Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg
Encyclopedia
The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg (Evangelische Landeskirche in Württemberg; analoguous translation in Evangelical State Church in Württemberg) is a Protestant church in the German
former state of Württemberg
, now the part of the state Baden-Württemberg
. The seat of the church is in Stuttgart
.
It is a full member of the Evangelical Church in Germany
(EKD), and is a Lutheran
Church. The presiding bishop (Landesbischof
) of the church is Frank Otfried July (2005). There are four regional bishops (Regionalbischöfe).
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Württemberg is one of 22 Lutheran, united and reformed churches of the EKD. The church has 2,286,893 members (31. Dezember 2007) in about 1,400 parishes. It's the most important Protestant denomination in Eastern Baden-Württemberg
.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Württemberg is a member church of the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe
. It is neither a member of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany
, nor a member of the Lutheran World Federation
, but has a guest status in both. The Church runs a minister training house at Tübingen
called Tübinger Stift
.
The most prominent churches of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Württemberg are the Stiftskirche
in Stuttgart
, the Minster in Ulm
, the Kilians church in Heilbronn
, the St. Mary's Church, Reutlingen
, the city church St. Dionysius in Esslingen as well as the church St. Michael in Schwäbisch Hall
.
The ordination of women
like in all other EKD churches has been allowed.
enforced in his Duchy of Württemberg the Protestant Reformation
.
The Duke, later on the respective King of Württemberg was therefore head of the state church
as so called summus episcopus, meaning the respective ruler united secular and religious power in his person. The former Catholic bishops lost all privileges. Johannes Brenz
was deployed as reformer of the state in terms of Martin Luther
. He is entombed in the Stuttgart Stiftskirche.
The Evangelical State Church in Württemberg was therefore from the beginning on a Lutheran church, however the form of church service is bound to reformed tradition, meaning that it is rather plain. The otherwise in Lutheran parishes form of the Lutheran mass is hardly ever practiced. Up to 1806 the Duchy of Württemberg was a purely evangelical territory. Only when Württemberg became kingdom and due to Napoleon larger Catholic territories (Upper Swabia
) were added, the uniform religious structure ended. Since the late 19th century also in former Catholic territories of (southern) Württemberg evangelical parishes were founded.
After the end of World War I King William II of Württemberg
was forced to resign. The church therefore formally had no ruler anymore. But the church was prepared for this vacuum, since his issue was disqualified for royal succession due to inadequate marriage. Therefore since the 1890s the head of a Catholic ducal branch line of the royal house was enacted as successor, whom the Lutheran state church would not accept as summus episcopus. Therefore leading clergymen took over the church. After the exiled King William II had died (October 1921) the Evangelical State Church in Württemberg gave itself a new constitution in 1923/24 and put in a church president as the lead of the church, who in 1933 received the title Landesbischof.
From 1945 on the Hohenzollern provincial
Protestant deanery
(Kirchenkreis) of the Evangelical Church of the old-Prussian Union adopted the provisional supervision by the Evangelical State Church in Württemberg. On April 1, 1950 the deanery joined that church body and thus terminated its subordination to the supervision by the prior old-Prussian Ecclesiastical Province of the Rhineland
.
From 20 July - 27 July 2010 the Evangelical State Church in Württemberg will host of the 11th General Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation in Stuttgart, Germany.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
former state of Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
, now the part of the state Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
. The seat of the church is in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
.
It is a full member of the Evangelical Church in Germany
Evangelical Church in Germany
The Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of 22 Lutheran, Unified and Reformed Protestant regional church bodies in Germany. The EKD is not a church in a theological understanding because of the denominational differences. However, the member churches share full pulpit and altar...
(EKD), and is a Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
Church. The presiding bishop (Landesbischof
Landesbischof
A Landesbischof is the head of some Protestant Landeskirche in Germany. Based on the principle of the summepiscopat, the Lutheran princes assumed the position of Head of Church in their territory after the Reformation...
) of the church is Frank Otfried July (2005). There are four regional bishops (Regionalbischöfe).
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Württemberg is one of 22 Lutheran, united and reformed churches of the EKD. The church has 2,286,893 members (31. Dezember 2007) in about 1,400 parishes. It's the most important Protestant denomination in Eastern Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Württemberg is a member church of the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe
Community of Protestant Churches in Europe
The Community of Protestant Churches in Europe is a fellowship of over 100 Protestant churches which have signed the Leuenberg Agreement. Together they strive for realizing church fellowship, especially by cooperation in witness and service to the world...
. It is neither a member of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany
United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany
The United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany was founded on July 8, 1948 in Eisenach, Germany. Its total membership is estimated at over 10.5 million people. The Member Churches of this organisation are in full fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America...
, nor a member of the Lutheran World Federation
Lutheran World Federation
The Lutheran World Federation is a global communion of national and regional Lutheran churches headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish city of Lund in the aftermath of the Second World War in 1947 to coordinate the activities of the...
, but has a guest status in both. The Church runs a minister training house at Tübingen
Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
called Tübinger Stift
Tübinger Stift
The Tübinger Stift is a hall of residence and teaching; it is owned and supported by the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg, and located in the university city of Tübingen, in South West Germany. The Stift was originally founded as an Augustinian monastery in the Middle Ages...
.
