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The Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia (german: Evangelische Kirche Berlin-Brandenburg-schlesische Oberlausitz, EKBO) is a
United Protestant 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 sta ...
church body A Christian denomination is a distinct religious body within Christianity that comprises all church congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, particular history, organization, leadership, theological doctrine, wor ...
in the German states of
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 square ...
,
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constit ...
and a part of
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 o ...
(historical region of
Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...
n
Upper Lusatia Upper Lusatia (german: Oberlausitz ; hsb, Hornja Łužica ; dsb, Górna Łužyca; szl, Gōrnŏ Łużyca; pl, Łużyce Górne or ''Milsko''; cz, Horní Lužice) is a historical region in Germany and Poland. Along with Lower Lusatia to the ...
). The seat of the church is in
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constit ...
. It is a full member of the
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 Germ ...
(german: Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland - EKD), and is a church of the Prussian Union. The leader of the church is bishop Dr. Markus Dröge (2010). The EKBO is one of 20
Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
, Reformed, and
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 stat ...
es of the EKD and is itself a United church. The church has 890,654 members (December 2020) in 1,770 parishes. The church is a member of the
Union of Evangelical Churches The Union of Evangelical Churches (German: ''Union Evangelischer Kirchen'', UEK) is an organisation of 13 United and Reformed evangelical churches in Germany, which are all member churches of the Evangelical Church in Germany. Member churche ...
(german: Union Evangelischer Kirchen - UEK) and the
Community of Protestant Churches in Europe The Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE, also GEKE for ''Gemeinschaft Evangelischer Kirchen in Europa'') is a fellowship of over 100 Protestant churches which have signed the Leuenberg Agreement. Together they strive for realizing c ...
. In Berlin and
Görlitz Görlitz (; pl, Zgorzelec, hsb, Zhorjelc, cz, Zhořelec, East Lusatian dialect: ''Gerlz'', ''Gerltz'', ''Gerltsch'') is a town in the German state of Saxony. It is located on the Lusatian Neisse River, and is the largest town in Upper Lu ...
the church runs two academies. St. Mary's Church, Berlin, is the church of the
bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...
of the EKBO with the
Berlin Cathedral The Berlin Cathedral (german: link=yes, Berliner Dom), also known as the Evangelical Supreme Parish and Collegiate Church, is a monumental German Evangelical church and dynastic tomb (House of Hohenzollern) on the Museum Island in central ...
being under joint supervision of all the member churches of the UEK.


Some theological statements

The theology of the church goes back to
Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...
and the
Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...
. Since 1927 the
ordination of women The ordination of women to ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain Christian traditions and most denominations in which "ordina ...
has been allowed, and the
blessing of same-sex unions The blessing or wedding of same-sex marriages and same-sex unions is an issue about which Christian churches are in ongoing disagreement. Traditionally, Christianity teaches that homosexual acts are sinful and that holy matrimony can only exis ...
has been allowed by the
synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...
but depends on the local presbytery (german: Gemeindekirchenrat).


History

After the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
the integrated
Evangelical Church of the old-Prussian Union The Prussian Union of Churches (known under multiple other names) was a major Protestant church body which emerged in 1817 from a series of decrees by Frederick William III of Prussia that united both Lutheran and Reformed denominations in Pru ...
(under this name 1922–1953, then renamed into ''Evangelical Church of the Union'') was transformed into an umbrella organization. In 1947 its ecclesiastical provinces (german: Kirchenprovinzen), as far as their territories were not annexed by Poland or the Soviet Union, became independent church bodies of their own.


Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg

The ''March of Brandenburg'' ecclesiastical province (including Berlin, but after 1945 without the territory east the Oder-Neiße line), which until 1933 was headed in rotation by the general superintendents of Kurmark,
Neumark The Neumark (), also known as the New March ( pl, Nowa Marchia) or as East Brandenburg (), was a region of the Margraviate of Brandenburg and its successors located east of the Oder River in territory which became part of Poland in 1945. Call ...
-
Lower Lusatia Lower Lusatia (; ; ; szl, Dolnŏ Łużyca; ; ) is a historical region in Central Europe, stretching from the southeast of the German state of Brandenburg to the southwest of Lubusz Voivodeship in Poland. Like adjacent Upper Lusatia in the ...
, and Berlin, became the ''Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg''. After 1945, the church covered only the territory still in Germany. From 1972 on this church body ran double administrative structures in
West Berlin West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under ...
and
East Berlin East Berlin was the ''de facto'' capital city of East Germany from 1949 to 1990. Formally, it was the Soviet sector of Berlin, established in 1945. The American, British, and French sectors were known as West Berlin. From 13 August 1961 ...
- also competent for
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 square ...
- because the communist government of
East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In t ...
did not allow pastors and church functionaries to travel freely between East and West. The two church bodies reunited in 1991.


Evangelical Church of Silesia(n Upper Lusatia)

In 1946 the Silesian ecclesiastical province, presided over by Ernst Hornig, held its first post-war provincial synod in then already Polish
Świdnica Świdnica (; german: Schweidnitz; cs, Svídnice; szl, Świdńica) is a city in south-western Poland in the region of Silesia. As of 2019, it has a population of 57,014 inhabitants. It lies in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, being the seventh larges ...
(formerly Schweidnitz). But on 4 December 1946 Poland deported Hornig from
Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, r ...
(formerly Breslau) beyond the Lusatian Neiße, where he took his new seat in the German part of the now divided city of
Görlitz Görlitz (; pl, Zgorzelec, hsb, Zhorjelc, cz, Zhořelec, East Lusatian dialect: ''Gerlz'', ''Gerltz'', ''Gerltsch'') is a town in the German state of Saxony. It is located on the Lusatian Neisse River, and is the largest town in Upper Lu ...
of the former Prussian
province of Lower Silesia The Province of Lower Silesia (german: Provinz Niederschlesien; Silesian German: ''Provinz Niederschläsing''; pl, Prowincja Dolny Śląsk; szl, Prowincyjŏ Dolny Ślōnsk) was a province of the Free State of Prussia from 1919 to 1945. Between ...
. In 1947 the Polish government also expelled the remaining members of the Silesian consistory, which temporarily could continue to officiate in Wrocław. Görlitz became the seat of the tiny territorial rest of the Silesian ecclesiastical province, constituting on May 1, 1947 as the independent ''Evangelical Church of Silesia'' (german: Evangelische Kirche von Schlesien) - comprising the small parts of
Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...
remaining with Germany after 1945. All of the church property east of the Oder-Neiße Line, parochial and provincial alike, was expropriated without compensation, and the church buildings were mostly taken over by the Roman Catholic Church in Poland. A small number of Silesian churches are owned today by Protestant congregations of the
Evangelical-Augsburg Church in Poland The Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Republic of Poland ( pl, Kościół Ewangelicko-Augsburski w Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej) is a Lutheran denomination and the largest Protestant body in Poland with about 61,000 members and ...
(see e.g.
Churches of Peace The Churches of Peace ( pl, Kościoły Pokoju, german: Friedenskirchen) in Jawor (german: Jauer, link=no) and Świdnica (german: Schweidnitz, link=no) in Silesia were named after the Peace of Westphalia of 1648. It permitted the Lutherans of ...
). On April 9, 1968 East Germany adopted its second constitution, accounting for the de facto transformation into a communist dictatorship. Thus the East German government deprived the church bodies of their status as statutory bodies (german: Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts) and abolished the
church tax A church tax is a tax collected by the state from members of some religious denominations to provide financial support of churches, such as the salaries of its clergy and to pay the operating cost of the church. The constitution of a number of ...
, by which parishioners' contributions had been automatically collected as a surcharge on the income tax. Now parishioners would have to fix the level of their contributions and to transfer them again and again on their own. This together with ongoing discrimination of church members, which resulted in many people leaving the church, effectively eroded the financial situation of the church bodies in the East. In 1968, churches were reclassified as civic associations, and the East German government required the Evangelical Church of Silesia to remove the word "Silesia" from its name. The church body then chose the new name ''Evangelical Church of the Görlitz Ecclesiastical Region''. With the end of the East German dictatorship in 1989, the things changed decisively. In 1992 the ''Evangelical Church of the Görlitz Ecclesiastical Region'' dropped its unwanted name and chose the new name of ''Evangelical Church of Silesian Upper Lusatia''. Due to increasing
irreligion Irreligion or nonreligion is the absence or rejection of religion, or indifference to it. Irreligion takes many forms, ranging from the casual and unaware to full-fledged philosophies such as atheism and agnosticism, secular humanism and ...
, the low birth rates in Germany since the 1970s, and low numbers of Protestant immigrants, the Protestant church bodies in Germany are undergoing a severe shrinking of parishioners and thus of parishioners' contributions. So church bodies are forced to reorganise their efforts also with respect to the financial situation. In 2004 the Evangelical Church of the Silesian Upper Lusatia merged with the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg to become the present church body. The
Ordination of women The ordination of women to ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain Christian traditions and most denominations in which "ordina ...
were allowed. In June 2017, the church votes to allow
same-sex marriages Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...
in its churches.EKBO.de: Die evangelische Kirche in Berlin-Brandenburg traut ab sofort Paare (German)
, June 2017


