Center in Berlin .

→ Main article : Evangelical Consistory Berlin

There is also the consistory , which consists of permanent church officials. It is a kind of "executive authority" of the church leadership. Its members (college) prepare the resolutions of the church leadership, manage the day-to-day business of the regional church, are responsible for the legal supervision of parishes and church districts and the official supervision of pastors, superintendents and church officials. The consistory supports all ecclesiastical areas in fulfilling their tasks. The consistory is collegial. The college consists of the president, the provost and the heads of the departments (legal and spiritual senior consistorial councilors). The consistory is divided into departments and units. The head of the consistory is the consistorial president, usually a lawyer. The theological direction (department 2) is incumbent on the provost.

• Department 1: The President: Head of the consistory, affairs of the regional synod and the church leadership, state church law, etc. a.
• Department 2: Theology and Church Life
• Department 3: Personnel, Special Pastoral Care
• Department 4: Theological training and further education and theological examination office
• Department 5: Education, Schools and Religious Education
• Department 6: Finances, Assets, Taxes, etc. a.
• Department 7: Service and labor law, state law, archiving etc. a.

In the management hierarchy, the national church is built from the bottom up as follows: standing at the base church communities as public corporations with elected parish councils, the "parish church councils" whose members occasionally "elders" are mentioned. Several parishes together form a parish , headed by a superintendent. The church districts are also corporations under public law and have the district synod as a body, the members of which are sent by the respective parishes. Occasionally there is a district church council as a collegial body in place of the superintendent.

Several church districts together form a district headed by a general superintendent or a regional bishop (only in the Görlitz district). This administrative level has no body. The three districts together form the regional church with the institutions described above.

List of bishops

The title of bishop was unusual until 1933. King Friedrich Wilhelm III alone . awarded the title to several honorary people in the first half of the 19th century. The official designation of the highest spiritual leadership position was from 1828 to 1933 "General Superintendent". Each ecclesiastical province had one to four general superintendents, depending on its size. The general superintendent was spiritual director of the ecclesiastical province and the respective provincial consistory. As far as there were several general superintendents in a church province, they rotated as spiritual leaders of the consistory. Under the rule of the German Christians in the governing bodies of the Evangelical Church of the Old Prussian Union , the titles and functions of regional bishop ( Ludwig Müller ) and provincial bishops were introduced. The church province of Mark Brandenburg was renamed the Diocese of Berlin . A provincial bishop led the diocese according to the leader principle. The Brandenburg general superintendents now operated as provosts in the rank below the provincial bishop. Otto Dibelius himself adopted the new title of bishop in 1945, which identified him as a church representative in dealings with the Soviet occupying power.

General superintendent in the ecclesiastical province of Mark Brandenburg

Spiritual leader for the city of Berlin

1823–1865: Daniel Amadeus Neander , provost of the Petrikirche (Berlin-Cölln) , at that time the highest-ranking ecclesiastical office in Berlin. As a confidante of Friedrich Wilhelm III. In 1830 he was given the honorary title of "Bishop".

1865–1871: Vacancy, the position was not filled again until after Neander's death in 1869

1871–1892: Bruno Brückner , he held the title of General Superintendent (Gen.Supt.)

1893-1911: Wilhelm Faber

1912–1918: Christoph Friedrich Lahusen

1918–1921: vacancy

1921–1927: Georg Burghart

1928–1933: Emil Karow , on leave by the Prussian State Commissioner August Jäger - in breach of church regulations.

General superintendent for the suburbs of Berlin (Berlin-Land and Kölln-Land)

1911–1933: Wilhelm Haendler (this general superintendent was created in 1911 and dissolved again after Haendler's retirement in 1933)

General superintendent for the Kurmark

1540–1550: Jacob Stratner († 1550)

1550–1566: Johannes Agricola (1494–1566)

1566–1581: Andreas Musculus (1514–1581)

1581–1594: Christoph Corner (1518–1594)

1595–1633: Christoph Pelargus (also Storch; 1565–1633)

1633–1829: Vacancy - due to the denominational dispute, the Märkisches Konsistorium took over the function as a collegial body, which included Lutheran and Reformed members.

1829–1853: Daniel Amadeus Neander ; in personal union he was provost of the Petrikirche (Berlin-Cölln) from 1823 to 1865.

1853–1873: Wilhelm Hoffmann , also court preacher

1875–1879: Bruno Brückner (acting, at the same time general superintendent for Berlin)

1879–1891: Theodor Johannes Rudolf Kögel , since 1863 court preacher in Berlin

1892–1903: Ernst Dryander

1903–1921: Paul Köhler (1848–1926)

1921–1924: Karl Axenfeld (1869–1924)

1925–1933: Otto Dibelius , on leave by the Prussian State Commissioner August Jäger - in breach of church regulations.

General superintendent for the Reg.-Bez. Frankfurt / O (without Niederlausitz)

1829–1836: Wilhelm Ross

The general superintendent's offices in Frankfurt / O and Niederlausitz were merged in 1836.

General superintendent for Lower Lusatia (seat: Lübben)

1711–1715: Johann Christian Adami

1715-1811:?

1811–1836: Friedrich Brescius (1766–1842), still employed by Electoral Saxony

The general superintendent of Niederlausitz and Frankfurt / O were merged in 1836.

General superintendent for Neumark and Niederlausitz

1836–1842: Friedrich Brescius (1766–1842)

1842-1853:?

1853–1884: Carl Büchsel

1884–1909: Theodor Braun (1833–1911)

1909–1925: Hans Keßler (1856–1939)

1925–1933: Ernst Vits , retired by the Prussian State Commissioner August Jäger - in breach of church regulations.

Diocese of Mark Brandenburg of the Evangelical Church of the Old Prussian Union, 1933–1945

Provincial Bishop for Berlin

1933–1934: Emil Karow

1934–1945: vacancy, in the course of the church struggle there was no replacement

Provincial Bishop for Brandenburg

1933 (September – December): Joachim Hossenfelder

1933–1945: vacancy, in the course of the church struggle there was no replacement

Propstei Kurmark (subordinate to the diocese of Mark Brandenburg)

1933–1936 (June 30): Fritz Loerzer

1936–1945: vacancy, in the course of the church struggle there was no replacement

parallel:

1933–1945: Otto Dibelius; he ignored the leave of absence and continued to officiate, but was only accepted in the parishes that supported the Confessing Church .

Propstei Neumark and Niederlausitz (subordinate to the diocese of Mark Brandenburg)

1933–1936 (June 30): Otto Eckert

1936–1945: vacancy, in the course of the church struggle there was no replacement

Church province of Mark Brandenburg in the Evangelical Church of the Old Prussian Union, 1945–1948

bishop

1945–1948: Otto Dibelius . The Soviet occupying power agreed that he was head of the provincial church and held the title of bishop; in his person he bundled all three spiritual leadership positions in the ecclesiastical province.

General superintendent from 1945

In 1945 the structures from before 1933 were restored. In 1949 the general superintendent were territorially changed and partly renamed. The general superintendent of Neumark and Niederlausitz had lost all communities on the other side of the Oder-Neisse line and was therefore enlarged at the expense of the Kurmark. The general superintendent of Neumark and Niederlausitz has been operating as Sprengel Cottbus since 2010, and from 2010 it was added to the Sprengel Görlitz . The General Superintendentur Kurmark gave up areas for the new Sprengel Eberswalde in 1963 (later reclassified) and since then has been operating as Sprengel Neuruppin , since 2010 Sprengel Potsdam .

General superintendent for the Kurmark (until 1963) / Neuruppin (1963-2010) / Potsdam (from 2010)

1945–1946: Otto Dibelius, confirmed by the provisionally formed church leadership (the advisory board). The advisory board also commissioned Dibelius to take over the vacant general superintendent offices in Berlin and Neumark-Niederlausitz on a representative basis.

1947–1963: Walter Braun (1892–1973)

1963–1978: Horst Lahr

1979–1996: Günter Bransch (* 1931)

1997–2010: Hans-Ulrich Schulz

2010– 0000: Heilgard Asmus

General superintendent for the city of Berlin

1945–1946: Otto Dibelius, acting

1946–1948: Max Diestel (for the American sector)

General superintendent for Berlin I

Headquarters: Berlin (West). In 1975 the function of the general superintendent of Berlin I was merged with that of the bishop (West).

1946–1954: Gerhard Jacobi

1955–1961: Immanuel Pack (1900–1964)

1961–1975: Hans-Martin Helbich

General superintendent for Berlin II

Headquarters: Berlin (East)

1946–1955: Friedrich-Wilhelm Krummacher

1956–1963: Fritz Führ (1904–1963)

1964–1974: Gerhard Schmitt

1974–1982: Hartmut Grünbaum

1982–1993: Günter Krusche

General superintendent for Berlin

1994–1996: Ingrid Laudien

1996–2008: Martin-Michael Passauer

2008–2011: Ralf Meister

2011– 0000: Ulrike Trautwein

General superintendent for Neumark and Niederlausitz / in Cottbus

1945–1946: Otto Dibelius, acting

1946–1972: Günter Jacob

1973–1981: Gottfried Forck

1982–1993: Reinhardt Richter (1928–2004)

1995-2004: Rolf Wischnath

2005–2010: Heilgard Asmus

General superintendent of the district Eberswalde

1963–1972: Albrecht Schönherr

1972–1978: Hermann-Theodor Hanse (1912–1999)

1978–1983: Erich Schuppan

1983–1996: Leopold Esselbach (* 1931)

Regional bishop and general superintendent of the district of Görlitz

2004–2011: Regional Bishop Hans-Wilhelm Pietz

2011–2018: General Superintendent Martin Herche

2018– 0000: General Superintendent Theresa Rinecker

Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg

1948-1972

1948–1966: Otto Dibelius , Bishop

1966–1972: Kurt Scharf , Bishop

West area 1972–1991

1972–1976: Kurt Scharf , bishop

1976–1991: Martin Kruse , Bishop

East area 1972–1991

1972–1981: Albrecht Schönherr , bishop

1981–1991: Gottfried Forck , Bishop

1991-2004

1991–1993: Martin Kruse , Bishop

1994–2004: Wolfgang Huber , bishop, then until 2009 further bishop of the EKBO

Ecclesiastical Province or Evangelical Church of Silesia / Silesian Upper Lusatia

→ Main article : Heads of the Silesian church province or regional church

Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia

since 2004

2004–2009: Wolfgang Huber , Bishop

2009–2019: Markus Dröge , Bishop

since 2019: Christian Stäblein , Bishop

Other members of the church leadership (until 2004 for the area of ​​the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg)

Consistorial President

1815–1824: Georg Christian von Heydebreck (as senior president )

1825–1840: Magnus Friedrich von Bassewitz (as senior president)

1840–1847: August Werner von Meding (as senior president)

1847–1862: Carl Otto Graf von Voss

1862–1865: Ludwig Emil Mathis

1865-1891: Immanuel Hegel

1891–1904: Albrecht Christian Schmidt

1904–1925: Hermann Steinhausen

1925–1933: August Gensen

1934–1936: Paul Walzer

1936–1937: Georg Rapmund

1937–1938: Ewald Siebert, acting

1938–1945: Johannes Heinrich

1945–1960: Hans Ludwig von Arnim

1960–1971: Hansjürg Ranke (1904–1987; from 1967 for the Consistory West)

Consistory West 1967–1991

1960–1971: Hansjürg Ranke (until 1967 for the undivided consistory)

1971–1985: Georg Flor (1920–1995)

1985? –1995: Horstdieter Wildner (from 1991 for the reunited consistory)

East Consistory 1967–1991

1970–1980: Willi Kupas (1915–1983)

1982–1990: Manfred Stolpe

from 1991

1985? –1995: Horstdieter Wildner (until 1991 for the Consistory West)

