German Evangelical Church Confederation

The German Evangelical Church Federation was established on May 25, 1922 merger of the Evangelical Churches in Germany. In 1933, he was replaced by the German Evangelical Church, who succeeded in turn by the Second World War, the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD ).

Prehistory

The convergence of German Protestantism is connected with the National awakening of thought in the 19th century. Since the Reformation, Protestantism was organized in Germany within the territories within the German Empire; He knew, therefore, no "national" organization. Separating was the effect of the existing since the dawn of the Reformation differences between the Lutheran and Reformed confessions, but lost by pietism and the Enlightenment in the 18th century of commitment and embossing force; the new confessionalism since the early 19th century remained in church history a marginal episode.

First approaches to the formation of a German Protestant Church impressed themselves organizationally in the so-called Eisenach Conference of Churches, which represented a common advisory body of Protestant church leaders since 1852. From Germany, only the Church of Lippe and Lutheran Church of the Principality of Reuss elder line not involved. Since 1903, the Conference of Churches had by a permanent commission, the German Evangelical Church Committee ( DEKA ) organizational strengthened. There was also a nationally oriented lay movement, founded in 1886, the Protestant Federation to safeguard the German - Protestant interests. This group reached a level of 500,000 members in 1914 and had a clear anti-Catholic and German national programmatic.

The end of the monarchy, whereby the country Magnificent church rule ended, and the adoption of the Weimar Constitution 1918/19, allowed the churches to organize without government directives themselves. In the discussions on how this should be done, it came to the question of whether the German Protestantism should unite in a single state church, as it then 1933 happened, or if he should come together in a church covenant, in which the organizational and denominational independence of be preserved individual state churches. In preparation for the DEKA came on 1st - 5th September 1919 in Dresden 341 delegates from various Protestant groups and church leaders for the first German Evangelical Church together and decided on the continuation of the " regional church " principle. After a constitution was drawn up and adopted on the second German Protestant Church Congress in Stuttgart in mid-September 1921 founded the 28 German regional churches on 25 May 1922 ( Ascension ) the German Evangelical Church Federation in Wittenberg. Shortly before (1920 ), the Reformed cantonal churches had come together in Switzerland for Swiss Protestant Church Federation.

Purpose

According to its Constitution, the federal government in order " to preserve and represent the common interests of the German Protestant churches in close and permanent association to bring about the same, to maintain the overall consciousness of German Protestantism and the religious and moral outlook of the German Reformation, the combined forces of the German employ Reformation churches -. these things subject to the full independence of the allied churches in confession, Constitution and Administration "

Constitution

The German Protestant Churches had three constitutional organs: the Church as synodal organ with 210 delegates, the Church Federal Council with representatives of the 28 national churches and the Church Committee as an executive body whose 36 members were elected by the Church and the Church Federal half each. The chairman of the church committee led (like since 1903 ), the respective President of the Prussian Evangelical Supreme Ecclesiastical Council ( EOK ), who was thus the supreme representative of German Protestantism.

1924, the church covenant was recognized by the Reich Minister of the Interior as a public corporation.

Tasks

In its relatively short history, the Church Federation devoted mainly to the exchange of information and coordination between the Federal churches, care of ecumenical relations and the status of the German Protestant communities abroad with pastors.

Member churches

The individual churches are identified as Lutheran, Reformed or in union, to the extent not evident from the time of his name.

Later joined: