Rudolf Schulze (pastor)

Rudolf Schulze (born February 14, 1930 in Osterwieck ; † May 12, 2015 in Berlin ) was a Protestant German theologian, student pastor and senior church councilor.

Live and act

Adolescence

Rudolf Schulze grew up as the son of the master chimney sweep Wilhelm Schulze (1888-1949) and his wife Olga, née Kolbe (1888-1978), in the Harz Mountains . From 1936 to 1943 he attended elementary school in his hometown and then the Martineum high school in Halberstadt in Saxony-Anhalt . After graduating from high school in the Soviet Zone , he began studying geodesy at the Technical University in West Berlin from 1948 to 1950 . A lecture by Karl Barth encouraged him to switch from natural science to theology.

Study of theology

By 1954 he took up theology studies at the Church University in Berlin-Zehlendorf, which he continued at the Catechetic Oberseminar (KOS) in Naumburg (Saale) . The First Theological Exam put Schulze in March 1955 in Halle (Saale) , and the Second Theological Examination in November 1957 in Magdeburg . He was ordained there on December 15, 1957. Before that, he was vicar in Brehna and Rhoden (Osterwieck) . In Rhoden in the then restricted area of the GDR , he worked as an assistant preacher from December 1957 to 1958 and then in Völpke . From September 1960 to February 1964 he worked as an Ephorus of the church training center, the "Language Convict" in East Berlin .

Student pastor in Halle (Saale)

The Evangelical Church of the ecclesiastical province of Saxony appointed Schulze in 1964 as the successor to the student pastor Christoph Hinz for the student pastoral care in Halle , where he lived in the Jenastift in Rathausstrasse and in the parish office in Henriettenstrasse. Under his leadership, working groups were set up on biblical topics, many of which deal with questions of contemporary history such as B. were connected to the Prague Spring by the Halle trust students. Schulze obtained a letter of appreciation from Bishop Johannes Jänicke , which was presented to the student trust students in the service at the beginning of the semester. As a student pastor, Schulze belonged to a working group “to clarify within the church the fundamental questions still open in connection with military service”, which the Magdeburg Bishop Jänicke had formed at the beginning of 1965 at the request of the Conference of Protestant Church Leaders .

Promotion of East-West contacts

In addition, Schulze promoted east-west contacts between the evangelical student community in Halle and student communities in the university cities of Frankfurt am Main and Göttingen and at the University of Education in Alfeld (Leine) through partner meetings. For Bible studies and theme evenings, Schulze succeeded in gaining speakers from science and practice at home and abroad, including participants in the annual meetings of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina such as B. Carl Friedrich Freiherr von Weizsäcker , who came to the hall of the student community in Jenastift during a conference break. At the suggestion of the agricultural scientist Erich Hoffmann , who was one of the most prominent speakers at lecture evenings in the student community in Halle, students took part in aid campaigns such as B. "Tractors for India." Schulze introduced the five-minute noon prayers for students, which took place for them Monday to Friday in the city mission Halle am Weidenplan on the way from the lecture halls to the cafeteria . His contacts with Christian personalities in the teaching staff meant that professors and lecturers, in addition to the theological faculty, attended the penitential service of the student community, whose sermon was usually given by the bishop of the ecclesiastical province of Saxony, at that time by Johannes Jänicke and Werner Krusche . Schulze prompted that from Magdeburg , the "ordered trust students" of the student community Protestant Bishop Hall were presented with blessing in worship beginning of the semester a formal letter of recognition.

Initiator for closer cooperation between ESG and KSG in Halle

Joint theme evenings with the Catholic Student Community KSG - as well as the ecumenical movement in general - Schulze was open to. He accepted invitations from the KSG Halle and the suggestions of the newly formed ESG / KSG working group, the result of which was, among other things, jointly organized new enrollment evenings for fellow students and interested freshmen without a denomination . This development began with joint set-ups at the beginning of the autumn semester at Martin Luther University , which were carried out at Mansfeld Castle . The inclusion of the Halle student carolers in the organization of the semester opening and closing services was a matter close to the heart for Schulze.

