Anne Burghardt (née Liiber; born 19 November 1975) is an Estonian theologian. Since November 2021, she has served as the General Secretary of the

Lutheran World Federation The Lutheran World Federation (LWF; ) is a global Communion (religion), communion of national and regional Lutheran denominations headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish city of L ...

and is the first woman to hold this position.

Early life and education

Burghardt studied theology at the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; ; ) is a public research university located in the city of Tartu, Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is also the largest and oldest university in the country.

from 1994 to 1998. After graduating, she went to the

University of Erlangen–Nuremberg The Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (, FAU) is a Public University, public research university in the cities of Erlangen and Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany. The name Friedrich-Alexander is derived from the university's first ...

(1998/1999) and to the

Humboldt University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...

(1999/2000) to earn a master's degree. She then returned to the University of Tartu, where she received her master's degree in 2002. As of 2009, she holds a doctorate from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in the field of Orthodox liturgical studies with Karl Christian Felmy and Hacik Rafi Gazer.

Career

Since 2013, Burghardt has been the head of the research department at the Theological Institute of the

Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church The Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELC; Estonian: ''Eesti Evangeelne Luterlik Kirik'', abbreviated EELK) is a Lutheran church in Estonia. The EELC is member of the Lutheran World Federation and belongs to the Community of Protestant Ch ...

(EELK) and an adviser to that church on international and ecumenical relations. From 2013 to 2018, she was Secretary for Ecumenical Relations at the Office of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Geneva. On 19 June 2021, the Lutheran World Federation Council elected Burghardt as the new General Secretary. She prevailed in the elections with 28 votes in favor and 20 against Kenneth Mtata (Zimbabwe) and thus succeeded the general secretary Martin Junge. Burghardt is the first woman and the first representative from Central and Eastern Europe to hold this post. She took office on 1 November 2021.

Personal life

Burghardt is married to Matthias Burghardt, a pastor of the EELK; the couple have two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burghardt, Anne 1975 births Living people 21st-century Lutheran theologians Estonian Lutheran clergy Women Christian clergy University of Tartu alumni University of Erlangen–Nuremberg alumni Humboldt University of Berlin alumni 21st-century Estonian women writers