Evangelical Lutheran Church of Oldenburg
Encyclopedia
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg is a Protestant church in the German
state of Lower Saxony
. The seat of the church leaders is in Oldenburg (Oldb)
, also the church of the bishop St. Lamberti.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg is as a regional church (German: Landeskirche) full member of the Evangelical 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 UEK. The church is also a full member of the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe
and the Lutheran World Federation
.
The church has 463.448 (31 Dec 2006) in 123 parishes with approximately 260 pastors (men and women
). It's the largest Protestant denomination in the area of the former state of Oldenburg
.
reformation
started 1527 in the County Oldenburg
. Until the German Revolution
in 1918 the church was a state church
and the monarch
was the acting bishop of the church.
, the bishop
, the church high council and the common church committee.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
state of Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
. The seat of the church leaders is in Oldenburg (Oldb)
Oldenburg
Oldenburg is an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the western part of the state between the cities of Bremen and Groningen, Netherlands, at the Hunte river. It has a population of 160,279 which makes it the fourth biggest city in Lower Saxony after Hanover, Braunschweig...
, also the church of the bishop St. Lamberti.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg is as a regional church (German: Landeskirche) full member of the Evangelical Church in Germany
Evangelical Church in Germany
The Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of 22 Lutheran, Unified and Reformed Protestant regional church bodies in Germany. The EKD is not a church in a theological understanding because of the denominational differences. However, the member churches share full pulpit and altar...
(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
United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany
The United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany was founded on July 8, 1948 in Eisenach, Germany. Its total membership is estimated at over 10.5 million people. The Member Churches of this organisation are in full fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America...
(VELKD) and the UEK. The church is also a full member of the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe
Community of Protestant Churches in Europe
The Community of Protestant Churches in Europe is a fellowship of over 100 Protestant churches which have signed the Leuenberg Agreement. Together they strive for realizing church fellowship, especially by cooperation in witness and service to the world...
and the Lutheran World Federation
Lutheran World Federation
The Lutheran World Federation is a global communion of national and regional Lutheran churches headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish city of Lund in the aftermath of the Second World War in 1947 to coordinate the activities of the...
.
The church has 463.448 (31 Dec 2006) in 123 parishes with approximately 260 pastors (men and women
Ordination of women
Ordination in general religious usage is the process by which a person is consecrated . The ordination of women is a regular practice among some major religious groups, as it was of several religions of antiquity...
). It's the largest Protestant denomination in the area of the former state of Oldenburg
Oldenburg (state)
Oldenburg — named after its capital, the town of Oldenburg — was a state in the north of present-day Germany. Oldenburg survived from 1180 until 1918 as a county, duchy and grand duchy, and from 1918 until 1946 as a free state. It was located near the mouth of the River Weser...
.
History
The LutheranMartin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
started 1527 in the County Oldenburg
Oldenburg (state)
Oldenburg — named after its capital, the town of Oldenburg — was a state in the north of present-day Germany. Oldenburg survived from 1180 until 1918 as a county, duchy and grand duchy, and from 1918 until 1946 as a free state. It was located near the mouth of the River Weser...
. Until the German Revolution
German Revolution
The German Revolution was the politically-driven civil conflict in Germany at the end of World War I, which resulted in the replacement of Germany's imperial government with a republic...
in 1918 the church was a state church
State church
State churches are organizational bodies within a Christian denomination which are given official status or operated by a state.State churches are not necessarily national churches in the ethnic sense of the term, but the two concepts may overlap in the case of a nation state where the state...
and the monarch
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
was the acting bishop of the church.
Leadership of the church
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg has four leading authorities: the synodSynod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
, the bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
, the church high council and the common church committee.
Synod
The synod is the highest leading authority in the Church. The election of the 60 members (two third laypersons and a third clerics) of the synod is for six years.Leading persons and bishops in history
- 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 StählinWilhelm StählinWilhelm Stählin was a German Lutheran theologian, bishop, preacher and one of the major initiators of the Liturgical Movement in German Protestantism in the 20th Century....
, bishop - 1952-1953: bishop crisis: 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-today: Jan Janssen, bishop