The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg (German: Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Oldenburg) is a Lutheran church in the German state of Lower Saxony.
![Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/EKD_Oldenburg.svg/200px-EKD_Oldenburg.svg.png)
The seat of the church leaders is in Oldenburg, as is the preaching venue of its bishop at St Lamberti Church. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg is a regional church (German: Landeskirche) and a full member of the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD). As one of just two regional churches in the EKD, the church is only a guest member of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (VELKD) and the Union of Evangelical Churches (UEK). The church is also a full member of the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe and the Lutheran World Federation. The church has 390,072 members (2020)[1] in 123 parishes, with approximately 260 pastors (men and women). It is the largest Protestant denomination in the area of the former state of Oldenburg.
History
[edit]The Lutheran Reformation came to the County of Oldenburg beginning in 1527.[2] Until the German Revolution in 1918, the church was a state church and the monarch was the acting bishop (summus episcopus, or supreme governor) of the church. In 1922 the Church in Oldenburg counted 291,000 parishioners.[3]
Practices
[edit]Ordination of women and blessing of same-sex marriages were allowed.[4][5]
Leadership of the church
[edit]The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg has four leading authorities: the synod, the bishop, the superior church council (Oberkirchenrat), and the common church committee.
Synod
[edit]The synod is the highest leading authority in the Church. The election of the 60 members (two-thirds laypersons and one-third clerics) of the synod is for six years.
Leading persons and bishops in history
[edit]- 1893–1904: Martin Bernhard Schomann, president
- 1904–1920: Eugen von Finckh, president
- 1920–1934: Heinrich Tilemann, president
- 1934–1944: Johannes Volkers, bishop
- 1945–1952: Wilhelm Stählin, bishop
- 1952−1953: bishop crisis:[6] Wilhelm Hahn was elected, but not inaugurated.
- 1954–1967: Gerhard Jacobi, bishop
- 1967–1985: Hans-Heinrich Harms, bishop
- 1985–1998: Wilhelm Sievers, bishop
- 1998–2008: Peter Krug, bishop
- 2008−2018: Jan Janssen, bishop
- 2018-today: Thomas Adomeit, bishop
External links
[edit]- http://www.kirche-oldenburg.de (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg)
Notes
[edit]- ^ Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland – Kirchemitgliederzahlen Stand 31. Dezember 2020 Archived 2021-12-21 at the Wayback Machine EKD, November 2021
- ^ Cnf. Hermann Hamelmann, Oldenburgisch Chronicon, Oldenburg 1599, p. 363.
- ^ Sebastian Müller-Rolli in collaboration with Reiner Anselm, Evangelische Schulpolitik in Deutschland 1918–1958: Dokumente und Darstellung, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1999, (=Eine Veröffentlichung des Comenius-Instituts Münster), p. 30. ISBN 3-525-61362-8.
- ^ NDR.de: Oldenburgische Kirche beschließt Trauuung für alle Archived 2019-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, 2018 (German)
- ^ Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Cnf. DER SPIEGEL No. 08/1953, issue from 18 Feb 1953, p. 12 Archived 3 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine (German)
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Regional Protestant churches within the German Evangelical Church Confederation (1922–1933) | |
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