Hans-Heinrich Harms (clergyman)
Hans-Heinrich Harms (born July 4, 1914 in Scharmbeck ; † April 13, 2006 in Oldenburg ) was Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg from 1967 to 1985 .
education
After graduating from high school in 1932, Harms decided to study Protestant theology . Study locations were Göttingen , Bonn and Princeton / USA. After his first theological exam, Harms completed his vicariate in Gadenstedt near Peine . On May 14, 1939, he was ordained as pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Duderstadt . In May 1941, Harms received his doctorate with a thesis on Lower Saxony's responses to the Augsburg Interim at the University of Göttingen to Dr. theol.
Stations
Harms belonged to the Confessing Church during the Nazi era . He was drafted into the Wehrmacht right at the beginning of the Second World War . In 1943 he was appointed to the parish of the Evangelical Lutheran parish in Roringen . From 1950 to 1952 Harms worked as a senior church councilor for ecumenical issues in the EKD's external church office in Frankfurt am Main . From August 1952 he worked as a consultant at the World Council of Churches in Geneva . From April 1, 1960 to September 30, 1967 he was senior pastor at the main church St. Michaelis in Hamburg. On March 1, 1967 Harms was elected bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg and was introduced to this office on October 11, 1967 in the Oldenburg Lambertikirche .
In addition to his episcopal activity, Hans-Heinrich Harms held numerous honorary posts. This included chairing the Arnoldshain Conference (1972–1976) and participating in the founding of the Evangelical Missionary Organization (EMW), of which he was the first chairman. Harms was a member of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (1973–1985) and was the moderator of the Faith and Order Commission of the WCC (1967–1971).
Harms took part in the ecumenical work of the 3rd Christian Peace Conference (CFK), which took place in Prague in 1960 .
meaning
Due to his great commitment to ecumenism, Harms was far beyond the borders of the Evangelical Lutheran. Church in Oldenburg. The Lutheran-Catholic dialogue was close to his heart, he was in lively exchange with the German Catholic Mission Council . Another focus of his activity was the pastoral accompaniment and spiritual preparation of the pastors.
Honors
On February 3, 1963, Harms received an honorary theological doctorate from the Theological Faculty of the University of Göttingen in recognition of his services . In 1980 he was awarded the Great Cross of Merit of the Lower Saxony Order of Merit.
literature
- Evangelical Lutheran Higher Church Council Oldenburg (Ed.): Festgabe for Bishop D. Dr. Heinrich Harms on his 70th birthday, July 4, 1984 . Oldenburg, 1984
Footnotes
- ↑ a b Freddy Dutz: "Brother Bishop". Obituary . In: EineWelt. Journal of the Evangelical Mission in Germany , vol. 86 (2006), issue 4, p. 33.
Web links
- Literature by and about Hans-Heinrich Harms in the catalog of the German National Library
- Appreciation of the Council Chairman Wolfgang Huber on the EKD website
- Hans Heinrich Harms in the Munzinger archive , accessed on March 14, 2014 ( beginning of article freely accessible)
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Simon Schoeffel |
Senior pastor at St. Michael 1960 - 1967 |
Hans Jürgen Quest |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Harms, Hans-Heinrich |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Protestant theologian, Lutheran bishop |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 4th July 1914 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Scharmbeck |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 13, 2006 |
| Place of death | Oldenburg |