The Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia (, EKBO) is a

United Protestant A united church, also called a uniting church, is a denomination formed from the merger or other form of church union of two or more different Protestant Christian denominations, a number of which come from separate and distinct denomination ...

church body A Christian denomination is a distinct religious body within Christianity that comprises all church congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, particular history, organization, leadership, theological doctrine, worsh ...

in the

German states The Federal Republic of Germany is a federation and consists of sixteen partly sovereign ''states''. Of the sixteen states, thirteen are so-called area-states ('Flächenländer'); in these, below the level of the state government, there is a ...

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and a part of

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

(historical region of

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

Upper Lusatia Upper Lusatia (, ; , ; ; or ''Milsko''; ) is a historical region in Germany and Poland. Along with Lower Lusatia to the north, it makes up the region of Lusatia, named after the Polabian Slavs, Slavic ''Lusici'' tribe. Both parts of Lusatia a ...

). The seat of the church is in

. It is a full member of the

Protestant Church in Germany The Evangelical Church in Germany (, EKD), also known as the Protestant Church in Germany, is a federation of twenty Lutheran, Reformed, and United Protestant regional Churches in Germany, collectively encompassing the vast majority of the count ...

(), and is a church of the Prussian Union. The leader of the church is bishop Dr. Markus Dröge (2010). The EKBO is one of 20

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

Reformed Reform is beneficial change. Reform, reformed or reforming may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine Places * Reform, Al ...

, and

United church A united church, also called a uniting church, is a denomination formed from the merger or other form of church union of two or more different Protestantism, Protestant Christian denominations, a number of which come from separate and distinc ...

es of the EKD and is itself a United church. The church has 890,654 members (December 2020) in 1,770 parishes. The church is a member of the

Union of Evangelical Churches The Union of Evangelical Churches (German: ''Union Evangelischer Kirchen'', UEK) is an organisation of 10 United and 2 Reformed evangelical churches in Germany, which are all member churches of the Protestant Church in Germany. Member churches ...

() and the

Community of Protestant Churches in Europe The Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE; German: ''Gemeinschaft Evangelischer Kirchen in Europa'', GEKE) is a fellowship of over 100 Protestant churches which have signed the Leuenberg Agreement. Together they strive for realizing ...

. In Berlin and

Görlitz Görlitz (; ; ; ; ; Lusatian dialects, East Lusatian: , , ) is a town in the Germany, German state of Saxony. It is on the river Lusatian Neisse and is the largest town in Upper Lusatia, the second-largest town in the region of Lusatia after ...

the church runs two academies.

St. Mary's Church, Berlin St. Mary's Church, known in German as the Marienkirche or St.-Marien-Kirche, is a church in Berlin, Germany. It is located on Karl-Liebknecht-Straße (formerly Kaiser-Wilhelm-Straße) in central Berlin, near Alexanderplatz. The exact age of the o ...

, is the church of the

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the EKBO with the

Berlin Cathedral Berlin Cathedral (), also known as the Evangelical Supreme Parish and Collegiate Church, is a monumental Protestant Church in Germany, German Protestant church and dynastic tomb (House of Hohenzollern) at the Lustgarten on the Museum Island ...

being under joint supervision of all the member churches of the UEK.

Some theological statements

The theology of the church goes back to

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

and the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

. Since 1927 the

ordination of women The ordination of women to Minister of religion, ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain religious groups in which ordination ...

has been allowed, and the

blessing of same-sex unions The blessing or wedding of same-sex marriages and same-sex unions is an issue about which leaders of Christian churches are in ongoing disagreement. Traditionally, Christianity teaches that sexual practices between men and sexual practices bet ...

has been allowed by the

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

but depends on the local presbytery ().

History

After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the integrated

Evangelical Church of the old-Prussian Union The Prussian Union of Churches (known under multiple other names) was a major Protestant church body which emerged in 1817 from a series of decrees by Frederick William III of Prussia that united both Lutheran and Reformed denominations in Pru ...

(under this name 1922–1953, then renamed into ''Evangelical Church of the Union'') was transformed into an umbrella organization. In 1947 its ecclesiastical provinces (), as far as their territories were not annexed by Poland or the Soviet Union, became independent church bodies of their own.

Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg

The ''March of Brandenburg'' ecclesiastical province (including Berlin, but after 1945 without the territory east the Oder-Neiße line), which until 1933 was headed in rotation by the general superintendents of

Kurmark The German term ''Kurmark'' (archaic ''Churmark'', "Electoral March") referred to the Imperial State held by the margraves of Brandenburg, who had been awarded the electoral (''Kur'') dignity by the Golden Bull of 1356. In early modern times, '' ...

Neumark The Neumark (), also known as the New March () or as East Brandenburg (), was a region of the Margraviate of Brandenburg and its successors located east of the Oder River in territory which became part of Poland in 1945 except some villages o ...

Lower Lusatia Lower Lusatia (; ; ; ; ) is a historical region in Central Europe, stretching from the southeast of the Germany, German state of Brandenburg to the southwest of Lubusz Voivodeship in Poland. Like adjacent Upper Lusatia in the south, Lower Lusa ...

, and Berlin, became the ''Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg''. After 1945, the church covered only the territory still in Germany. From 1972 on this church body ran double administrative structures in

West Berlin West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...

and

East Berlin East Berlin (; ) was the partially recognised capital city, capital of East Germany (GDR) from 1949 to 1990. From 1945, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet occupation sector of Berlin. The American, British, and French se ...

- also competent for

- because the communist government of

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

did not allow pastors and church functionaries to travel freely between East and West. The two church bodies reunited in 1991.

Evangelical Church of Silesia(n Upper Lusatia)

In 1946 the Silesian ecclesiastical province, presided over by Ernst Hornig, held its first post-war provincial synod in then already Polish

Świdnica Świdnica (; ; ) is a city on the Bystrzyca (Oder), Bystrzyca River in south-western Poland in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. As of 2021, it has a population of 55,413 inhabitants. It is the seat of Świdnica County, and also of the smaller dis ...

(formerly Schweidnitz). But on 4 December 1946 Poland deported Hornig from

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

(formerly Breslau) beyond the Lusatian Neiße, where he took his new seat in the German part of the now divided city of

of the former Prussian

province of Lower Silesia The Province of Lower Silesia (; Silesian German: ''Provinz Niederschläsing''; ; ) was a province of the Free State of Prussia from 1919 to 1945. Between 1938 and 1941 it was reunited with Upper Silesia as the Province of Silesia. The capita ...

. In 1947 the Polish government also expelled the remaining members of the Silesian

consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church *Consistor ...

, which temporarily could continue to officiate in Wrocław. Görlitz became the seat of the tiny territorial rest of the Silesian ecclesiastical province, constituting on May 1, 1947 as the independent ''Evangelical Church of Silesia'' () - comprising the small parts of

remaining with Germany after 1945. All of the church property east of the Oder-Neiße Line, parochial and provincial alike, was expropriated without compensation, and the church buildings were mostly taken over by the Roman Catholic Church in Poland. A small number of Silesian churches are owned today by Protestant congregations of the

Evangelical-Augsburg Church in Poland The Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Republic of Poland () is a Lutheran denomination and the largest Protestant body in Poland with about 61,000 members and 133 parishes. History The Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Co ...

(see e.g.

Churches of Peace The Churches of Peace (, ) in Jawor and Świdnica in Lower Silesia. Poland, are 17th-century churches, named after the Peace of Westphalia of 1648. The treaty granted the Lutherans of Silesia to build three churches from wood, loam and straw out ...

). On April 9, 1968 East Germany adopted its second constitution, accounting for the de facto transformation into a communist dictatorship. Thus the East German government deprived the church bodies of their status as statutory bodies () and abolished the

church tax A church tax is a tax collected by the state from members of some Christian denominations to provide financial support of churches, such as the salaries of its clergy and to pay the operating cost of the church. It is related to the concept of t ...