Pastoral care assignment to all university or college members

Schulze carried out his special pastoral care assignment for both the students and interested employees of the University of Education in Halle and the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg . There was contact with the British university professor Brian Norris (* 1932; † 2015) from the department of special languages ​​at Martin Luther University to the student pastor and participation in an arming of the ESG hall. After the fall of the Berlin Wall , Schulze, who had lived with his family in Berlin since 1978, visited the British in his hometown of Bolton . Looking back, he commented on Schulze's pastoral activities as a student pastor : "He did not allow himself to be intimidated and held his prayer and discussion groups in the Marxist university ."

After Rudolf Schulze's term of office as student pastor ended , Wolf Krötke , who later became professor of systematic theology in Berlin, was elected as his successor by the students.

Theological leader

From September 1970 to 1978 Schulze was superintendent as part of a fraternal leadership of the parish of Halle and pastor at the Paulus community in Halle (Saale). On March 1, 1978, Schulze became a senior church councilor and worked as a consultant for theological work in the church chancellery of the Evangelical Church of the Union (EKU) in the east area. There he was mainly responsible for the Berlin Bible Weeks with participants from East and West. Finally, after another change of activity, Schulze became head of the study department at the Federation of the Evangelical Church .

Together with two colleagues he wrote the book with the title “To go or stay - flight and relocation of pastors in divided Germany”, which, in his words, “deals with the problem of how the church leaders dealt with the pastors who came to the Wanted to leave the GDR period on their own or with a prescribed application to the Federal Republic. "

Personal

In July 1960 Schulze married the child deaconess Christiane, née Heckel, a pastor's daughter from Berlin-Bohnsdorf, against her father, Konrad Heckel (1908–1993) because of his negative attitude towards the GDR - youth consecration 1957, a state campaign in the press organs of the Berliner Zeitung , Neues Germany as well as Neue Zeit and also with the help of the state news agency ADN . The marriage of Rudolf and Christiane Schulze resulted in three daughters and a son: Cornelia, Katharina, Friedemann, Christiane.

After Schulze retired in February 1994, he held church services several times in the forest chapel At the Knocking Christ on Waldstrasse in Hessenwinkel in the Berlin district of Rahnsdorf .

tomb

Schulze counted the Protestant theologians and President of the EKU Church Chancellery , East Area (1986–1991), Friedrich Winter (* 1927), to his circle of friends . Schulze died in May 2015 shortly before the 70th anniversary of the Evangelical Student Community in Halle, where he was supposed to hold the evening prayer. He is buried in the Evangelical Cemetery of the Rahnsdorf-Wilhelmshagen community (Saarower Weg 51), Department C.

Works (selection)

as an author

• The conflicts about the youth deacon Lothar Rochau and his ministry in Halle-Neustadt 1981-1983. A report on behalf of the church leadership of the Evangelical Church of the Province of Saxony. Frankfurt am Main 1996, ISBN 3-921766-85-0 .
• With Eberhard Schmidt and Gerhard Zachhuber: Go or stay. Escape and relocation of pastors in divided Germany. Leipzig 2002, ISBN 3-374-01981-1 .

as editor

• After the turn. Changes in church and society; Texts from the theological study department at the Federation of Evangelical Churches in the GDR. Wichern-Verlag, Berlin 1990, ISBN 3-88981-047-0 .
• with Hartmut Ludwig: Barmen 1934–1984. Contribution to the discussion about the Theological Declaration by Barmen. Published on behalf of the Federation of Evangelical Churches in the German Democratic Republic. Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Berlin, 1983. DNB 840419775

Web links

• Church Archives Center Berlin: EZA 517/50 Go or stay. Flight and relocation of pastors in divided Germany and the overall responsibility of church leaders; Report and documentation / Rudolf Schulze et al. Leipzig 2002. (unprinted part)
• Portrait of student pastor Schulze in the history of ESG Halle (Saale) ; Author: Andreas Thulin

