Protestant Church in Germany facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Protestant Church in Germany
*Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland*

Classification	Protestant
Orientation	United (Prussian Union) Lutheran Reformed
Polity	Episcopal Presbyterian Congregationalist
Chair of the Council	Kirsten Fehrs
Associations	World Council of Churches Conference of European Churches Community of Protestant Churches in Europe
Region	Germany
Origin	1948; 77 years ago (1948)
Members	2023 EKD data: 18.6 million

The Protestant Church in Germany (German: Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland, EKD) is a group of twenty Protestant churches in Germany. These churches include Lutheran, Reformed, and United traditions. Together, they represent most Protestants in the country.

In 2022, the EKD had over 19 million members. This means about 22.7% of the German population belonged to it. It is one of the biggest Protestant groups in the world. The main offices for the EKD are in Hanover, Lower Saxony. Many members see themselves as Lutherans.

What is the EKD?
- How the EKD was Formed
- How Churches Work Together
What "Evangelisch" Means
Membership Details
- Church Membership by State (2011)
How the EKD is Organized
Member Churches (since 2012)
Images for kids
See also

What is the EKD?

The EKD is like a team of different churches. Each church, called a Landeskirche (regional church), is independent. They have their own beliefs and ways of organizing. But they work together in the EKD. They share common goals and support each other.

How the EKD was Formed

The idea of uniting German Protestant churches started a long time ago. In 1817, some German states, like Prussia, tried to bring their churches together. This led to the first "united churches."

A bigger effort to unite German Protestantism happened after World War I. In 1922, the German Protestant Church Confederation was formed. It was a group of 28 regional churches.

When Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, his government tried to control the church. They wanted to create a single "German Evangelical Church." But many church members disagreed with this. A group called the Confessing Church stood up against state control.

After World War II, in 1945, the church leaders admitted their guilt. They felt remorse for not doing enough against the terrible things done by Hitler's regime. This was called the Stuttgart Declaration of Guilt. In 1948, the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD) was officially formed. It became a new organization for German Protestant churches.

Later, because of the split between West and East Germany, the churches in East Germany left the EKD in 1969. But after Germany became one country again in 1991, the East German churches rejoined the EKD.

How Churches Work Together

The churches in the EKD are independent. But they share "altar and pulpit fellowship." This means their members can attend services and receive communion in any EKD church. Also, their ministers can serve in any EKD church.

Most Lutheran churches in the EKD are led by a bishop. Reformed and United churches often have a mix of presbyterian (led by elders) and congregationalist (led by the local church members) styles.

Front page of the Peace of Augsburg, which helped set up two main Christian groups in Germany.

The EKD churches are not "state churches" anymore. This means the government does not control them. But they still have special legal protection. They are called Landeskirchen (regional churches). Their borders often follow old state lines from 1848.

Since 1973, all EKD member churches have had "full communion." This means they fully accept each other's beliefs and practices. All 20 member churches allow women to be ordained as ministers. Many women now serve as bishops. Margot Käßmann was the first woman to lead the EKD Council in 2009. Also, 14 of the 20 churches allow the blessing of same-sex marriages. All other churches allow blessings of same-sex unions.

In recent years, the number of members in both the EKD and the Catholic Church in Germany has been decreasing. More people are choosing not to belong to any religion.

What "Evangelisch" Means

The German word evangelisch is usually translated as "Protestant." It is different from the English word "evangelical." The German word means "of the Gospel." It shows that the Protestant Reformation focused on the Bible. Martin Luther encouraged using this term.

Membership Details

Member churches by confession.

Protestantism is the main religion in Northern, Eastern, and Middle Germany. In the northwest, Reformed churches are more common. Lutheran churches are found more in the north and south. United churches are in Middle and Western Germany.

Most Christians in Southern Germany are Catholic. But some parts of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria have many Protestants. For example, Middle Franconia and the Stuttgart area.

In 2020, about 20.2 million people belonged to an EKD church. This was about 24.3% of all Germans. However, fewer people attend church services regularly. Only about one million people (1.2% of Germans) go to a service on Sunday.

The regional EKD churches treat each other as equals. No church tries to set up congregations in another church's area. This prevents them from competing for members. The only exception is the Evangelical Reformed Church. It has Reformed congregations in areas where other Lutheran churches are dominant.

Members of EKD churches, like members of Catholic and Jewish groups, pay a church tax. This tax is a small extra amount on their income tax. The German states collect it and give it to the churches.

Church Membership by State (2011)

State	Church membership (2011)	Percentage of the population
Schleswig-Holstein	1,550,200	55.7%
Lower Saxony	3,976,430	51.5%
Bremen	279,180	43.2%
Hesse	2,426,990	40.8%
Baden-Württemberg	3,552,450	34.1%
Hamburg	573,960	33.9%
Rhineland-Palatinate	1,260,720	31.8%
Germany	24,552,110	30.8%
North Rhine-Westphalia	4,974,240	28.5%
Thuringia	529,010	24.3%
Berlin	706,650	21.6%
Saxony	856,340	21.4%
Bavaria	2,592,550	21.1%
Saarland	199,240	20.1%
Brandenburg	448,970	18.4%
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern	280,500	17.7%
Saxony-Anhalt	344,680	15.2%

How the EKD is Organized

The EKD has a federal structure. This means each regional church handles its own Christian life. But they all work together on shared tasks. The EKD has different groups that help it run. These groups are chosen in a democratic way.

