Hohenzollernbruecke Koeln Deutscher Evangelischer Kirchentag 2007

The German Evangelical Church Assembly (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

''Deutscher Evangelischer Kirchentag'', DEKT) is an assembly of lay members of the

Evangelical Church in Germany The Evangelical Church in Germany (german: Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland, abbreviated EKD) is a federation of twenty Lutheranism, Lutheran, Continental Reformed church, Reformed (Calvinism, Calvinist) and united and uniting churches, United ( ...

, that organises biennial events of faith, culture and political discussion.

History

The biennial five-day convention, the main mission of the organisation, was founded in 1949 by laypeople, with the intention of strengthening the democratic culture, following

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

rule and the Second World War. During the 1970s and 1980s, Kirchentag was strongly affected by the

peace movement A peace movement is a social movement which seeks to achieve ideals, such as the ending of a particular war (or wars) or minimizing inter-human violence in a particular place or situation. They are often linked to the goal of achieving world peac ...

and became a key platform for

Christian pacifism Christian pacifism is the theological and ethical position according to which pacifism and non-violence have both a scriptural and rational basis for Christians, and affirms that any form of violence is incompatible with the Christian faith. Chri ...

Description

The German Evangelical Church Assembly sees itself as a free movement of people brought together by their

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

faith and engagement in the future of the Evangelical Church and wider society. The assembly partakes in bible study, lectures, and discussions, and also hosts concerts. The five-day Kirchentag festival, or convention, takes place in a different German city every two years. This is the Assembly's main mission. These events bring together around 100,000 visitors, who participate for the whole period. It has achieved a high importance, as can be seen by many attending politicians, including the Chancellor and Federal President;

Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German former politician and scientist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), she previously served as Leader of the Oppo ...

has been a frequent guest to the Assembly. The media impact, while the Kirchentag is held, is also considerable. In 2015, the convention was held in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

Namesake

Between 1848 and 1872 conventions of Protestant clergy were held under the same German name as they are nowadays: ''Deutscher Evangelischer Kirchentag''. For a description, see the

Evangelical Church Conference The Evangelical Church Conference (german: link=no, Deutscher Evangelischer Kirchentag) was a convention of delegates from the different Protestant denominations in Germany and Austria. The conference originated in 1848, when the general desire f ...

References

External links

Official Websitewww.kirchentag.org.uk
British Committee of the ''Kirchentag'' Protestant organizations Protestantism in Germany Lutheran pacifists Recurring events established in 1949 1949 establishments in Germany {{Lutheran-stub