The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg () is a Lutheran church in the German state of Lower Saxony.
The seat of the church leaders is in Oldenburg, as is the preaching venue of its bishop at St Lamberti Church. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg is a regional church (German: Landeskirche) and a full member of the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD). As one of just two regional churches in the EKD, the church is only a guest member of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (VELKD) and the Union of Evangelical Churches (UEK). The church is also a full member of the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe and the Lutheran World Federation. The church has 349,599 members (2024)Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland – Kirchemitgliederzahlen Stand 31. Dezember 2024 EKD in 107 parishes, with approximately 260 pastors (men and women). It is the largest Protestant denomination in the area of the former state of Oldenburg.
History The Lutheran Reformation came to the County of Oldenburg beginning in 1527.Cnf. Hermann Hamelmann, Oldenburgisch Chronicon, Oldenburg 1599, p. 363. Until the German Revolution in 1918, the church was a state church and the monarch was the acting bishop (summus episcopus, or supreme governor) of the church. In 1922 the Church in Oldenburg counted 291,000 parishioners.Sebastian Müller-Rolli in collaboration with Reiner Anselm, Evangelische Schulpolitik in Deutschland 1918–1958: Dokumente und Darstellung, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1999, (=Eine Veröffentlichung des Comenius-Instituts Münster), p. 30. .
Practices Ordination of women and blessing of same-sex marriages were allowed.NDR.de: Oldenburgische Kirche beschließt Trauuung für alle , 2018 (German)Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg
Leadership of the church The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg has four leading authorities: the synod, the bishop, the superior church council (Oberkirchenrat), and the common church committee.
Synod The synod is the highest leading authority in the Church. The election of the 60 members (two-thirds laypersons and one-third clerics) of the synod is for six years.
Leading persons and bishops in history
1893–1904: Martin Bernhard Schomann, president 1904–1920: Eugen von Finckh, president 1920–1934: Heinrich Tilemann, president 1934–1944: Johannes Volkers, bishop 1945–1952: Wilhelm Stählin, bishop 1952−1953: bishop crisis:Cnf. DER SPIEGEL No. 08/1953, issue from 18 Feb 1953, p. 12 (German) Wilhelm Hahn was elected, but not inaugurated. 1954–1967: Gerhard Jacobi, bishop 1967–1985: Hans-Heinrich Harms, bishop 1985–1998: Wilhelm Sievers, bishop 1998–2008: Peter Krug, bishop 2008−2018: Jan Janssen, bishop 2018-today: Thomas Adomeit, bishop
External links http://www.kirche-oldenburg.de (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg)
Notes