Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD)
The Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) is the communion of the twenty regional churches of Lutheran, Reformed or United confession within the borders of the Federal Republic of Germany.
In association with the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (VELKD) and the Union of Evangelical Churches (UEK), the EKD supports the regional churches in fulfilling their tasks. It promotes activities that are important for the entire protestant church and, with the Gospel as its foundation, takes a public stand on contemporary religious and social debates. It represents the community of member churches in dealings with the federal government, the states, the EU, and civil society.
Three bodies guide the work of the EKD: the Synod, the Church Conference, and the Council of the EKD. The EKD Church Office works under the direction of these three bodies.
Specifically, the EKD’s tasks include the following areas of work: proclamation of the gospel and theological reflection, social welfare and developmental policy, pastoral care and counseling, education and upbringing, social responsibility, ecumenism and work abroad, interreligious relations, communication and digitalization.
In the area of ecumenical work, the EKD is involved in various alliances: in the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Christlicher Kirchen in Germany, the Conference of European Churches, the Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe, the Commission of the Churches for Migrants in Europe, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Communion of Reformed Churches, and the World Council of Churches.
The EKD also maintains numerous bilateral and multilateral ecumenical relations:
- It conducts theological dialogues and contact talks with the German Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church (DBK), with the Free Church (VEF), and with the Orthodox Bishops’ Conference of Germany and the Oriental Churches in Germany, as well as with various Byzantine Orthodox patriarchates.
- It maintains partnerships with the Church of England (Meissen Declaration), with churches whose roots lie in German emigration (Latin America, southern Africa), with Protestant churches in Europe (Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, France, Czech Republic, Romania and Russia and its neighboring countries), with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, with churches in Asia (Thailand, Korea, Japan, Indonesia and China) and with the Evangelical Lutheran churches in the USA and Canada.
- It has connections with over one hundred German-speaking congregations in more than seventy countries in all parts of the world, which offers the approximately two million German-speaking Protestant Christians living abroad the opportunity to find a spiritual home. The EKD sends pastors to these congregations and provides them with content and financial support.
- It cooperates with congregations of other languages and origins within Germany.
The Interreligious Partnerships of the EKD are Diverse:
- It participates in the Christian-Jewish dialogue, among other ways through relations with the Central Council of Jews in Germany and the International Council of Christians and Jews, as well as holding regular contact discussions between the Council of the EKD, the DBK, and the two Rabbinical Conferences.
- It is in contact with the Coordination Council of Muslims in Germany and other Islamic organizations and reflects on fundamental questions of Christian-Islamic dialogue.
- It participates in the Round Table of Religions in Germany and in international interreligious forums (e.g. European-Arab Dialogue, European Council of Religious Leaders).
Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD)
Herrenhäuser Str. 12
30419 Hannover
Tel.: +49 511 2796-0
Fax: +49 511 2796-707