, by which parishioners' contributions had been automatically collected as a surcharge on the income tax. Now parishioners would have to fix the level of their contributions and to transfer them again and again on their own. This together with ongoing discrimination of church members, which resulted in many people leaving the church, effectively eroded the financial situation of the church bodies in the East. In 1968, churches were reclassified as civic associations, and the East German government required the Evangelical Church of Silesia to remove the word "Silesia" from its name. The church body then chose the new name ''Evangelical Church of the Görlitz Ecclesiastical Region''. With the end of the East German dictatorship in 1989, the things changed decisively. In 1992 the ''Evangelical Church of the Görlitz Ecclesiastical Region'' dropped its unwanted name and chose the new name of ''Evangelical Church of Silesian Upper Lusatia''. Due to increasing

irreligion Irreligion is the absence or rejection of religious beliefs or practices. It encompasses a wide range of viewpoints drawn from various philosophical and intellectual perspectives, including atheism, agnosticism, religious skepticism, ...

, the low birth rates in Germany since the 1970s, and low numbers of Protestant immigrants, the Protestant church bodies in Germany are undergoing a severe shrinking of parishioners and thus of parishioners' contributions. So church bodies are forced to reorganise their efforts also with respect to the financial situation. In 2004 the Evangelical Church of the Silesian Upper Lusatia merged with the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg to become the present church body. The

Ordination of women The ordination of women to Minister of religion, ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain religious groups in which ordination ...

were allowed. In June 2017, the church votes to allow

same-sex marriages Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 billion people (20% ...

in its churches.EKBO.de: Die evangelische Kirche in Berlin-Brandenburg traut ab sofort Paare (German)
, June 2017

Leading persons and bishops in history

Today the leading bishop is elected for ten years from the synod and can be reelected for a second term. Since 1817, when the Lutheran, Calvinist and newly founded united congregations formed a common administrative umbrella, later called Evangelical Church in Prussia's older Provinces, the area comprised by today's church body formed part of the two old-Prussian ecclesiastical provinces of Silesia () and of the March of Brandenburg (). Until 1933/1934 the spiritual leaders of the Evangelical church were called general superintendents () with regional competences. The adulteration of the church constitution by the Nazi-submissive

German Christians Christianity is the largest religion in Germany. It was introduced to the area of modern Germany by 300 AD, while parts of that area belonged to the Roman Empire, and later, when Franks and other Germanic tribes converted to Christianity from ...

was accompanied by new titles (provincial bishop, ) with hierarchical supremacy over parishioners and church employees, and renamings (provosts instead of general superintendents). After 1945 the offices of general superintendents as spiritual leaders were reconstituted. The two ecclesiastical provinces assumed independence as the

Evangelical Church of Silesia The Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia (, EKBO) is a United Protestant church body in the German states of Brandenburg, Berlin and a part of Saxony (historical region of Silesian Upper Lusatia). The seat of the church i ...

(as of 1947) and the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg (as of 1948) when their respective provincial synods legislated new church constitutions. Both independent regional Protestant church bodies created its office of an elected chairperson called bishop, in Protestant tradition of course without hierarchical supremacy. After the merger of both churches in 2004

Wolfgang Huber Wolfgang Huber (born 12 August 1942 in Strasbourg, Germany) is a prominent German theologian and ethicist. Huber served as bishop of the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia until November 2009. Huber succeeded Manf ...

has been elected the first bishop of the merged Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia (.

Chairmen of the ''March of Brandenburg ecclesiastical province''

The general superintendents for the different areas were rotating in the spiritual leadership within the provincial consistory, seated in Berlin.

Ecclesiastical Chairmen of Berlin (City)

* 1823 - 1865: D. Daniel Amadeus Gottlieb Neander, bearing the title Provost of St. Peter's Church, then the highest ecclesiastical rank in Berlin, in 1830 King

Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III (; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, when the empire was dissolved ...

bestowed him with the merely honorary title Bishop. * 1865 - 1871: not restaffed before Neander's death in 1869, then vacancy * 1871 - 1892: D. Bruno Brückner, bearing the title General Superintendent (Gen.Supt.) * 1893 - 1911: Gen.Supt. D. Wilhelm Faber * 1912 - 1918: Gen.Supt. D. Friedrich Lahusen * 1918 - 1921: vacancy * 1921 - 1927: Gen.Supt. D. Georg Burghart * 1928 - 1933: Gen.Supt. D. Emil Karow, furloughed by State Commissioner August Jäger, after

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician, aviator, military leader, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which gov ...

Prussian Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, the House of Hohenzoll ...

government usurped the factual power in the church body.

