Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg

The former Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg is at Pentecost 2012 in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany ( " northern church " ) worked. A merger with the former Evangelical Church of Pomerania and the Northelbian church into a unified North Church in the German Baltic Sea was completed on May 27, 2012. On 5 February 2009, a merger agreement was signed, which provided for the formation of the new church. On 28 March 2009, the Mecklenburg Synod voted in Plau am See, with 39 of 56 votes for the merger.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg was 1945-1969 and again from 1991 to 2012 one of the member churches (local churches) of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD ). Like all regional churches she was a public corporation with headquarters in Schwerin. The Church had 193,000 church members (as of February 2011) in 270 congregations ( Mecklenburg name for church ). Episcopal Church of the Lutheran Church was the Cathedral in Schwerin.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg was one of the Lutheran churches in the EKD. She was member of the Church of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany ( VELKD ). It belonged to the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), the World Council of Churches ( WCC) and the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe ( CPCE). Contractually affiliated partner churches were the Diocese of Lichfield of the Church of England, the Ohio Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the USA and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Close partnership relations were also to form the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Romania, and Pare Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania.

The country church entertained together with the former Pomeranian church a Protestant Academy in Rostock.

5.1 Oberkirchenrat and management of
5.2 Church circles and deaneries
5.3 parishes
5.4 Office for community service

Territory of the state church

The area of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg included so far the former state of Mecklenburg, which had existed since unification of the two independent states of Mecklenburg -Schwerin and Mecklenburg- Strelitz from 1934 to 1945 and now the western part of the former Prussian province of Pomerania ( Vorpommern), the Federal State of Mecklenburg- Vorpommern forms. Some municipalities in the state church were, however, also to the federal states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig -Holstein and Brandenburg.

History

After the victory of Henry the Lion in 1160 on the Obotrites and after the transfer of 1160 also refounded diocese to Schwerin Mecklenburg ( 1160-1170 ) began since the mid-12th century, the Christianization of Mecklenburg. First bishop of Schwerin in 1166 the Cistercian monk Berno. 1171 the first Schwerin Cathedral was consecrated. Lived shortly before the onset of the Reformation in 1500 in Mecklenburg about 1800 pastors and vicars and 500 monks at 130,000 inhabitants.

The Reformation held in Mecklenburg from 1523 to the dukes Henry V (1503 ) and Albrecht VII ( 1503-1547 ) collection, without leading to an authoritarian prescribed implementation. The Lutheran embossing was there prevalent. Among the most famous preachers belonged Joachim Slüter (around 1490-1532 ) as chaplain of the Rostock St. Peter's Church. Ever since the Johann Albrecht I. parliament convened at the Sagsdorfer Warnow Bridge ( June 20, 1549 ), which rejected the dictated by the Emperor Charles V. Augsburg Interim, in whole Mecklenburg known to the Lutheran doctrine. Later there was also a Reformed congregation in Schwerin. This remained independent until today and not part of the national church. 1552, the government issued its own church constitution, which formed the basis for an independent national church after approval of the estates and placed it on a firm legal basis. With the adoption of the Superintendent order in January 1571 National Church was restructured by the formation of the church circles Wismar, Güstrow, Parchim, Schwerin, Rostock and Neubrandenburg. 1701 Mecklenburg was divided into the two (partial) duchies of Mecklenburg -Schwerin and Mecklenburg- Strelitz. 1850 Oberkirchenrat was used for Mecklenburg -Schwerin.

Head (leader) of the church (s) were since the Reformation to 1918, the respective rulers ( dukes, grand dukes ) of Mecklenburg both parts of the country as summus episcopus, since 1921/22, one elected by the synod bishop. Following the abolition of the sovereign church government there was in 1921 a reconstruction of the country's churches. They gave in 1921 constitutions. In 1933, the two national churches reunited for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg.

After the Second World War, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg joined the newly formed Evangelical Church in Germany ( EKD) and was co-founder of the VELKD. In 1969, the national church of the Evangelical Church in Germany and founded with the other national churches in the territory of the GDR and Berlin (East ), the Federation of Evangelical Churches in the GDR. In 1991, the national church came back with the EKD.

Management of the national church

At the top of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg was the Bishop, the spiritual leader of the Church. He was elected by the Synod for a term of twelve years and was chairman of the also elected by the Synod church leadership.

Country's bishops since 1921

Synod

As a legislative body, the State Church had a synod. Its members, the Synod members were elected to six years to about two-thirds of the church elders of the congregations. The others are elected by the church leadership, the Synod itself and by the Convention of the State Superintendent. The task was similar to the Synod of the political parliaments. They met twice a year usually. Head of the Synod was the Church President, formerly the president of the synod. The elections to the Constituent Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg -Schwerin took place in 1921. It was opened on 15 April 1921. After the union of the two churches in Mecklenburg in 1934, the Synod was known as the " Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg ".