Leading persons and bishops in history

Today the leading bishop is elected for ten years from the synod and can be reelected for a second term. Since 1817, when the Lutheran, Calvinist and newly founded united congregations formed a common administrative umbrella, later called Evangelical Church in Prussia's older Provinces, the area comprised by today's church body formed part of the two old-Prussian ecclesiastical provinces of Silesia (german: link=no, Kirchenprovinz Schlesien) and of the March of Brandenburg (german: link=no, Kirchenprovinz Mark Brandenburg). Until 1933/1934 the spiritual leaders of the Evangelical church were called general superintendents (german: link=no, Generalsuperintendent n}) with regional competences. The adulteration of the church constitution by the Nazi-submissive German Christians was accompanied by new titles (provincial bishop, german: link=no, Provinzialbischof) with hierarchical supremacy over parishioners and church employees, and renamings (provosts german: link=no, Propst instead of general superintendents). After 1945 the offices of general superintendents as spiritual leaders were reconstituted. The two ecclesiastical provinces assumed independence as the Evangelical Church of Silesia (as of 1947) and the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg (as of 1948) when their respective provincial synods legislated new church constitutions. Both independent regional Protestant church bodies created its office of an elected chairperson called bishop, in Protestant tradition of course without hierarchical supremacy. After the merger of both churches in 2004 Wolfgang Huber has been elected the first bishop of the merged Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia (german: link=no, Evangelische Kirche Berlin-Brandenburg-schlesische Oberlausitz; EKBO.


Chairmen of the ''March of Brandenburg ecclesiastical province''

The general superintendents for the different areas were rotating in the spiritual leadership within the provincial consistory, seated in Berlin.


Ecclesiastical Chairmen of Berlin (City)

* 1823 - 1865: D. Daniel Amadeus Gottlieb Neander, bearing the title Provost of St. Peter's Church, then the highest ecclesiastical rank in Berlin, in 1830 King
Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm III.; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, ...
bestowed him with the merely honorary title Bishop. * 1865 - 1871: not restaffed before Neander's death in 1869, then vacancy * 1871 - 1892: D. Bruno Brückner, bearing the title General Superintendent (Gen.Supt.) * 1893 - 1911: Gen.Supt. D. Wilhelm Faber * 1912 - 1918: Gen.Supt. D. Friedrich Lahusen * 1918 - 1921: vacancy * 1921 - 1927: Gen.Supt. D. Georg Burghart * 1928 - 1933: Gen.Supt. D. Emil Karow, furloughed by State Commissioner August Jäger, after
Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...
's
Prussian Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...
government usurped the factual power in the church body.