General superintendent of Berlin Suburbia

The general superintendency was called in . * 1911 - 1933: D. Wilhelm Haendler (created in 1911, dissolved after Haendler retired)

General superintendents of the Kurmark

* 1540 - 1550: Jacob Stratner (*unknown-1550*) * 1550 - 1566:

Johannes Agricola Johann or Johannes Agricola (originally Schneider, then Schnitter; 20 April 1494 – 22 September 1566)John Julian: Dictionary of Hymnology, Second Edition, page 19. London: John Murray, 1907. was a German Protestant Reformer during the Protest ...

(1494-1566) * 1566 - 1581:

Andreas Musculus Andreas Musculus (Latinized name, Latinized for Andreas Meusel; 29 November 1514 – 29 September 1581) was a German Lutheran theologian and Protestant reformer. Musculus was born in Schneeberg, Saxony, Schneeberg, "generally called only Musculus ...

(1514-1581) * 1581 - 1594: Christoph Cornerus (also Corner, Körner, or Korner; 1519-1594) * 1595 - 1633: Christoph Pelargus (also Storch; 1565-1633) * 1633 – 1829: vacancy, the function of general superintendent was taken by the recently formed ''Marcher Consistory'' (Märkisches Konsistorium), consisting of Lutheran and Reformed (Calvinist) members * 1829 - 1853: D. Daniel Amadeus Gottlieb Neander, in

personal union A personal union is a combination of two or more monarchical states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, involves the constituent states being to some extent in ...

Provost of St. Peter's Church (Berlin) * 1853 - 1873: D. Wilhelm Hoffmann, also court preacher * 1873 - 1879: ? * 1879 - 1891: Theodor Johannes Rudolf Kögel (1829-1896), also Berlin royal court preacher since 1863 * 1892 - 1903: D. Ernst Hermann (von) Dryander (1843-1922) * 1903 - 1921?: David Hennig Paul Köhler (1848-1926) * 1921 - 1924: Karl Theodor Georg Axenfeld (1869-1924) * 1925 - 1933: D. Dr.

Otto Dibelius Friedrich Karl Otto Dibelius (15 May 1880 – 31 January 1967) was a German bishop of the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg, a self-described anti-Semite and up to 1934 a conservative, who became a staunch opponent of Nazism and com ...

, furloughed by State Commissioner August Jäger.

General superintendent for the Governorate of Frankfurt upon Oder

* 1829–1836: Wilhelm Ross The general superintendency of Frankfurt was merged with Lower Lusatia into

New March The Neumark (), also known as the New March () or as East Brandenburg (), was a region of the Margraviate of Brandenburg and its successors located east of the Oder River in territory which became part of Poland in 1945 except some villages of ...

in 1836.

General superintendents of Lower Lusatia

The general superintendency was seated in Lübben. The general superintendency of Frankfurt was merged with Lower Lusatia into New Narch-Lower-Lusatia in 1836. * 1711–1715: Johann Christian Adami * 1715–1811: ? * 1811–1836: Friedrich Brescius (1766–1842), still appointed by the Saxon government

General superintendents of the New March-Lower Lusatia

The general superintendency was seated in Cottbus. * 1836–1842: Friedrich Brescius (1766–1842) * 1842–1853: ? * 1853–1884: Carl Büchsel * 1884–1900: ? * 1900–1909?: D. Theodor Braun (?-1911) * 1909?–1925?: Hans Keßler (1856-1939) * 1925–1933: D. Ernst Vits, pensioned off by State Commissioner August Jäger.

Bishopric of the March of Brandenburg

In 1933 the Prussian government imposed new leaders, who reshaped the structures. The evangelical church (then named

) underwent a

schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...

into a schismatic streamlined Nazi-obedient branch and a steadfast, truly Protestant branch, clinging to the

Confessing Church The Confessing Church (, ) was a movement within German Protestantism in Nazi Germany that arose in opposition to government-sponsored efforts to unify all of the Protestant churches into a single pro-Nazi German Evangelical Church. See dro ...

. The bishops were subordinate to the newly instituted State Bishop () of the ''Evangelical Church of the old-Prussian Union'',

Ludwig Müller Johan Heinrich Ludwig Müller (23 June 1883 – 31 July 1945) was a German theologian, a Lutheran pastor, and leading member of the pro-Nazi " German Christians" () faith movement. In 1933 he was appointed by the Nazi Party as ''Reichsbischof'' ...