President and Praesides the Synod from 1921:

Administration of the State Church

Oberkirchenrat and management of

The Oberkirchenrat in Schwerin, which comprised the College and the staff of the National Church, led the current business. He was responsible for the administrative affairs and led on behalf of the Church Board the authority over the churches, church groups and church officials. Head of the High Church Council was a president who was elected by the Synod to 12 years. For college included, in addition to the President more Upper Church Councils and the Regional Bishop.

High Church Council President:

The Bishop was Chairman of the Church Board (the "Government " of the church ). Among these, besides the bishop, the President of the Synod and five other members of the Synod, the President of the Higher Council of Churches, three more upper church councils as well as a Superintendent.

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

At the base of the parishes were as public bodies with elected parish councils, the " parish council ". The members of this committee were called " church elders ".
Several parishes together formed a provost ( in the general administration a county equivalent), at whose head stood a provost. The deaneries had as a committee the provost synod, whose members were appointed by the respective parish councils.
Several deaneries together formed a church circle ( in the general administration an administrative district equivalent), the board a Superintendent. He was the Kirchenkreisrat aside. The five church districts were public bodies, and together formed the National Church ( in the general administration of the State equivalent).

Church circles and deaneries

The church circles were led by Superintendent country, in Rostock, Wismar, Güstrow, Parchim and Neustrelitz ( church district Stargard ) had their seat. From 2012 on, the central church district administration was in Schwerin, Neubrandenburg Güstrow and there were branches. The former own administrations of five church districts were gradually merged.

Church district of Rostock Provost Bad Doberan
Provost Rostock
Provost Ribnitz- Sanitz

Provost Bukow
Provost Crivitz
Provost Gadebusch
Provost Grevesmühlen
Provost Schwerin Country
Provost Schwerin City
Provost Sternberg
Provost Wismar

Provost Biitzow
Provost Güstrow
Provost Gnoien
Provost Krakow / Malchin
Provost Müritz

Provost Boizenburg / Wittenburg
Provost Hagenow
Provost Ludwig pleasure Doemitz
Provost Parchim

Provost Friedland
Provost Neubrandenburg
Provost Stargard
Provost Stavenhagen
Provost Strelitz

Parishes

The 26 deaneries were divided (name of church congregations in the Church of Mecklenburg ) in 270 congregations.

Office for community service

The Office for community service of the Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg was responsible for consulting and support of the communities. Issues and various fields of work such as for example, religious education for adults, religious courses, visiting services and other areas were processed here. The Office for community service materials were up and prepared and the communities sowied to put in the church workers available. The office was headed by Pastor Christian country Höser. The official seat was at the Cathedral Square in Güstrow.

Hymnals

The congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg sang in the last decades mainly for the following hymnals:

Mecklenburgisches Church Hymns, introduced with the approval of the ducal Consistorii to Rostock in 1764, and new improved edition with appendix of 50 "Spiritual songs ", introduced in March 1905
New Mecklenburgisches Hymns, together with an appendix of prayers, as well as Gospels and Epistles with Großherzoglich Allergnäd. Special Privilegio, introduced in 1794
Hymns for the liturgical use of the Protestant congregations in Mecklenburg -Strelitz Mecklenburg- Strelitzischem Großherzoglich with gracious Privilegio; introduced in 1832
Hymnal for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg -Strelitz, introduced in 1875
Hymnal of the Evangelical -Lutheran. Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg -Schwerin and Mecklenburg -Strelitz and the United Church of Mecklenburg - unit hymnal of the Evangelical -Lutheran. State churches in Schleswig -Holstein -Lauenburg, Hamburg, Mecklenburg -Schwerin, Lübeck, Mecklenburg -Strelitz and Eutin; introduced in 1930
Evangelical Church Hymns - output for the Lutheran. Church of Mecklenburg; introduced about 1950
Evangelical Church Hymns - output for the Lutheran. Church of Mecklenburg, Evangelical Lutheran. Church of Saxony, Lutheran. Church in Thuringia; introduced in 1975 in all Lutheran churches in the GDR
Lutheran Hymnal - output for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg; introduced on 1 Advent 1994
Lutheran Hymnal - output for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg and for the Pomeranian Evangelical Church introduced in 2000.

Landeskirche Berno, Apostle of the Obotrites Protestant Reformation Henry V, Duke of Mecklenburg Albrecht VII, Duke of Mecklenburg Walter Schultz States of Germany Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Saxony Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg Evangelical Church of Anhalt Evangelical Church of Bremen Evangelical Reformed Church in Bavaria and Northwestern Germany Church of Lippe

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