The most prominent churches of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Württemberg are the Stiftskirche
Stiftskirche (Stuttgart)
The Stiftskirche Stuttgart is an inner-city church in Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the main church of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg as well as the parish church of the evangelical inner-city church district of Stuttgart.-History and...
in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, the Minster in Ulm
Ulm
Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
, the Kilians church in Heilbronn
Heilbronn
Heilbronn is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is completely surrounded by Heilbronn County and with approximately 123.000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state....
, the St. Mary's Church, Reutlingen
St. Mary's Church, Reutlingen
St. Mary's Church is a church in Reutlingen, Germany. It was built from 1247–1343 and is one of the most distinct Gothic buildings in Swabia....
, the city church St. Dionysius in Esslingen as well as the church St. Michael in Schwäbisch Hall
Schwäbisch Hall
Schwäbisch Hall is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg and capital of the district of Schwäbisch Hall. The town is located in the valley of the river Kocher in the north-eastern part of Baden-Württemberg....
.
The ordination of women
Ordination of women
Ordination in general religious usage is the process by which a person is consecrated . The ordination of women is a regular practice among some major religious groups, as it was of several religions of antiquity...
like in all other EKD churches has been allowed.
History
In 1534 Ulrich, Duke of WürttembergUlrich, Duke of Württemberg
Herzog Ulrich von Württemberg succeeded his kinsman Eberhard II as Duke of Württemberg in 1498, being declared of age in 1503.-Early life:...
enforced in his Duchy of Württemberg the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
.
The Duke, later on the respective King of Württemberg was therefore head of the state church
State church
State churches are organizational bodies within a Christian denomination which are given official status or operated by a state.State churches are not necessarily national churches in the ethnic sense of the term, but the two concepts may overlap in the case of a nation state where the state...
as so called summus episcopus, meaning the respective ruler united secular and religious power in his person. The former Catholic bishops lost all privileges. Johannes Brenz
Johannes Brenz
Johann Brenz was a German theologian and the Protestant Reformer of the Duchy of Württemberg.-Early Advocacy of the Reformation:...
was deployed as reformer of the state in terms of Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
. He is entombed in the Stuttgart Stiftskirche.
The Evangelical State Church in Württemberg was therefore from the beginning on a Lutheran church, however the form of church service is bound to reformed tradition, meaning that it is rather plain. The otherwise in Lutheran parishes form of the Lutheran mass is hardly ever practiced. Up to 1806 the Duchy of Württemberg was a purely evangelical territory. Only when Württemberg became kingdom and due to Napoleon larger Catholic territories (Upper Swabia
Upper Swabia
Upper Swabia is a region in Germany in the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. The name refers to the area between the Swabian Alb, Lake Constance and the Lech...
) were added, the uniform religious structure ended. Since the late 19th century also in former Catholic territories of (southern) Württemberg evangelical parishes were founded.
After the end of World War I King William II of Württemberg
William II of Württemberg
William II was the fourth King of Württemberg, from 6 October 1891 until the abolition of the kingdom on 30 November 1918...
was forced to resign. The church therefore formally had no ruler anymore. But the church was prepared for this vacuum, since his issue was disqualified for royal succession due to inadequate marriage. Therefore since the 1890s the head of a Catholic ducal branch line of the royal house was enacted as successor, whom the Lutheran state church would not accept as summus episcopus. Therefore leading clergymen took over the church. After the exiled King William II had died (October 1921) the Evangelical State Church in Württemberg gave itself a new constitution in 1923/24 and put in a church president as the lead of the church, who in 1933 received the title Landesbischof.
From 1945 on the Hohenzollern provincial
Province of Hohenzollern
Hohenzollern was a de facto province of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was created in 1850 by joining the principalities of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and Hohenzollern-Hechingen after both formerly independently ruling Catholic princely lines of the House of Hohenzollern had handed over their...
Protestant deanery
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
(Kirchenkreis) of the Evangelical Church of the old-Prussian Union adopted the provisional supervision by the Evangelical State Church in Württemberg. On April 1, 1950 the deanery joined that church body and thus terminated its subordination to the supervision by the prior old-Prussian Ecclesiastical Province of the Rhineland
Evangelical Church in the Rhineland
Evangelical Church in the Rhineland is a united Protestant church body in parts of the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and Hesse . This is actually the area covered by the former Prussian Rhine Province until 1920. It is the most important Protestant...
.
From 20 July - 27 July 2010 the Evangelical State Church in Württemberg will host of the 11th General Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation in Stuttgart, Germany.
Leading persons and bishops in history
- 1924–1929: Johannes von Merz, church president
- 1929–1948: Theophil WurmTheophil WurmTheophil Wurm was the son of a pastor and was a leader in the German Protestant Church in the early twentieth century....
, bishop (until 1933 church president) - 1948–1962: Dr. Martin HaugMartin HaugMartin Haug was a German orientalist.-Biography:Haug was born at Ostdorf , Württemberg. He became a pupil in the gymnasium at Stuttgart at a comparatively late age, and in 1848 he entered the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, where he studied oriental languages, especially Sanskrit...
, bishop - 1962–1969: Dr. Erich Eichele, bishop
- 1969–1979: Helmut Claß, bishop
- 1979–1988: Hans von Keler, bishop
- 1988–1994: Theo Sorg, bishop
- 1994–2001: Eberhardt Renz, bishop
- 2001–2005: Gerhard Maier, bishop
- 2005 – today: Frank Otfried July, bishop