. During Church Affair Minister

Hanns Kerrl Hanns Kerrl (11 December 1887 – 15 December 1941) was a German Nazi politician. His most prominent position, from July 1935, was that of Reichsminister of Church Affairs. He was also President of the Prussian Landtag (1932–1933) and head o ...

's attempt to force the Confessing Church and the officially recognised hierarchy to reunite, 1935–1937, many outspoken Nazi protagonists were furloughed. After the attempts to compromise the Confessing Church opposition turned out less successful than expected many functions remained simply vacant and the Church Affair Ministry and its favourites usurped direct influence by orders and ordinances.

=Provincial Bishop for Brandenburg

= * 1933, September - November:

Joachim Hossenfelder Joachim Hossenfelder (29 April 1899, Cottbus – 28 June 1976, Lübeck) was a German Protestant theologian. He led the Nazi German Christians in the ecclesiastical ministry of the Reich Evangelical Church until 1933. Works * ''Die Richtlinien de ...

* 1933, November - 1945: vacancy due to the struggle of the churches

=Provincial Bishop for Berlin

= * 1933 - 1934: D. Emil Karow (resigned in opposition to the Nazi-obedient State Bishop

) * 1934 - 1945: vacancy due to the struggle of the churches

=Kurmark (1933–1945)

= While the Nazi-streamlined

provost Provost may refer to: Officials Ecclesiastic * Provost (religion), a high-ranking church official * Prince-provost, a high-ranking church official Government * Provost (civil), an officer of local government, including the equivalent ...

was subordinate to the Bishopric of Berlin, the general superintendent ignored his illegitimate

furlough A furlough (; from , "leave of absence") is a temporary cessation of paid employment that is intended to address the special needs of a company or employer; these needs may be due to economic conditions that affect a specific employer, or to thos ...

and continued to serve, however, accepted only by the non-schismatic Confessing Church congregations. * 1933 - 1936: Provost Fritz Loerzer * 1936 - 1939: Provost Georg Heimerdinger (1875-1967) * 1939 - 1945: Provost Fritz Loerzer * 1934 - 1945: Gen. Supt. D. Dr.

=New March-Lower Lusatia (1933–1945)

= The Nazi-streamlined provost was subordinate to the Bishopric of Berlin. * 1933 - 1935?: Provost Otto Eckert * 1935 - 1945: vacancy due to the struggle of the churches

General superintendents since 1945

In 1945 the pre-1933 structures were provisionally restituted. The provisionally leading ''advisory council'' () reconfirmed Dibelius as general superintendent of the Kurmark (i.e. Electoral March). The Beirat also commissioned Dibelius to serve per pro the vacant general superintendencies of Berlin and the New March-Lower Lusatia. The Soviet occupational power agreed that Dibelius would use the title of Bishop, better recognisable for the Soviets as clerical title than the term general superintendent mostly unknown in Russian. In 1949 the Kurmark ceded deaneries to the

general superintendency which had lost almost all the New March, Polish annexed in March 1945, by the flight and expulsion of its parishioners living there. The New March-Upper Lusatia general superintendency was renamed into Cottbus after its seat. In 1963 the new Eberswalde general superintendency was partitioned from the Kurmark, which was renamed on that occasion to Neuruppin (and again into Potsdam in 2010). The Eberswalde general superintendency remerged in that of Neuruppin in 1996. In 2003, with the merger of the Evangelical Church in Silesian Upper Lusatia, its region became a subdivision of the EKBO.

Berlin

* 1945 - 1946: D. Dr.

, per pro

=Berlin I

= The general superintendency was seated in Berlin (West). * 1946–1955: Gerhard Jacobi * 1955–1961: Immanuel Pack * 1961–1975: Hans-Martin Helbich The general superintendency of Berlin I was then merged in the function of the Bishop in Berlin-Brandenburg (western region)

=Berlin II

= The general superintendency was seated in Berlin (East). * 1946–1955: Friedrich-Wilhelm Krummacher * 1956–1963: Fritz Führ (1904-1963) * 1964–1974: Gerhard Schmitt * 1974–1982: Hartmut Grünbaum * 1982–1993: Günter Krusche, resigned after revealing his Stasi collaboration

