Evangelical Church of Kurhessen-Waldeck explained

Evangelical Church of Kurhessen-Waldeck
Imagewidth:	300px
Abbreviation:	EKKW
Type:	Landeskirche, member of the Protestant Church in Germany
Main Classification:	Protestant
Orientation:	United Protestant (Lutheran & Reformed)
Leader:	Bishop Beate Hofmann
Associations:	Union Evangelischer Kirchen, Reformed Alliance
Area:	~ 10.000 km² in northern and eastern Hesse, Schmalkalden in Thuringia
Headquarters:	Kassel, Germany
Founded Date:	1934
Merger:	Protestant Churches of Hessen-Kassel and Waldeck
Members:	767.149 (2020) 41,4% of total population^[1]
Website:	https://www.ekkw.de/

The Evangelical Church of Kurhessen-Waldeck (German: Evangelische Kirche von Kurhessen-Waldeck; EKKW) is a United Protestant church body in former Hesse-Cassel and the Waldeck part of the former Free State of Waldeck-Pyrmont.

Constitution

The EKKW is a full member of the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD) and the Reformed Alliance,^[2] and is based on the teachings presented by Martin Luther during the Reformation. Their bishop is since October 1, 2019 Beate Hofmann. The bishop's preaching venue is the Martinskirche in Kassel. It is a Protestant church united in administration, comprising Lutheran, Reformed (Calvinist), and Protestant union congregations upholding Calvinist (Reformed) and Lutheran traditions. The Evangelical Church of Kurhessen-Waldeck is one of 20 churches within the EKD.

Bishops

• 1924–1934: Heinrich Möller
• June–December 1934: Karl Theys
• 1935–1945: Friedrich Happich,
• 1945–1963: Adolf Wüstemann
• 1963–1978: Erich Vellmer
• 1978–1991: Hans-Gernot Jung
• 1991–1992: Erhard Giesler
• 1992–2000: Christian Zippert
• 2000–2019: Martin Hein
• 2019–: Beate Hofmann

History

The Evangelical Church of Kurhessen-Waldeck was founded in 1934 through a merger of two other formerly independent churches: the Evangelical Church of Hessen-Kassel and the Evangelical State Church of Waldeck and Pyrmont (Waldeck part).

Practices

Ordination of women and blessing of same-sex marriages were allowed.^{[3] [4] [5]}

References

1. https://www.ekd.de/ekd_de/ds_doc/Ber_Kirchenmitglieder_2020.pdf Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland – Kirchemitgliederzahlen Stand 31. Dezember 2020
2. Web site: Geschichte . April 13, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140413124639/http://www.reformierter-bund.de/side.php?news_id=113&part_id=0&navi=1 . April 13, 2014 . www.reformierter-bund.de/side.php?news_id=113&part_id=0&navi=1
3. http://www.wiesbadener-tagblatt.de/nachrichten/politik/hessen/11387136.htm Wiesbadener Tagblatt:Synode billigt Segnung homosexueller Paare (german)
4. Web site: Osthessen-News:Synode für öffentliche Segnung von Paaren in eingetragenen Lebenspartnerschaft . 2016-10-27 . 2012-04-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120420234922/http://www.osthessen-news.de/beitrag_A.php?id=1206449 . live .
5. http://www.ekkw.de/synode/24611.htm Evangelical Church of Hesse Electorate-Waldeck.de: Traugesetz gilt in Kurhessen-Waldeck künftig auch für gleichgeschlechtliche Paare (german)

Sources

• Michael Hederich: Um die Freiheit der Kirche. Geschichte der Evangelischen Kirche von Kurhessen-Waldeck. Evangelischer Presseverband Kurhessen-Waldeck, Kassel 1972 (Monographia Hassiae 1, ISSN 0720-4671).
• Sebastian Parker: Die Marburger Konferenz. Fusionspläne und Zusammenarbeit hessischer evangelischer Landeskirchen im 20. Jahrhundert. Verlag der Hessische Kirchengeschichtlichen Vereinigung, Darmstadt u. a. 2008, (Quellen und Studien zur hessischen Kirchengeschichte 16), (Zugleich: Darmstadt, Techn. Hochsch., Magisterarbeit, 2004).
• Karl Schilling: Der Zusammenschluss der Landeskirchen Waldeck und Hessen-Kassel. In: Waldeckischer Landeskalender. 2009 (2008), ZDB-ID 513652-0, S. 80–92.
• Dieter Waßmann: Waldeck. Geschichte einer Landeskirche. Evangelischer Presseverband Kurhessen-Waldeck, Kassel 1984, (Monographia Hassiae 10).

External links

• Official Website by Evangelical Church of Kurhessen-Waldeck