The Synod

The Synod is like the EKD's parliament. It makes the rules and laws. It has 126 members. 106 members are chosen by the regional church synods. The other 20 are chosen by the EKD Council. These 20 are picked because they are important to the church. Members serve for six years, and the Synod meets every year.

Leaders of the Synod

Irmgard Schwaetzer, praeses of the synod until 2021.

1949–1955: Gustav Heinemann
1955–1961: Constantin von Dietze
1961–1970: Hans Puttfarcken [de]
1970–1973: Ludwig Raiser
1973–1985: Cornelius von Heyl
1985–2003: Jürgen Schmude
2003–2009: Barbara Rinke
2009–2013: Katrin Göring-Eckardt
2013–2021: Irmgard Schwaetzer
since 2021: Anna-Nicole Heinrich

The EKD Council

The EKD Council is the main group that represents and leads the Protestant Church in Germany. It has 15 members. They are chosen by the Synod and the Church Conference for six-year terms.

Chairpersons of the Council

Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, former chairman of the Council of the EKD.

The chairperson of the Council is the highest leader of the church.

1945–1949: Theophil Wurm, Bishop, Württemberg
1949–1961: Otto Dibelius, bishop of Berlin-Brandenburg
1961–1967: Kurt Scharf, president, bishop from 1966, Berlin-Brandenburg
1967–1973: Hermann Dietzfelbinger [de], Bishop, Bavaria
1973–1979: Helmut Claß [de], Bishop, Württemberg
1979–1985: Eduard Lohse [de], Bishop, Hanover
1985–1991: Martin Kruse [de], bishop of Berlin-Brandenburg
1991–1997: Klaus Engelhardt [de], Bishop, Baden
1997–2003: Manfred Kock, president, Rhineland
2003–2009: Wolfgang Huber, bishop of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia
2009–2010: Margot Käßmann, bishop of Hanover
2010–2014: Nikolaus Schneider, president, Rhineland
2014–2021: Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, Bishop, Bavaria
2021–2023: Annette Kurschus, Bishop of Westphalia

Church Conference

The Church Conference is where the regional churches can directly share their ideas and work with the EKD.

Church Office of the EKD

The Church Office is the administrative part of the EKD. It handles the daily tasks for the Synod, Council, and Conference. It has about 200 employees.

Presidents of the Church Office

1945–1948: Hans Asmussen
1949–1965: Heinz Brunotte
1966–1989: Walter Hammer [de]
1989–1997: Otto von Camphausen
1997–2006: Valentin Schmidt [de]
2006–2010: Hermann Barth [de]
since 2010: Hans Ulrich Anke [de]

International Work

The EKD supports several charities. The Gustav-Adolf-Werk (GAW) helps smaller Protestant churches, especially in Catholic countries. Brot für die Welt (Bread for the World) focuses on international development aid.

Member Churches (since 2012)

Member churches of the Protestant Church in Germany.

The EKD includes 20 regional churches:

10 United Protestant (Lutheran and Reformed)
8 Lutheran
2 Reformed

These are called Landeskirchen ("Regional Churches"). Their areas often match old German states or provinces.

Protestant Church of Anhalt (Evangelische Landeskirche Anhalts)
Protestant Church in Baden (Evangelische Landeskirche in Baden)
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria (Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern)
Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia (Evangelische Kirche in Berlin-Brandenburg-schlesische Oberlausitz)
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick (Evangelisch-Lutherische Landeskirche in Braunschweig)
Evangelical Church of Bremen (Bremische Evangelische Kirche)
Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Hanover (Evangelisch-Lutherische Landeskirche Hannovers)
Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau (Evangelische Kirche in Hessen und Nassau)
Evangelical Church of Hesse Electorate-Waldeck (Evangelische Kirche von Kurhessen-Waldeck)
Church of Lippe (Lippische Landeskirche)
Evangelical Church in Central Germany (Evangelische Kirche in Mitteldeutschland)
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Norddeutschland
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg (Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Oldenburg)
Evangelical Church of the Palatinate (Evangelische Kirche der Pfalz)
Evangelical Church in the Rhineland (Evangelische Kirche im Rheinland)
Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Saxony (Evangelisch-Lutherische Landeskirche Sachsens)
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Schaumburg-Lippe (Evangelisch-Lutherische Landeskirche Schaumburg-Lippe)
Evangelical Church of Westphalia (Evangelische Kirche von Westfalen)
Evangelical Church in Württemberg (Evangelische Landeskirche in Württemberg)
Evangelical Reformed Church (Regional Church) Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche (Landeskirche)