=Berlin (reunited)

= * 1993–1996: Ingrid Laudien (1934-2009) * 1996–2008: Martin-Michael Passauer * 2008–2011: Ralf Meister * 2011– date: Ulrike Trautwein

Kurmark (1945–1963)/Neuruppin (1963–2010)/Potsdam (since)

The general superintendency is seated in Potsdam. In 1963 the general superintendency of Eberswalde was partitioned from the Kurmark, renamed into Neuruppin on that occasion. In 1996 Eberswalde remerged in Neuruppin. * 1945–1946: D. Dr. Otto Dibelius * 1946–1963: Walter Braun (1892–1973) * 1963–1978: Horst Lahr (1913-2008) * 1979–1996: Günter Bransch (1931) * 1997–2010: Hans-Ulrich Schulz * 2010– date: Heilgard Asmus

New March-Lower Lusatia (1945–1949)/Cottbus (1949–2010)

* 1945–1946: D. Dr. Otto Dibelius, per pro * 1946–1972: Günter Jacob * 1973–1981: Gottfried Forck * 1982–1993: Reinhardt Richter (1928–2004) * 1995–2004: Rolf Wischnath * 2004–2010: Heilgard Asmus In 2010 the general superintendency was dissolved and its area partitioned between Potsdam and Görlitz.

Eberswalde (1963–1996)

In 1963 the Eberswalde district (Sprengel Eberswalde) was partitioned from the Kurmark. * 1963–1972: Albrecht Schönherr * 1972–1978: Hermann-Theodor Hanse (1912–1999) * 1978–1983: Erich Schuppan * 1983–1996: Leopold Esselbach (1931)

Görlitz (since 2004)

In 2003 the Evangelical Church of Silesian Upper Lusatia merged with the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg, its region forms a unit within the merger called EKBO. * 2004–2011: Regional Bishop Hans-Wilhelm Pietz * 2011– date: Gen.Supt. Martin Herche

Bishops of the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg

In 1948 the first post-war elected provincial synod of the ''March of Brandenburg ecclesiastical province'' of the ''Evangelical Church of the old-Prussian Union'' constituted as an independent church body named ''Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg''. The new constitution provided for a chairperson to bear the title bishop. * 1948 - 1966: D. Dr.

* 1966 - 1972: D.

Kurt Scharf Kurt Scharf (October 21, 1902 – March 28, 1990) was a German clergyman and bishop of the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg. Career Kurt Scharf was born in Landsberg an der Warthe in the Prussian Province of Brandenburg (now Gorz ...

West 1972 - 1991 (competent for West Berlin): * 1972 - 1976: D. Kurt Scharf * 1976 - 1991: Dr. theol. Martin Kruse (b. 1929) East 1972 - 1991 (competent for East Berlin and Brandenburg): * 1972 - 1981: D. h.c. Albrecht Schönherr (1911–2009) * 1981 - 1991: Dr. theol. Gottfried Forck (1923–1996) Reunited church body since 1991: * 1991 - 1993: Dr. theol. Martin Kruse * 1994 - 2003: Prof. Dr. theol.

On January 1, 2004 the church body merged with the ''Evangelical Church of Silesian Upper Lusatia''.

Silesian general superintendents and bishops

General superintendents (1829–1924)

* 1829 - 1830: Johann Gottfried Bobertag * 1830 - 1832: ? * 1832 - 1843: Ernst Friedrich Gabriel Ribbeck * 1844 - 1863: August Hahn * 1864 - 1900: David Erdmann * 1901 - 1903: Hugo Nehmiz (1845–1903)

General superintendent, Liegnitz Region (1904–1935)

* 1905 - 1924: Wilhelm Haupt * 1924 - 1933: Martin Schian, deposed by State commissioner Jäger * 1933 - 1935: vacancy, Otto Zänker per pro

General superintendent, Breslau and Oppeln Regions (1904–1935)

* 1904 - 1925: Theodor Nottebohm (1850–1931) * 1925 - 1935: Otto Zänker, since 1933 also per pro in the Liegnitz Region

Bishops (1935–2003)

* 1935 - 1941/1945: D. Otto Zänker, due to his siding with the

he was involuntarily pensioned off in 1941, but ignored that, however, accepted only by the non-schismatic Confessing Church congregations. The Nazi authorities expelled him from Silesia in January 1945. * 1941/1945 - 1946: vacancy ** 1945 - 1946: D.