Individual evidence

1. ↑ König, Christel and Klaus: Rudolf Schulze 1930–2015 in: weekly newspaper “die kirche”, No. 47, November 22, 2015, p. 4
2. ↑ Pastors' book of the Church Province of Saxony. Volume 8. Biograms Schr-To. Published by the Association for Pastors in the Evangelical Church of the Ecclesiastical Province of Saxony in cooperation with the Interdisciplinary Center for Pietism Research at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in conjunction with the Francke Foundations in Halle (Saale) and the Evangelical Church in Central Germany. Evangelische Verlagsanstalt Leipzig, 2009, keyword: Schulze, Rudolf; ISBN 978-3-374-02140-6
3. ^ History of the ESG Halle (Saale); Author: Andreas Thulin
4. ↑ König, Christel and Klaus: Rudolf Schulze 1930–2015 in: weekly newspaper “die kirche”, No. 47, November 22, 2015, p. 4
5. ↑ The letter of appreciation for the "appointed liaison student" stating the university location of the Protestant student community was drawn up on the basis of "Section 7 of the instructions for student pastors issued by the Protestant church leadership of the church province of Saxony from January 5, 1954". - Private archive Schudi 45: Personalized letter, dated September 16, 1968.
6. ^ Eisenfeld, Bernd / Schicketanz, Peter: Construction soldiers in the GDR . The “bringing together hostile-negative forces” in the NVA , Berlin, 2011 p. 87; ISBN 978-3-86153-637-6
7. ↑ The meetings of the ESG Halle with students from the partner communities Frankfurt, Göttingen and Alfeld took place in Berlin (East). B. November 28-30, 1969
8. ↑ The history of the ESG Halle. Compiled by Andreas Thulin ( Memento of the original from December 18, 2015 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. 
9. ↑ With reference in the letter to Section 7 of the instructions for student pastors issued by the Evangelical Church Administration of the Church Province of Saxony from January 5, 1954, for example in a personalized letter of recognition, issued on September 16, 1968 in Magdeburg, Am Dom 2, with the handwritten signature of Bishop D. Jänicke - Schudi 45 private archive
10. ^ "NK Krupskaja" College of Education in Halle . Since 1993 institute of the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.
11. ^ Information from Rev Philip Belli, Methodist Minister, issued on December 7, 2015 to user: Schudi 45.
12. ↑ Berliner Zeitung, No. 122, May 29, 2007, p. 3 “Once socialism and back: The Englishman Brian Norris moved to the GDR in 1968. He left the country disappointed - now his story has been filmed ”.
13. ↑ Marcus Hesselman in: Der Tagesspiegel , No. 19 502, March 28, 2007, "Mister Norris' vain trip", p. 3
14. ↑ Weekly newspaper “die Kirche”, No. 22, May 31, 2015, S 7: “Head of the study department at the GDR Church Federation Rudolf Schulze died” with a portrait photo.
15. ↑ Published by the Evangelische Verlagsanstalt Leipzig
16. ^ Circular letter from C. u. R. Schulze to the “Dear everyone near and far!” For 2002/2003 - Private archive Schudi 45
17. ↑ Christian Halbrock: Evangelical Pastor of the Berlin-Brandenburg Church 1945–1961. Official autonomy in the guardian state? Lukas-Verlag, Berlin 2004, ISBN 3-936872-18-X , p. 176
18. ↑ Parents reach for self-help: A worker advises Pastor Heckel: “Here we rule!” Berliner Zeitung , November 16, 1957, vol. 13, ed. 269, p. 8.
19. ↑ Neues Deutschland, November 23, 1957, Vol. 12, Issue 277, p. 6: Away with NATO Pastor Heckel!
20. ^ W. (Wolfgang) H. (Hasse): "We do not live in fear and fear": The residents of Bohnsdorf are calling for Pastor Heckel to be recalled. In: Neue Zeit , November 24, 1957, vol. 13, ed. 275, p. 8.
21. ↑ Printed and supplemented by an editorial newspaper report in: Berliner Zeitung, December 6, 1957, vol. 13, edition 285, p. 2: Pastor Heckel has been agitating since 1953: ... Church should initiate measures.
22. ^ Obituary notice Pastor Rudolf Schulze, Oberkirchenrat in the weekly newspaper "die kirche", No. 21, May 24, 2015, p. 4.
23. ↑ According to the festival program, Rudolf Schulze was supposed to hold the evening prayer on June 12, 2015: Prayer, Rudolf Schulze (student pastor 1964 - 1970). 70 years ESG Halle, June 12th to 14th, 2015. ( Memento of the original from December 8th, 2015 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.