Evangelical Church of the River Plate

The Evangelical Church of the River Plate (Spanish: Iglesia Evangélica del Río de la Plata - IERP ) is a Uniate Church in the countries of Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. She is a member of the World Council of Churches ( WCC ), the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC ), the Lutheran World Federation, the Latin American Council of Churches (CLAI ) and the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe ( CPCE). Their office is based in Buenos Aires.

History

The Evangelical Church of the River Plate goes back to German -speaking immigrants who wanted to preserve their linguistic and religious identity in the countries of the River Plate. 1843 was the first German-language church in Buenos Aires. In 1899 the German-speaking communities in Argentina and Uruguay ( Montevideo) and Paraguay (Asunción ) merged to form the " German Evangelical Synod of La Plata " together. Since the founding of the Evangelical Supreme Ecclesiastical Council in Berlin was operated, the communities were officially known as the Evangelical Church of the old provinces of Prussia ( from 1922: Church of the Old Prussian Union). 1934, joined the Synod of the German Evangelical Church and was since 1945 as a daughter church of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD ). Only in 1965 was the independence, after being gradually passed from German to Spanish as the main language. Thus, the conversion of the immigrant church was marked to the River Plate rooted church. For the formation of pastors since 1970, serves the Instituto Universitario ISEDET. After the coup in 1976, the church was with her commitment to human rights is an important opposition of the Argentine military dictatorship. Since the beginning of the " debt crisis " of the 1990s, she was active against the economic neo-liberalism, forced on the IMF and World Bank, the Argentine government. In 2010, the Reformed churches joined in Argentina ( Iglesias Reformadas en Argentina ) the IERP.

Organization

The 42 municipalities ( about 250 preaching places ) form seven districts. The biennial Synod, is the highest authority of the Church. She chooses a church board ( Junta Directiva ), at the head of a church president is (since 2010: Carlos Duarte ). It has about 27,500 members.