1995-2005: Uwe Runge

2005–2015: Ulrich Seelemann

2015– 0000: Jörg Antoine

Provosts in the consistory

1945–1959: Hans Böhm (1899–1962), spiritual director of the Berlin department

1946–1961: Kurt Scharf , spiritual director of the Brandenburg department

1960–1969: Martin Schutzka (1908–1978), Berlin Department, 1959–60 provisional, from 1961 only for the western sectors

West Region 1967-1991

1960–1969: Martin Schutzka, until 1961 for all of Berlin

1970–1980: Wilhelm Dittmann (1915–1988)

1980–1990: Uwe Hollm

1990–1991: Karl-Heinrich Lütcke, acting

East region 1967–1991

19 ?? - 1973:?

1973–1986: Friedrich Winter

1986–1988:?

1988–1996: Hans-Otto Furian (from 1991 for the reunited Church)

from 1991

1988–1996: Hans-Otto Furian (East Region until 1991)

1996-2005: Karl-Heinrich Lütcke

2005–2015: Friederike von Kirchbach

2015–2019: Christian Stäblein

2020– 2019: Christina-Maria Bammel

President of the Synod

1869 -0000: Friedrich Wölbling, pastor (extraordinary general synod)

• 1879 Adolf von Arnim-Boitzenburg , landowner and politician-0000

1880–1881: Albert von Levetzow , landowner and politician

1911–1921: Dietlof von Arnim-Boitzenburg , landowner

1922 -0000: Karl Feldhahn, superintendent

1923–1925: Emil Bäthge, Superintendent

1925–1931: Wolf von Gersdorff , District Administrator a. D.

1931–1933: Johannes Grell , Superintendent

1933–1945: Gerhard Jacobi , pastor (in the Confession Synod )

1934 -0000: Otto Eckert , Provost

1935–1966: Kurt Scharf , pastor (in the Confessional Synod, later with the official title of President in the church leadership)

1946–1959: Reinhard Möller , member of the government a. D.

1959–1962: Fritz Figur , Superintendent

1962–1973: Hans Altmann , Richter (West Region)

1973–1990: Manfred Becker , Germanist (Eastern Region)

1979–1997: Helmut Reihlen (until 1991 for the West Region)

1997–2005: Anneliese Kaminski , linguist

2006–2015: Andreas Böer , Mayor

2015– 0000: Sigrun Neuwerth , agricultural scientist

The three districts with their associated church districts

→ Main article : Sprengel (Protestant)

Sprengel Berlin

Berlin north-east

Berlin city center

Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf

Lichtenberg-Oberspree

Neukölln

Reinickendorf

Spandau

Steglitz

Teltow-Zehlendorf

Tempelhof- Schöneberg

The Tempelhof-Schöneberg church district was created on January 1, 2016 through the merger of the Berlin-Schöneberg and Tempelhof church districts.

Potsdam district

(until December 31, 2009 = "Sprengel Neuruppin")

Barnim (seat: Eberswalde )

Falkensee (seat: Falkensee )

Mittelmark-Brandenburg (seat: Kloster Lehnin )

Nauen-Rathenow (seat: Nauen )

Upper Havelland (seat: Gransee )

Potsdam (seat: Potsdam )

Prignitz (seat: Perleberg )

Uckermark (seat: Prenzlau )

Wittstock-Ruppin (seat: Wittstock / Dosse )

The Prignitz church district was created on July 1, 2013 through the merger of the Perleberg-Wittenberge and Havelberg-Pritzwalk churches.

The former church district of Kyritz-Wusterhausen merged with the church district of Prignitz on July 1, 2016.

Görlitz district

(On January 1st, 2010 the Sprengel Cottbus and the Sprengel Görlitz were merged to form the "Sprengel Görlitz")

Cottbus (seat: Cottbus )

Niederlausitz (seat: Lübben )

Silesian Upper Lusatia (seat: Niesky )

Oderland-Spree (seat: Frankfurt (Oder) )

Senftenberg-Spremberg (seat: Drebkau )

Zossen-Fläming (seat: Zossen )

The church district of Silesian Upper Lusatia was created on January 1, 2014 through the merger of the church districts of Hoyerswerda and Lower Silesian Upper Lusatia. The area is identical to the area of ​​the former Evangelical Church of Silesian Upper Lusatia (EKsOL) .

