Evangelical Church of Westphalia

The Evangelical Church of Westphalia (German: Evangelische Kirche von Westfalen, EKvW) is a United Protestant church body in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The seat of the praeses (German: Präses, the head of the church) is Bielefeld. The EKvW emerged on June 13, 1945, when the ecclesiastical province of Westphalia within the Evangelical Church of the old-Prussian Union assumed its independence as church body of its own. The EKvW is a full member of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD),and the Reformed Alliance[1] and is a church whose bases are in a Union between parishes in Lutheran and Calvinistic traditions. The church is also a member of the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe. Because the church is not run by a "bishop" there is no cathedral. Präses (President) of the church is Annette Kurschus (2012). Annette Kurschus became the first female praeses of the Evangelical Church of Westphalia in 2011.

Practices

Ordination of women and blessing of same-sex unions were allowed.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2014. www.reformierter-bund.de/side.php?news_id=113&part_id=0&navi=1
  2. ↑ EKVW:Lebenspartnerschaften (german) Archived May 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
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Coordinates: 52°01′16.98″N 8°31′59.16″E / 52.0213833°N 8.5331000°E / 52.0213833; 8.5331000

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