Evangelical Church of the Church Province of Saxony

The Evangelical Church of the Church Province of Saxony was 1947-1969 and again from 1991 to end of 2008 from last 23 member churches (local churches) of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD ). On 1 January 2009, it merged with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thuringia to the Evangelical Church in Central Germany (EKM ) together.

Like all country churches was the Protestant Church of the Church Province of Saxony, a public corporation. The seat was in Magdeburg, main or Episcopal church was the Cathedral of Magdeburg. The church had about 493,000 parishioners in 2,021 churches. The Evangelical Church of the Church Province of Saxony was one of the Uniate churches within the EKD, ie Lutheran, Reformed ( Calvinist ) and United churches maintained a common management for the parent concerns. The church was also a member church of the Union of Evangelical Churches in the German Democratic Republic (1969-1991) and the Evangelical Church of the Union ( EKU ) ( 1947-2003 ), which rose from 1 July 2003 in the Union of Evangelical Churches.

  • 3.1 General Superintendents and Bishops 3.1.1 General Superintendent until 1867
  • 3.1.2 General Superintendent from 1867 to 1933 ( 1 Office)
  • 3.1.3 General Superintendent from 1867 to 1933 (2nd Official )
  • 3.1.4 General Superintendent from 1912 to 1933 ( 3 office)
  • 3.1.5 bishops since 1933
  • 4.1 Praesides the Synod
  • 5.1 Consistory ( church office ) and management of 5.1.1 Konsistorialpräsidenten in Magdeburg since 1845 ( President of the Church Office )
  • 5.1.2 Chairman of the Mediatkonsistorien 5.1.2.1 consistory in Roßla
  • 5.1.2.2 consistory in Stolberg am Harz
  • 5.1.2.3 consistory in Wernigerode
  • 6.1 parishes
  • 6.2 Church circles and deaneries

Territory of the state church

The area of ​​the " Evangelical Church of the Church Province of Saxony " included the former Prussian province of Saxony, which today largely forms the state of Saxony -Anhalt with the former country Anhalt. The southern parts of the ecclesiastical province belonged to the Free State of Thuringia ( Erfurt provost - Nordhausen ). Furthermore, some areas in the east of the ecclesiastical province were ( church district of Bad Liebenswerda ) and the Free State of Saxony ( church district Torgau- Delitzsch) in present-day state of Brandenburg.

History

The history of the country church is mainly associated with the history of the Kingdom of Prussia.

After the Congress of Vienna in 1815, the state of Prussia formed its provinces and so the province of Saxony, and with it its own church administrative body, the Consistory, was born in Magdeburg. In addition, at times even more Consistories existed (see below).

Head of the Church was the respective King of Prussia as " summus episcopus ". 1817 called King Friedrich Wilhelm III. a union of Lutheran and Reformed Church. In some places, united after the Lutheran and Reformed churches and formed Uniate communities. Thus arose within the State of Prussia a unified Church, the Evangelical Church in Prussia, which changed its name several times in the following decades. This church consisted of the following eight provinces: East and West Prussia, Brandenburg, Pomerania, Posen, Saxony, Silesia, the Rhine Province and Westphalia. In each province there was a consistory (sometimes up to 4), which was responsible for the administration of the church within the province.

In Berlin as the supreme church authority for the State of Prussia a Protestant Oberkirchenrat 1850 ( EOK ) Built -called upper consistory. 1866 Prussia annexed several areas. However, the newly acquired provinces retained their own church administrations and were not subject to the EOK in Berlin. As of 1875, the church is therefore called Evangelical Church of the older provinces of Prussia.

After the First World War, the King of Prussia had to abdicate ( elimination of the country's glorious church government ). The Prussian state church and its provincial churches therefore reorganized in 1922 as the Evangelical Church of the old-Prussian Union (abbr.: EKapU APU), which had been reduced accordingly by separating the province of Posen, and parts of West Prussia and Silesia. The name was chosen to include the now decidedly Polish territories. From 1922, the General Synod elected the Senate church called church leadership, the board elected by the Generalsynodalen Präses. The formerly powerful EOK was executive body. The provincial synods chose a Provincial Council of Churches, the now the consistory, led by General Superintendent, as executive organs were subordinate.

After the Second World War, the former ecclesiastical province of Saxony in 1947, an independent national church with a bishop at the top, which joined the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD ). The church was located on 30 June 1950 constitution, which came into force on 1 October 1950. In 1954, she reorganized along with the five other former Prussian provinces of the Church, " Evangelical Church of the old-Prussian Union " of 1922 to their common religious umbrella organization named Evangelical Church of the Union, in turn, how their six member churches of the EKD also belonged.