Reformed church district

The Reformed Church District (seat: Berlin), whose parishes are scattered over the entire area of ​​the regional church, does not belong to one of the three districts. It is headed by a district church councilor for business matters and by a moderamen for spiritual matters .

Sponsorships

Together with the Evangelical Church in Germany, the EKBO maintains the Evangelical Academy in Berlin . In addition, the EKBO maintains the Evangelical Academy Görlitz, which was taken over from the holdings of the former Evangelical Church of Silesian Upper Lusatia , and is the sponsor of the Evangelical University of Berlin .

Evangelical regional church archive in Berlin

The Evangelical Regional Church Archive in Berlin (ELAB) manages archival material as a regional church service

• the ecclesiastical province of Brandenburg of the former Prussian regional church (the older provinces, APU)
• of the Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg (EKiBB)
• of the Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia (EKBO)

Among other things, the archive holdings arouse broad interest in genealogical and church history research.

Together with the Evangelical Central Archives in Berlin , the Diocesan Archives of the Archdiocese of Berlin and the Archives of the Berliner Missionswerk , the State Church Archives have been housed in the Church Archives Center Berlin in Berlin-Kreuzberg since 2000 .

Office for Church Services

The Office for Church Services (AKD) is a supra-congregational institution of the regional church. It was established by church law on February 1, 2006. In the AKD, the educational work, the office for work with children and young people as well as the women's and family work of the EKBO have been brought together. The pastoral college and the advanced training for pastors of the regional church are integrated in the AKD. It is responsible for basic, advanced and advanced training, advice and support for honorary, part-time and full-time employees of the church. The offers, such as B. Ecumenical youth services are centrally administered and made available in the Office for Church Services. The AKD is a legally dependent organization; General supervision of the office is carried out by the consistory. Since January 2011 the AKD has been divided into three departments. Organs are a board of trustees , the director and the college. The office is located at Goethestrasse 26-30 in Berlin-Charlottenburg. Pastor Matthias Spenn has been director of the AKD since December 2012.

Hymn books

The parishes of the Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia have been singing or singing from the following hymn books in the past centuries:

Berlin-Brandenburg

• Hymnal for worship use for Protestant communities. Berlin 1829.
• Evangelical hymn book , after approval of the provincial synod of 1884 for introduction in the province of Brandenburg with the approval of the Evang. Upper Church Council published by the Royal Consistory, Berlin 1884.
• Evangelical hymn book for Brandenburg and Pomerania , Berlin and Frankfurt / Oder; Introduced by resolutions of the provincial synods of the ecclesiastical province of Pomerania in 1925 and 1927 and Mark Brandenburg in 1927 and 1929 and according to the emergency ordinance of the church senate of August 7, 1931 issued by the Brandenburg and Pomerania provincial church councils on Advent 1931.
• Evangelical church hymn book , edition for the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg; Based on the resolution of the Provincial Synod of the Evang. Church in Berlin-Brandenburg from February 7, 1951 published by the Evang. Church leadership on 1st Advent 1951 or with the later titles "Evangelical Church Hymnbook, edition for the consistorial districts Berlin, Magdeburg, Greifswald and Görlitz and the Evang. Landeskirche Anhalts "or" Evangelisches Kirchengesangbuch, edition for the Evangelische Landeskirche Anhalt, Evang. Church Berlin-Brandenburg, Evang. Church of the Görlitz church area, Evang. Regional Church Greifswald, Evang. Church of the Ecclesiastical Province of Saxony ”.
• Evangelical hymn book , edition for the Evangelical Church of Anhalt, the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg, the Evangelical Church of Silesian Upper Lusatia, the Pomeranian Evangelical Church, the Evangelical Church of the Church Province of Saxony , Berlin / Leipzig; introduced on Reformation Day, October 31, 1993.

Silesian Upper Lusatia

• Hymnal for Evangelical Churches in Silesia ; introduced in 1878.
• Silesian Provincial Hymnbook ; introduced in 1908.
• Evangelical Church Hymnbook (EKG) , edition for the consistorial districts of Berlin, Magdeburg, Greifswald and Görlitz and the Evang. Landeskirche Anhalts or issue for the Evang. Landeskirche Anhalt, Evang. Church Berlin-Brandenburg, Evang. Church of the Görlitz church area , Evang. Regional Church Greifswald , Evang. Church of the Ecclesiastical Province of Saxony; introduced on the 1st of Advent 1953.
• Evangelical hymn book , edition for the Evangelical Church of Anhalt, the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg, the Evangelical Church of Silesian Upper Lusatia, the Pomeranian Evangelical Church, the Evangelical Church of the ecclesiastical province of Saxony; introduced on Pentecost, May 22, 1994.

Ecumenical Relations

The EKBO is a member of the Community of Evangelical Churches in Europe and - through the EKD - in the World Council of Churches and in the Conference of European Churches . Church fellowship also exists with the American United Church of Christ . In addition, the EKBO has partnerships u. a. to the dioceses of London and Chichester of the Anglican Church of England , to the diocese of Wroclaw of the Evangelical-Augsburg Church in Poland and to the Diocese of Gothenburg of the Lutheran Church of Sweden . The Berliner Missionswerk has connections to partner churches in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean that go back to missionary activities in the 19th century.

Together with other churches, the EKBO is the sponsor of the Berlin-Brandenburg Ecumenical Council, a regional subdivision of the Working Group of Christian Churches in Germany .

See also

• List of decimated churches in the Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia
• Dispute over the agendas , Old Lutherans
• Evangelical Youth Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia

Web links

Commons : Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Schlesische Oberlausitz  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• EKBO website
• Evangelical Regional Church Archive Berlin

Individual evidence

1. ↑ https://www.ekbo.de/service/zahlen-und-ffekten.html
2. ↑ ^{a b} https://www.ekbo.de/service/zahlen-und-ffekten.html
3. ↑ marienkirche-berlin.de ( Memento from July 21, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
4. ↑ kkbs.de ( Memento from December 20, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
5. ↑ Cf. Instruction, in front of the Lutheran Ober = Consistorium, established over all royal lands, de dato Berlin, October 4th. 1750 , printed in: Corpus Constitutionum Marchicarum, Oder Königl. Preussis. and Churfürstl. Brandenburgische in der Chur- and Marck Brandenburg, also incorporated Landen, published and issued regulations, Edicta, Mandata, Rescripta etc .: From the times of Frederick I Elector of Brandenburg, etc. bit under the government of Friderich Wilhelm, King in Prussia, etc. ad annum 1736. inclusive , IV. Continuatio, column 291ff.
6. ↑ Jörg Antoine became the new Consistorial President in Berlin - Communication from the Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia from November 14, 2014 ( Memento from November 29, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
7. ^ Karl-Heinrich Lütcke: Always good for surprises. On the death of Uwe Hollm. In: the church. Evangelical weekly newspaper No. 1, January 1, 2012, p. 6.
8. ^ Hans-Dieter Keitel: Church districts merge. In: Berlin Week. September 16, 2019, accessed July 3, 2019 . 
9. ↑ Bernd Atzenroth: Superintendent moves to Perleberg. In: MAZ-online. June 19, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013 . 
10. ↑ Kerstin Beck: Prignitz church district is growing. In: Märkische Allgemeine Zeitung - maz-online. March 20, 2016, accessed July 3, 2019 . 
11. ↑ Thomas Koppehl: New Church District Silesian Upper Lusatia. In: kkvsol.net. Retrieved October 29, 2014 . 
12. ↑ Overview of the holdings with the option of online research
13. ^ Church law on the Office for Church Services
14. ↑ Our partner churches in North America and Europe , accessed April 12, 2018.
15. ↑ Partners and projects worldwide , accessed on April 12, 2018.
16. ↑ member churches ÖRBB , accessed on 12 April 2018th