The Protestant Church of Westphalia (German: Evangelische Kirche von Westfalen, EKvW) is a United Protestant church body in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The seat of the praeses (German: Präses, the head of the church) is Bielefeld. The EKvW emerged on 13 June 1945, when the ecclesiastical province of Westphalia within the Lutheran Church of the old-Prussian Union assumed its independence as church body of its own. The EKvW is a full member of the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD), and the Reformed Alliance and is a church whose bases are in a Union between parishes in Lutheran and Calvinistic traditions. The church is also a member of the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe. Präses (president) of the EKvW is Annette Kurschus (2012), as its first female leader.
Präses (President)
- 1834–1835: Jakob von der Kuhlen
- 1835–1841: Christian Nonne
- 1841–1843: Bernhard Jacobi
- 1844–1874: Wilhelm Diedrich Albert
- 1874–1902: Ludwig Polscher
- 1902–1914: Friedrich König
- 1914–1927: Heinrich Kockelke
- 1927–1949: Karl Koch (until 1934 Präses der Provinzialsynode, 1934–1945 of Bekenntnissynode, since 1945 of synode)
- 1949–1968: Ernst Wilm
- 1969–1977: Hans Thimme
- 1977–1985: Heinrich Reiß
- 1985–1996: Hans-Martin Linnemann
- 1996–2004: Manfred Sorg
- 2004–2012: Alfred Buß
- 2012–: Annette Kurschus
Practices
The church permits the ordination of women. Blessing of same-sex marriages has been allowed from 2019.
References
- "Geschichte". Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2014. www.reformierter-bund.de/side.php?news_id=113&part_id=0&navi=1
- Landeskirche Westfalen:Neu: Trauung auch für gleichgeschlechtliche Ehepaare und konfessionslose Ehepartner, „Gottes Segen gilt für alle Ehepaare“ Archived 2020-04-23 at the Wayback Machine, 20 November 2019
- Evangelisch.de: Westfälische Kirche stellt Trauung von Homo-Paaren mit Ehe gleich Archived 2020-04-23 at the Wayback Machine, 20. November 2019
- Neue Westfälische Nachrichten: Landeskirche von Westfalen stellt Homosexuelle vor Traualtar gleich Archived 2019-11-21 at the Wayback Machine, 20 November 2019
External links
- Evangelische Kirche von Westfalen (in German)
- Protestant Church in Germany (EKD)
- Evangelical Church of Westphalia, Unionbetweenchristians
52°01′16.98″N 8°31′59.16″E / 52.0213833°N 8.5331000°E / 52.0213833; 8.5331000
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