General superintendent of Berlin Suburbia

The general superintendency was called in german: link=no, Berlin-Land und Kölln-Land. * 1911 - 1933: D. Wilhelm Haendler (created in 1911, dissolved after Haendler retired)


General superintendents of the Kurmark

* 1540 - 1550: Jacob Stratner (*unknown-1550*) * 1550 - 1566: Johannes Agricola (1494-1566) * 1566 - 1581:
Andreas Musculus Andreas Musculus (also Andreas Meusel; 29 November 1514 – 29 September 1581) was a German Lutheran theologian and Protestant reformer. The name Musculus is a Latinized form of Meusel. Musculus was born in Schneeberg, "generally called only M ...
(1514-1581) * 1581 - 1594: Christoph Cornerus (also Corner, Körner, or Korner; 1519-1594) * 1595 - 1633: Christoph Pelargus (also Storch; 1565-1633) * 1633 – 1829: vacancy, the function of general superintendent was taken by the recently formed ''Marcher Consistory'' (Märkisches Konsistorium), consisting of Lutheran and Reformed (Calvinist) members * 1829 - 1853: D. Daniel Amadeus Gottlieb Neander, in
personal union A personal union is the combination of two or more states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, would involve the constituent states being to some extent interlink ...
Provost of St. Peter's Church (Berlin) * 1853 - 1873: D. Wilhelm Hoffmann, also court preacher * 1873 - 1879: ? * 1879 - 1891: Theodor Johannes Rudolf Kögel (1829-1896), also Berlin royal court preacher since 1863 * 1892 - 1903: D. Ernst Hermann (von) Dryander (1843-1922) * 1903 - 1921?: David Hennig Paul Köhler (1848-1926) * 1921 - 1924: Karl Theodor Georg Axenfeld (1869-1924) * 1925 - 1933: D. Dr. Otto Dibelius, furloughed by State Commissioner August Jäger.


General superintendent for the Governorate of Frankfurt upon Oder

* 1829–1836: Wilhelm Ross The general superintendency of Frankfurt was merged with Lower Lusatia into
New March The Neumark (), also known as the New March ( pl, Nowa Marchia) or as East Brandenburg (), was a region of the Margraviate of Brandenburg and its successors located east of the Oder River in territory which became part of Poland in 1945. Call ...
-
Lower Lusatia Lower Lusatia (; ; ; szl, Dolnŏ Łużyca; ; ) is a historical region in Central Europe, stretching from the southeast of the German state of Brandenburg to the southwest of Lubusz Voivodeship in Poland. Like adjacent Upper Lusatia in the ...
in 1836.


General superintendents of Lower Lusatia

The general superintendency was seated in Lübben. The general superintendency of Frankfurt was merged with Lower Lusatia into New Narch-Lower-Lusatia in 1836. * 1711–1715: Johann Christian Adami * 1715–1811: ? * 1811–1836: Friedrich Brescius (1766–1842), still appointed by the Saxon government


General superintendents of the New March-Lower Lusatia

The general superintendency was seated in Cottbus. * 1836–1842: Friedrich Brescius (1766–1842) * 1842–1853: ? * 1853–1884: Carl Büchsel * 1884–1900: ? * 1900–1909?: D. Theodor Braun (?-1911) * 1909?–1925?: Hans Keßler (1856-1939) * 1925–1933: D. Ernst Vits, pensioned off by State Commissioner August Jäger.


Bishopric of the March of Brandenburg

In 1933 the Prussian government imposed new leaders, who reshaped the structures. The evangelical church (then named
Evangelical Church of the old-Prussian Union The Prussian Union of Churches (known under multiple other names) was a major Protestant church body which emerged in 1817 from a series of decrees by Frederick William III of Prussia that united both Lutheran and Reformed denominations in Pru ...
) underwent a
schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...
into a schismatic streamlined Nazi-obedient branch and a steadfast, truly Protestant branch, clinging to the
Confessing Church The Confessing Church (german: link=no, Bekennende Kirche, ) was a movement within German Protestantism during Nazi Germany that arose in opposition to government-sponsored efforts to unify all Protestant churches into a single pro-Nazi German ...
. The bishops were subordinate to the newly instituted State Bishop (german: Landesbischof) of the ''Evangelical Church of the old-Prussian Union'', Ludwig Müller. During Church Affair Minister Hanns Kerrl's attempt to force the Confessing Church and the officially recognised hierarchy to reunite, 1935–1937, many outspoken Nazi protagonists were furloughed. After the attempts to compromise the Confessing Church opposition turned out less successful than expected many functions remained simply vacant and the Church Affair Ministry and its favourites usurped direct influence by orders and ordinances.


=Provincial Bishop for Brandenburg

= * 1933, September - November: Joachim Hossenfelder * 1933, November - 1945: vacancy due to the struggle of the churches


=Provincial Bishop for Berlin

= * 1933 - 1934: D. Emil Karow (resigned in opposition to the Nazi-obedient State Bishop Ludwig Müller) * 1934 - 1945: vacancy due to the struggle of the churches


=Kurmark (1933–1945)

= While the Nazi-streamlined
provost Provost may refer to: People * Provost (name), a surname Officials Government * Provost (civil), an officer of local government, including the equivalent of a mayor in Scotland * Lord provost, the equivalent of a lord mayor in Scotland Milita ...
was subordinate to the Bishopric of Berlin, the general superintendent ignored his illegitimate
furlough A furlough (; from nl, verlof, "leave of absence") is a temporary leave of employees due to special needs of a company or employer, which may be due to economic conditions of a specific employer or in society as a whole. These furloughs may be s ...
and continued to serve, however, accepted only by the non-schismatic Confessing Church congregations. * 1933 - 1936: Provost Fritz Loerzer * 1936 - 1939: Provost Georg Heimerdinger (1875-1967) * 1939 - 1945: Provost Fritz Loerzer * 1934 - 1945: Gen. Supt. D. Dr. Otto Dibelius,


=New March-Lower Lusatia (1933–1945)

= The Nazi-streamlined provost was subordinate to the Bishopric of Berlin. * 1933 - 1935?: Provost Otto Eckert * 1935 - 1945: vacancy due to the struggle of the churches


General superintendents since 1945

In 1945 the pre-1933 structures were provisionally restituted. The provisionally leading ''advisory council'' (german: link=no, Beirat) reconfirmed Dibelius as general superintendent of the Kurmark (i.e. Electoral March). The Beirat also commissioned Dibelius to serve per pro the vacant general superintendencies of Berlin and the New March-Lower Lusatia. The Soviet occupational power agreed that Dibelius would use the title of Bishop, better recognisable for the Soviets as clerical title than the term general superintendent mostly unknown in Russian. In 1949 the Kurmark ceded deaneries to the
New March The Neumark (), also known as the New March ( pl, Nowa Marchia) or as East Brandenburg (), was a region of the Margraviate of Brandenburg and its successors located east of the Oder River in territory which became part of Poland in 1945. Call ...
-
Upper Lusatia Upper Lusatia (german: Oberlausitz ; hsb, Hornja Łužica ; dsb, Górna Łužyca; szl, Gōrnŏ Łużyca; pl, Łużyce Górne or ''Milsko''; cz, Horní Lužice) is a historical region in Germany and Poland. Along with Lower Lusatia to the ...
general superintendency which had lost almost all the New March, Polish annexed in March 1945, by the flight and expulsion of its parishioners living there. The New March-Upper Lusatia general superintendency was renamed into Cottbus after its seat. In 1963 the new Eberswalde general superintendency was partitioned from the Kurmark, which was renamed on that occasion to Neuruppin (and again into Potsdam in 2010). The Eberswalde general superintendency remerged in that of Neuruppin in 1996. In 2003, with the merger of the Evangelical Church in Silesian Upper Lusatia, its region became a subdivision of the EKBO.


Berlin

* 1945 - 1946: D. Dr. Otto Dibelius, per pro


=Berlin I

= The general superintendency was seated in Berlin (West). * 1946–1955: Gerhard Jacobi * 1955–1961: Immanuel Pack * 1961–1975: Hans-Martin Helbich The general superintendency of Berlin I was then merged in the function of the Bishop in Berlin-Brandenburg (western region)


=Berlin II

= The general superintendency was seated in Berlin (East). * 1946–1955: Friedrich-Wilhelm Krummacher * 1956–1963: Fritz Führ (1904-1963) * 1964–1974: Gerhard Schmitt * 1974–1982: Hartmut Grünbaum * 1982–1993: Günter Krusche, resigned after revealing his Stasi collaboration


=Berlin (reunited)

