The Protestant Church of Westphalia (German: Evangelische Kirche von Westfalen, EKvW) is a United Protestant church body in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Lutheran Church of Westphalia
Lutheran Church of 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[1] 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.[2][3][4]

References

  1. ↑ "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
  2. ↑ 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
  3. ↑ Evangelisch.de: Westfälische Kirche stellt Trauung von Homo-Paaren mit Ehe gleich Archived 2020-04-23 at the Wayback Machine, 20. November 2019
  4. ↑ Neue Westfälische Nachrichten: Landeskirche von Westfalen stellt Homosexuelle vor Traualtar gleich Archived 2019-11-21 at the Wayback Machine, 20 November 2019
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