Evangelical Church of Bremen

The Evangelical Church of Bremen is the most important protestant denomination in the German state of Bremen. The seat of the church is in Bremen.

It is a full member of the Evangelical Church in Germany EKD, and is a united Church combining Lutheran and Reformed traditions. The leader of the church is Brigitte Boehme (2006). The church has approx. 243,000 members (in December 2005) in 68 parishes. The main church of the Evangelical Church of Bremen is Bremen Cathedral.

The Evangelical Church of Bremen is a member of the UEK and of the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe. In Bremen the church has its own evangelical academy.

The Ordination of women and the blessing of same-sex unions [http://www.kirche-bremen.de/feiern/segnung.html] has been allowed.

Area covered

The area covered by the Evangelical Church of Bremen is essentially equivalent to the city of Bremen, the state of Bremen comprising the cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven. Only the most important Protestant church in Bremerhaven, the Bürgermeister-Smidt-Gedächtniskirche belongs to the Bremen church. The remaining church parishes in the city of Bremerhaven are Lutheran and belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover. The area covered by these parishes belonged to the former Province of Hanover until 1939.

Leading persons and bishops in history

* ? - 1959: Ferdinand Donandt
* 1959 - 1969: Dr. Arnold Rutenberg
* 1969 - 1977: Heinz Hermann Brauer
* 1976 - 1989: Eckart Ranft
* 1989 - 2001: Heinz Hermann Brauer
* 2001 - today: Brigitte Boehme

= Synod (=Kirchentag)=

The election of the synod is for six years. The elected leader of the "Kirchentag" is also leader of the church.

History

On 9 November 1522 was in Bremen the first Protestant prayer in a church. Since that year the German city Bremen was during all following years a Protestant city.

Books

* Book for singing of the evangelisch-lutherischen Domgemeinde to Bremen, Bremen, since 1779
* New Bremisches Psalm- and Book for Singig for official and "besonderen Erbauung der Reformirten Stadt-und Landgemeinden, mit Hoch-Obrigkeitlicher Bewilligung", editor from the Bremischen Ministerio, Bremen, 1767; with later title "Evangelisches Gesangbuch, hrsg. vom Predigerverein der fünf reformierten Gemeinden im Herzogtum Bremen", Vegesack, since 1857
* Praying book and book for singing - "Neue durch einen Anhang vermehrte Ausgabe", Bremen, 1864
* "Christliches Gesangbuch zur Beförderung öffentlicher und häuslicher Andacht", Bremen, 1812
* Book for singig "gemeinschaftlicher und einsamer Andacht, at the beginning only for the "vereinigte evangelische Gemeine of Bremerhaven", Bremerhaven", since February 1857
* Evangelical book for singing of parishes in Bremen, Bremen, since March 1873
* Bremer Gesangbuch, Gütersloh, since 1917
* Evangelical book for singing - Book for singing of the Evangelical-lutheran Churches in Schleswig-Holstein-Lauenburg, Mecklenburg, Hamburg, Lübeck, Eutin and the Evangelical Church of Bremen, Hamburg, 1949
* Evangelical Kirchengesangbuch - Edition for the Evangelical Church of Bremen, Hamburg, since 1950
* Evangelical book for singing - Edition for the Evangelical-Lutheran Churches in Lower-Saxony and for the Evangelical Church of Bremen, Hanover/Göttingen, since 1994

References

External links

* http://www.kirche-bremen.de/ (Evangelical Church of Bremen)
* http://www.ekd.de (Evangelical Church in Germany)