= * 1993–1996: Ingrid Laudien (1934-2009) * 1996–2008: Martin-Michael Passauer * 2008–2011: Ralf Meister * 2011– date: Ulrike Trautwein


Kurmark (1945–1963)/Neuruppin (1963–2010)/Potsdam (since)

The general superintendency is seated in Potsdam. In 1963 the general superintendency of Eberswalde was partitioned from the Kurmark, renamed into Neuruppin on that occasion. In 1996 Eberswalde remerged in Neuruppin. * 1945–1946: D. Dr. Otto Dibelius * 1946–1963: Walter Braun (1892–1973) * 1963–1978: Horst Lahr (1913-2008) * 1979–1996: Günter Bransch (1931) * 1997–2010: Hans-Ulrich Schulz * 2010– date: Heilgard Asmus


New March-Lower Lusatia (1945–1949)/Cottbus (1949–2010)

* 1945–1946: D. Dr. Otto Dibelius, per pro * 1946–1972: Günter Jacob * 1973–1981: Gottfried Forck * 1982–1993: Reinhardt Richter (1928–2004) * 1995–2004: Rolf Wischnath * 2004–2010: Heilgard Asmus In 2010 the general superintendency was dissolved and its area partitioned between Potsdam and Görlitz.


Eberswalde (1963–1996)

In 1963 the Eberswalde district (Sprengel Eberswalde) was partitioned from the Kurmark. * 1963–1972: Albrecht Schönherr * 1972–1978: Hermann-Theodor Hanse (1912–1999) * 1978–1983: Erich Schuppan * 1983–1996: Leopold Esselbach (1931)


Görlitz (since 2004)

In 2003 the Evangelical Church of Silesian Upper Lusatia merged with the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg, its region forms a unit within the merger called EKBO. * 2004–2011: Regional Bishop Hans-Wilhelm Pietz * 2011– date: Gen.Supt. Martin Herche


Bishops of the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg

In 1948 the first post-war elected provincial synod of the ''March of Brandenburg ecclesiastical province'' of the ''Evangelical Church of the old-Prussian Union'' constituted as an independent church body named ''Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg''. The new constitution provided for a chairperson to bear the title bishop. * 1948 - 1966: D. Dr. Otto Dibelius * 1966 - 1972: D. Kurt Scharf West 1972 - 1991 (competent for West Berlin): * 1972 - 1976: D. Kurt Scharf * 1976 - 1991: Dr. theol. Martin Kruse (b. 1929) East 1972 - 1991 (competent for East Berlin and Brandenburg): * 1972 - 1981: D. h.c. Albrecht Schönherr (1911–2009) * 1981 - 1991: Dr. theol. Gottfried Forck (1923–1996) Reunited church body since 1991: * 1991 - 1993: Dr. theol. Martin Kruse * 1994 - 2003: Prof. Dr. theol. Wolfgang Huber On January 1, 2004 the church body merged with the ''Evangelical Church of Silesian Upper Lusatia''.


Silesian general superintendents and bishops


General superintendents (1829–1924)

* 1829 - 1830: Johann Gottfried Bobertag * 1830 - 1832: ? * 1832 - 1843: Ernst Friedrich Gabriel Ribbeck * 1844 - 1863: August Hahn * 1864 - 1900: David Erdmann * 1901 - 1903: Hugo Nehmiz (1845–1903)


General superintendent, Liegnitz Region (1904–1935)

* 1905 - 1924: Wilhelm Haupt * 1924 - 1933: Martin Schian, deposed by State commissioner Jäger * 1933 - 1935: vacancy, Otto Zänker per pro


General superintendent, Breslau and Oppeln Regions (1904–1935)

* 1904 - 1925: Theodor Nottebohm (1850–1931) * 1925 - 1935: Otto Zänker, since 1933 also per pro in the Liegnitz Region


Bishops (1935–2003)