Praeses ''Praeses'' (Latin ''praesides'') is a Latin word meaning "placed before" or "at the head". In antiquity, notably under the Roman Dominate, it was used to refer to Roman governors; it continues to see some use for various modern positions. ...

Ernst Hornig per pro * 1946 - 1963: D. Ernst Hornig * 1964 - 1979: D. Hans-Joachim Fränkel * 1979 - 1985: Hanns-Joachim Wollstadt * 1986 - 1994: Joachim Rogge * 1994 - 2003: Klaus Wollenweber

Bishops of the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia

* 2004 - 2009:

* 2009–2019 Markus Dröge * 2019–present: Christian Stäblein

Synod

The election of the synod (''Landessynode'') is for six years. The synod meets each year in Berlin. The leader of the synod is called "Präses" ().

Books

* Berlin-Brandenburg: ** Gesangbuch zum gottesdienstlichen Gebrauch für evangelische Gemeinen, Berlin, 1829 **

Evangelisches Gesangbuch ''Evangelisches Gesangbuch'' (''EG''; , "Protestantism, Protestant song book") is the current hymnal of German-language congregations in Germany, Alsace and Lorraine, Austria, and Luxembourg, which was introduced from 1993 and 1996, succeeding ...

, nach Zustimmung der Provinzialsynode vom Jahre 1884 zur Einführung in der Provinz Brandenburg mit Genehmigung des Evang. Oberkirchenrats herausgegeben vom Königlichen Konsistorium, Berlin, 1884 ** Evangelisches Gesangbuch for Brandenburg and Pommern, Berlin and Frankfurt/Oder; eingeführt durch Beschlüsse der Provinzialsynoden der Kirchenprovinz Pommern 1925 and 1927 and Mark Brandenburg 1927 and 1929 and nach der Notverordnung des Kirchensenats from August 7, 1931 published from the Provinzialkirchenräten Brandenburg and Pommern 1931 ** Evangelisches Kirchengesangbuch, Edition for the Evangelische Kirche in Berlin-Brandenburg; Ausgabe für die Konsistorialbezirke Berlin, Magdeburg, Greifswald und Görlitz und der Evang. Landeskirche Anhalts" bzw. "Evangelisches Kirchengesangbuch, Ausgabe für die Evangelische Landeskirche Anhalt, Evang. Kirche Berlin-Brandenburg, Evang. Kirche des Görlitzer Kirchengebietes, Evang. Landeskirche Greifswald, Evang. Kirche der Kirchenprovinz Sachsen" ** , Edition for the Evangelische Landeskirche Anhalts, die Evangelische Kirche in Berlin-Brandenburg, die Evangelische Kirche der schlesischen Oberlausitz, die Pommersche Evangelische Kirche, die Evangelische Kirche der Kirchenprovinz Sachsen, Berlin/Leipzig; eingeführt am Reformationstag, 31. Oktober 1993 * Silesian Upper Lusatia: ** Gesangbuch für Evangelische Gemeinden Schlesiens; since 1878 ** Schlesisches Provinzial-Gesangbuch; since 1908 ** Evangelisches Kirchen-Gesangbuch (EKG) - Edition for the Konsistorialbezirke Berlin, Magdeburg, Greifswald und Görlitz and the Evang. Landeskirche Anhalts/ Edition for the Evangelische Landeskirche Anhalt, Evangelische Kirche Berlin-Brandenburg, Evangelische Kirche des Görlitzer Kirchengebietes, Evangelische Landeskirche Greifswald, Evangelische Kirche der Kirchenprovinz Sachsen; since 1953 ** - Edition for the Evangelische Landeskirche Anhalts, the Evangelische Kirche in Berlin-Brandenburg, the Evangelische Kirche der schlesischen Oberlausitz, the Pommersche Evangelische Kirche, the Evangelische Kirche der Kirchenprovinz Sachsen; since Mai 1994

References

External links

Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia

Protestant Church in Germany
{{Authority control Organisations based in Berlin Christianity in Berlin Christianity in Brandenburg Christianity in Saxony