The Evangelical Church in Central Germany (
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 ...
: ''Evangelische Kirche in Mitteldeutschland''; ''EKM'') is a
United church
A united church, also called a uniting church, is a church formed from the merger or other form of church union of two or more different Protestant Christian denominations.
Historically, unions of Protestant churches were enforced by the state ...
body covering most of the German states of
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of
and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it th ...
and
Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million.
Erfurt is the capital and lar ...
and some adjacent areas in
Brandenburg
Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 sq ...
and
Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
.
History
The Church was formed on 1 January 2009 when the
Evangelical Church of the Church Province of Saxony
The Evangelical Church of the Church Province of Saxony (''Evangelische Kirche der Kirchenprovinz Sachsen''; KPS) was the most important Protestant denomination in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. As a united Protestant church, it combined both ...
merged with the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thuringia
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thuringia (''Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Thüringen'') was a Lutheran member church of the umbrella Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD). The seat of the church was in Eisenach. The church covered those part ...
and became the Evangelical Church in Central Germany. The Church is the most important
Christian denomination in Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt.
The bishop's seat is
Magdeburg
Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river.
Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebu ...
, the capital of Saxony-Anhalt. The Church is a full member of the federation of Lutheran, Reformed and United Protestant churches in Germany called
Evangelical Church in Germany
The Evangelical Church in Germany (german: Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland, abbreviated EKD) is a federation of twenty Lutheran, Reformed (Calvinist) and United (e.g. Prussian Union) Protestant regional churches and denominations in German ...
. Its principal church is
Magdeburg Cathedral
Magdeburg Cathedral (german: Magdeburger Dom), officially called the Cathedral of Saints Maurice and Catherine (german: Dom zu Magdeburg St. Mauritius und Katharina), is a Protestant cathedral in Germany and the oldest Gothic cathedral in the cou ...
.
Ilse Junkermann
Ilse Junkermann (born 31 May 1957 in Dörzbach an der Jagst) is the current German bishop of the Evangelical Church in Central Germany, a member church of the Evangelical Church in Germany. She was the first woman to become Landesbischof there. Sh ...
was the ''
Landesbischof
A Landesbischof () is the head of some Protestant regional churches in Germany. Based on the principle of '' summus episcopus'' (german: landesherrliches Kirchenregiment), after the Reformation each Lutheran prince assumed the position of supreme ...
'' (bishop) of the church from 2009 for 10 years. In September 2019, ''Friedrich Kramer'' (b. 1964) became her successor.
Practices
Ordination of women and
blessing of same-sex marriages are allowed.
Evangelisch.de: Mitteldeutsche Landeskirche regelet Trauung homosexueller Ehepaare neu, November 29, 2019
(German)
References
External links
Evangelical Church in Central Germany
Member churches of the Evangelical Church in Germany
United and uniting churches
Christianity in Thuringia
Christianity in Saxony-Anhalt
Lutheran World Federation members
Christian organizations established in 2009
Protestant denominations established in the 21st century
2009 establishments in Germany
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