* 1935 - 1941/1945: D. Otto Zänker, due to his siding with the
Confessing Church The Confessing Church (german: link=no, Bekennende Kirche, ) was a movement within German Protestantism during Nazi Germany that arose in opposition to government-sponsored efforts to unify all Protestant churches into a single pro-Nazi German ...
he was involuntarily pensioned off in 1941, but ignored that, however, accepted only by the non-schismatic Confessing Church congregations. The Nazi authorities expelled him from Silesia in January 1945. * 1941/1945 - 1946: vacancy ** 1945 - 1946: D.
Praeses ''Praeses'' (Latin  ''praesides'') is a Latin word meaning "placed before" or "at the head". In antiquity, notably under the Roman Dominate, it was used to refer to Roman governors; it continues to see some use for various modern positions. ...
Ernst Hornig per pro * 1946 - 1963: D. Ernst Hornig * 1964 - 1979: D. Hans-Joachim Fränkel * 1979 - 1985: Hanns-Joachim Wollstadt * 1986 - 1994: Joachim Rogge * 1994 - 2003: Klaus Wollenweber


Bishops of the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia

* 2004 - 2009: Wolfgang Huber * 2009–2019 Markus Dröge * 2019–present: Christian Stäblein


Synod

The election of the synod (''Landessynode'') is for six years. The synod meets each year in Berlin. The leader of the synod is called "Präses" ( en, praeses).


Books

* Berlin-Brandenburg: ** Gesangbuch zum gottesdienstlichen Gebrauch für evangelische Gemeinen, Berlin, 1829 ** Evangelisches Gesangbuch, nach Zustimmung der Provinzialsynode vom Jahre 1884 zur Einführung in der Provinz Brandenburg mit Genehmigung des Evang. Oberkirchenrats herausgegeben vom Königlichen Konsistorium, Berlin, 1884 ** Evangelisches Gesangbuch for Brandenburg and Pommern, Berlin and Frankfurt/Oder; eingeführt durch Beschlüsse der Provinzialsynoden der Kirchenprovinz Pommern 1925 and 1927 and Mark Brandenburg 1927 and 1929 and nach der Notverordnung des Kirchensenats from August 7, 1931 published from the Provinzialkirchenräten Brandenburg and Pommern 1931 ** Evangelisches Kirchengesangbuch, Edition for the Evangelische Kirche in Berlin-Brandenburg; Ausgabe für die Konsistorialbezirke Berlin, Magdeburg, Greifswald und Görlitz und der Evang. Landeskirche Anhalts" bzw. "Evangelisches Kirchengesangbuch, Ausgabe für die Evangelische Landeskirche Anhalt, Evang. Kirche Berlin-Brandenburg, Evang. Kirche des Görlitzer Kirchengebietes, Evang. Landeskirche Greifswald, Evang. Kirche der Kirchenprovinz Sachsen" ** , Edition for the Evangelische Landeskirche Anhalts, die Evangelische Kirche in Berlin-Brandenburg, die Evangelische Kirche der schlesischen Oberlausitz, die Pommersche Evangelische Kirche, die Evangelische Kirche der Kirchenprovinz Sachsen, Berlin/Leipzig; eingeführt am Reformationstag, 31. Oktober 1993 * Silesian Upper Lusatia: ** Gesangbuch für Evangelische Gemeinden Schlesiens; since 1878 ** Schlesisches Provinzial-Gesangbuch; since 1908 ** Evangelisches Kirchen-Gesangbuch (EKG) - Edition for the Konsistorialbezirke Berlin, Magdeburg, Greifswald und Görlitz and the Evang. Landeskirche Anhalts/ Edition for the Evangelische Landeskirche Anhalt, Evangelische Kirche Berlin-Brandenburg, Evangelische Kirche des Görlitzer Kirchengebietes, Evangelische Landeskirche Greifswald, Evangelische Kirche der Kirchenprovinz Sachsen; since 1953 ** - Edition for the Evangelische Landeskirche Anhalts, the Evangelische Kirche in Berlin-Brandenburg, the Evangelische Kirche der schlesischen Oberlausitz, the Pommersche Evangelische Kirche, the Evangelische Kirche der Kirchenprovinz Sachsen; since Mai 1994


References


External links


Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia

Evangelical Church in Germany
{{Authority control Organisations based in Berlin Christianity in Berlin Christianity in Brandenburg Christianity in Saxony
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constit ...
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constit ...
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constit ...
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constit ...