The spiritual leadership of the Church Province of Saxony was responsible until 1947 the respective General Superintendent and since 1947 the bishop. The bishop was chairman of the Church Board (the "Government " of the church ). At that included not only the bishop another eleven full-time and part-time people who were elected by the Synod, including provosts, superintendents and laity.

Since 1 July 2004, the Evangelical Church of the Church Province of Saxony and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thuringia formed the Federation of Protestant Churches in Central Germany (EKM ), which led on 1 January 2009 on the unification of the two churches of the Evangelical Church in Central Germany.

Membership

Management of the national church

The provincial synod, the consistory (since 2004 the Church Office of the Federation of Protestant Churches in Central Germany ) and the church leadership were the three church governing bodies of the Evangelical Church of the Church Province of Saxony (see basic order ). The chair of the 12-member church leadership led the bishop ( until 1947 the " General Superintendent "). This was chosen by the provincial synod.

General Superintendent and Bishops

Spiritual leaders of the Evangelical Church in Prussia were General Superintendent, of which there were a total of 12 in the whole of Prussia. The Office was established shortly after the Reformation, and later abolished in Prussia and then introduced again until 1830. After omission of sovereign church government in 1918, the General Superintendent heads the Provincial Church. With the independence of the provincial church in 1945 there were only a spiritual leader who carried the title of Bishop since 1947.

In the old-Prussian ecclesiastical province of Saxony, there was a first, from 1867, two from 1911 and three general superintendents, some of which also carried the honorary title of bishop. The General Superintendent were a member of the consistory in Magdeburg and its chairman, unless the Office of the Konsistorialpräsidenten was vacant. Your title was there then "Director".

General Superintendent until 1867

General Superintendent 1867-1933 ( 1 Office)

General Superintendent 1867-1933 (2nd Official )

General Superintendent 1912-1933 ( 3 office)

This post was established in 1912.

Bishops since 1933

Convocation

As a "parliament" was the ecclesiastical province of a provincial synod ( the entire old Prussian state church until 1948, the " General Synod "). Its members, the members of the Synod were elected for six years by the church circles. But she had also appointed members, as well as born, ie, those who belonged to her ex officio. The task of the Synod was similar to that of political parliaments. They met only once a year usually. Head of the Synod was the Church President.

Praesides the Synod

Administration of the State Church

Consistory ( church office ) and management of

The consistory in Magdeburg - since 2004 the Church Office of the Federation of Protestant Churches in Central Germany - led the current affairs, it was responsible for the administrative affairs and led on behalf of the Church Board the authority over the parishes, church groups and church officials. Head of the Consistory was the Konsistorialpräsident or Konsistorialpräsidentin. Until 1918, the Office of Konsistorialpräsidenten even more important than it is today had.

The Consistory had been built with the formation of the Province of Saxony in 1815. In addition, there were still older consistory, called Mediatkonsistorien, in Wernigerode ( 1658-1930 for the Lutheran churches in the territory of the former county of Wernigerode ), in Roßla the consistory Stolberg- Roßla ( 1719-1947 for the Lutheran churches in the territory of ehem. County Stolberg- Roßla ) and in Stolberg am Harz Stolberg- Stolberg the Consistory (from 1553 to 1947 for the Lutheran churches in the territory of the former county of Stolberg- Stolberg ).

Four to five Consistorial two spiritual, two to three secular, formed the collegial body of Mediatkonsistorien. Spiritual Director was the Superintendent, Chairman but mostly a secular official, often called Konsistorialdirektor. The consistory Stolberg- Stolberg and Stolberg- Roßla were on 5 November 1947 new consistory Stolberg - summarized Roßla based in Stolberg, which was initially responsible for the church of the same circle. Finally, the Konsistorialbezirk was in church circle Eisleben. " The church leadership of the Evangelical Church of the Church Province of Saxony has [ ... ] decided by order of 28 October 2005 [ ... ] the resolution of the Evangelical Lutheran Consistory Stolberg- Roßla. " Until 1948 there existed a Protestant Ministry in Erfurt.

Founded on March 6, 1936 Consistorial and provincial Church Archives ( last: Archives and Library of the Church Province of Saxony ) secures the written tradition central administrative bodies of the consistory and church circles and is branch of the Society of Church History of the Church Province of Saxony eV.

Konsistorialpräsidenten in Magdeburg since 1845 ( President of the Church Office )

Chairman of the Mediatkonsistorien

Until the separation of state and religion, 1919, the Mediatkonsistorien were directly subordinated to the civil magnificent Count (later royal ) family heads. Until the separation of state and religion, 1919, the consistory in Roßla and Stolberg, however, were subject to the resin indirectly the top presidents of the province of Saxony, the Consistory in Wernigerode indirectly to the provincial consistory in Magdeburg.

