The North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church (German: Nordelbische Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche; NEK) was a Lutheran regional church in Northern Germany which emerged from a merger of four churches in 1977 and merged with two more churches in 2012. The NEK largely covered the area of the states of Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg where it was the most important Christian denomination. It had 2.1 million members (as of 2006) in 595 parishes, constituting 46% of the population in its ambit.
Contents
- History
- Prominent buildings
- Practices
- Bishops of the Hamburg district Sprengel Hamburg 19772008
- Bishops of the Holstein Lbeck district Sprengel Holstein Lbeck 19772008
- Bishops of the Schleswig district Sprengel Schleswig 19772008
- Bishops of the Hamburg and Lbeck district Sprengel Hamburg und Lbeck since 2008
- Bishops of the Schleswig and Holstein district Sprengel Schleswig und Holstein since 2008
- References
In May 2012 the NEK, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg and the Pomeranian Evangelical Church merged into Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany.
The NEK was a full member of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (VELKD), and the Lutheran World Federation (joined 1977). The church was also a member of the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe.
History
The North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church was founded in 1977 by the merger of four former state churches:
It is named after its ambit mostly located north of the River Elbe. In 1992 Maria Jepsen was the first woman to become a bishop in the North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church. At Pentecost 2012 it merged with the Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Mecklenburg and the Pomeranian Evangelical Church to form the new Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany.
Prominent buildings
The most prominent church buildings were Schleswig Cathedral, Lübeck Cathedral and St. Michaelis in Hamburg.
Practices
Ordination of women and blessing of same-sex unions were allowed.
Bishops of the Hamburg district (Sprengel Hamburg; 1977–2008)
The preaching venue of the bishop was the new St. Nicholas Church (till 1987) and thereafter St. Michael's.
Bishops of the Holstein-Lübeck district (Sprengel Holstein-Lübeck; 1977–2008)
The preaching venue of the bishop was the Lübeck Cathedral.
Bishops of the Schleswig district (Sprengel Schleswig; 1977–2008)
The preaching venue of the bishop was the Schleswig Cathedral.
Bishops of the Hamburg and Lübeck district (Sprengel Hamburg und Lübeck; since 2008)
The preaching venue of the bishop is the St. Michaelis Church, Hamburg.
Bishops of the Schleswig and Holstein district (Sprengel Schleswig und Holstein; since 2008)
The preaching venue of the bishop is the Schleswig Cathedral.