A bond for life On 1st January, 2009 the Evan- sions for the Regional Church. gelical Church in Central Ger- The implementation of the syn- many (EKM) was founded. There odal decrees is done by the are 800,000 members in 3,000 23 members of the Regional parishes. The EKM evolved out Church Council. The Regional of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Council passes decrees, Church in Thuringia and the takes conceptual decisions, Church . and represents the Regional Both Churches had been mov- Church to the outside. The Re- ing towards each other over the gional Church Office is directed period of a decade until they by the college which consists map | history | portrait finally merged. With this ‘bond of the President of the Church for life’ the limited financial and Office, Brigitte Andrae, four personnel means are now con- Heads of Departments, and the centrated. Bishop of the EKM, Ilse Junker- The Evangelical The EKM is, like all other Re- mann. Since 2011, the Regional gional Churches in , Church Office is situated in the www.ekmd.de synodically constituted which Collegium Maius, the old uni- means that it is organized dem- versity of Erfurt. The Bishop’s Church see is . The budget constrains, how- ever, were not the only reason for the merging of the Regional in Central Germany Churches into the Church in Central Germany. ‘Bond for life’ describes also the inten- „We want our faith to permeate everyday life and to help shape it. tion to approach the people of We also want to strengthen the cooperation of parishes, groups, the region. We want our faith to permeate everyday life and to and individuals on all levels of church life. That takes imagination, help shape it. We also want to ideas, and courage.“ strengthen the cooperation of parishes, groups, and individu- als on all levels of church life. That takes imagination, ideas, and courage as the members ocratically. The supreme organ of the two synods wrote during is the regional Synod. The 84 their first gathering in 2003 in members meet twice a year a letter from to the par- in order to enact church laws, ishes. This intention and spirit pass the budget and the staff influences the new constitu- appointment scheme, and in tion for the young Evangelical order to make directional deci- Church in Central Germany. Mission and task of the Church Article 2 of the Constitution of the EKM (excerpt) 1.) The Evangelical Church in Central 1 Germany fulfills its function in com- mitment to the mission of its Lord The EKM in numbers History of the two Regional Churches Jesus Christ and in the freedom that results from it. Church members 839,916 United in the Evangelical Church in Central Germany 2.) It is alive through listening to God’s Parishes 3,251 word, in the celebration of the Provost districts 5 sacraments, and in the service to Church districts 37 torial boundaries, the region of in 1815 – the kingdom of Prus- its people. The common worship is Schmalkalden is still part of the sia grew through the addition the centre of all church activities. number of male and female pastors 1,073 3.) It bears witness to the Gospel number of full-time pastor positions 995.82 Evangelical Church of Kurhes- of parts of other states in Cen- through proclamation, mission, Volunteers 75,000 sen-Waldeck today. tral Germany. On 1st April, pastoral care, diaconia, and edu- Churches and chapels 4,031 The Evangelical Church of the 1816 the kingdom combined cation. As a church for others it Property 87,500 ha Church Province of Saxony was some of these regions into the performs its tasks through service

in public life. the largest Evangelical Church Prussian Province of Saxony. 5.) It takes particular care of people in Services per annum 89,834 in the State of Saxony-Anhalt. It Among these regions were the situations of affliction and conflict. Baptisms p.a. 6,391 In 1921, the Evangelical Church contained regions of Thuringia towns of Magdeburg, Halle, and It approaches them in active charity Confirmands p.a. 4,188 of Thuringia originated from as well as parts of Brandenburg Erfurt and the areas , and it works on uncovering and Marriages p.a. 2,047 the union of the Churches of and Saxony. This extension has Wittenberg, Torgau and Suhl. remedying the causes for suffering. Funerals p.a. 11,623 6.) Placing its trust in God’s promise, the eight thuringian principali- historical reasons. The territory A consistory was established Number of people leaving the church p.a. 4,347 it stands up for the preservation of ties: Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach, of the Church Province goes back in Magdeburg for the Central Gods Creation and for the shaping Number of people re-entering the church p.a. 965 of life in justice and peace. Saxony-Meiningen, Saxony-Al­ to the expanse of the formerly Church Administration of the 2 7.) It encourages and helps to build Institutions of the Diakonia of Central Germany tenburg,­ Saxony-Gotha, Reuß Prussian Province of Saxony. In Province of Saxony. Thus, the the ecumenical community on the Hospitals 25 younger line, Schwarzburg-Ru- the course of the reorganization Province of Saxony became part local level and on the worldwide Welfare centres 82 dolstadt, Schwarzburg-Sonder- of Europe at the start of the 19th of the Evangelical Church of the horizon. 8.) It encourages the Christian-Jewish Playschools 330 shausen, and Reuß elder line. century – caused mainly by the Old-Prussian Union. In 1947 the dialogue. It reminds of the compli­ Nursing homes (including outpatient centres) 117 The area of the Regional Church Napoleonic wars of liberation in Church Province of Saxony be- city of the Church in social exclu- Institutions for the disabled 230 of Thuringia was situated almost 1813 and the Congress of Vienna came an independent Regional sion and destruction of Jewish life. Counseling centres 131 entirely within the boundaries Church. It kept the name of a It also works towards the reconcili- ation with the Jewish people and of the Free State of Thuringia Church Province that was origi- Accredited evangelical schools in the EKM 54 opposes any kind of anti-Semitism but was not identical with it. Er- nally related to Prussia. The and anti-Judaism. furt and the region around Suhl Church Province of Saxony was 9.) It actively seeks the dialogue with in M itteldeutschland kirche E vangelische other religions. were part of the Church Prov- influenced by the admission 10.) It stands for the protection of human ince of Saxony. The area around of reformed religious refugees dignity, the respect for human Schmalkalden is not part of the from France and the Palatinate. rights and for the coexistence of EKM. It used to be an enclave The descendants of these wom- people that is based on equality. 1 As of 31st December, 2010 It opposes all forms of discrimina- 2 Includes institutions in the territory of the Evangelical Church of Anhalt that belonged to the territory en and men live and work today tion and hostility against people. of Kurhessen-Waldeck. As the in the reformed parishes of this Church kept the former terri- Church.

Evangelical Church in Central Germany Regional Church Office: Evangelische Kirche in Mitteldeutschland Landeskirchenamt | Michaelisstr.39 | 99084 Erfurt phone +49.361.51 800-0 | fax -198 [email protected] Bishop of the EKM: Landesbischöfin Ilse Junkermann Am Dom 2 | 39104 Magdeburg phone +49.391.53 46-225 | fax -229 [email protected] www.ekmd.de © EKM, department for press and public relations 2011 design: arnold.berthold.reinicke map based on: Ernst Klett Verlag GmbH