Consistory in Roßla

Founded in 1719 for the Lutheran parishes in the county of Stolberg- Roßla first Gräfliches, 1893 Princely later Evangelical Lutheran consistory called Stolberg- Roßla 1947 added to the consistory in Stolberg.

Consistory in Stolberg am Harz

Founded in the mid 16th century for the Lutheran parishes throughout the county Stolberg, 1645 Stolberg- Wernigerode separated part of the county, and since then, first Gräfliches, 1893 Princely Stolberg- Stolberg consistory called in 1719 decreased by county Stolberg- Roßla, 1947 reincorporation Roßlas, since Evangelical Lutheran Consistory Stolberg and Roßla called, canceled in 2005.

Consistory in Wernigerode

Founded in 1658 for the Lutheran parishes in the county divided Stolberg- Wernigerode 1645, 1930 added to the consistory in Magdeburg.

Construction of the church members

In the management hierarchy, the national church was from bottom to top as follows:

Parishes

At the base of the parishes were as public bodies with elected parish councils, the " parish council ". The members of this committee were called " elders." The 2,020 parishes were distributed last 20 church districts.

Church circles and deaneries

Several churches together formed a church circle ( in the general administration a county equivalent), at whose head stood a superintendent. The church circles were also public bodies and have, as a body, the circle synod, whose members were appointed by the respective municipal councils of churches, and a circle of Churches.

Several church groups together formed a provost ( in the general administration an administrative district equivalent). Until the 1990s, the Evangelical Church of the Church Province of Saxony comprised a total of eight deaneries with 78 church districts, which included regional Lutheran and United churches, as well as an own Reformed Church District, which included all situated in the territory of the State Church Reformed churches. As part of a structural reform, the number of deaneries and church circles has been reduced. In 2008, the national church was divided only into five deaneries with 20 church districts:

  • Provost Erfurt Nordhausen, based in Erfurt (formed in 1994 from the two previous deaneries Erfurt and Nordhausen. It includes all the former Prussian territories in present-day state of Thuringia) Church District Suedharz Nordhausen based in Nordhausen
  • Church District Mühlhausen
  • Church district Erfurt
  • Church District Sömmerda
  • Church District Henneberger country based in Suhl
  • Provost Magdeburg- Halberstadt (formed on 1 April 1997 from the two previous deaneries Halberstadt, Quedlinburg and Magdeburg ), based in Magdeburg Letter box with information board at the office of provost in Magdeburg Church District leeches
  • Church district Elbe -Flaming based in Burg bei Magdeburg
  • Church District Halberstadt
  • Church District Haldensleben - Wolmirstedt based in Wolmirstedt
  • Church district Magdeburg
  • Provost Hall -Naumburg, based in Halle / Saale ( 1 October 1996 originated from the two previous deaneries Halle and Naumburg ) Church District Eisleben
  • Church district Halle- Saale district
  • Church Merseburg
  • Church District Naumburg - Zeitz
  • Provost Kurkreis Wittenberg Church district of Bad Liebenswerda ( in the state of Brandenburg)
  • Church district Torgau- Delitzsch ( in the state of Saxony)
  • Church district Wittenberg ( Saxony -Anhalt)
  • Provost Altmark based in Stendal Church district of Stendal
  • Church Salzwedel

Hymnals

The churches of the Evangelical Church of the Church Province of Saxony sang in recent seasons mainly for the following hymnals:

  • Evangelical Hymns for the Province of Saxony - elaborated by decision of the Provincial Synod and published with the permission of Church authorities; introduced in 1881
  • Hymns for the Province of Saxony and Anhalt; introduced by decision of the Provincial Church Council of January 22, 1931
  • Evangelical Church Hymns - output for the Protestant Church of the Church Province of Saxony; introduced to the decision of the Synod of the Church Province of Saxony on February 14, 1952, ed. by the church leadership in Magdeburg on 1 Advent 1953 later, with the titles " issue for the Konsistorialbezirke Berlin, Magdeburg, Greifswald and Görlitz and the Evang. Church of Anhalt "or" output for the Evang. Church of Anhalt, Evang. Church of Berlin- Brandenburg, Evang. Church Church of the Görlitz area, Evang. Lutheran Church Greifswald, Evang. Church of the Province of Saxony "
  • Lutheran Hymnal - output for the Evangelical Church of Anhalt, the Evangelical Church in Berlin- Brandenburg, the Evangelical Church of Silesian Upper Lusatia, the Pomeranian Evangelical Church, the Evangelical Church of the Church Province of Saxony; introduced on Sunday Cantate, May 1, 1994
Union Evangelischer Kirchen Landeskirche Prussian Union (Evangelical Christian Church) Duchy of Anhalt Province of Brandenburg Province of Pomerania (1815–1945) Karl Ludwig Nitzsch Lothar Kreyssig Stolberg (Harz) Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Saxony
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